As you will know, the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2013 (“STPCD 2013”) came into force on 1 September 2013. This automatically applies to maintained schools in England, who should ensure that they have complied with the steps set out below.
This note is not addressed to Academies which converted before STPCD 2013 came into force. The position is different, and more complex, in the case of Academies, and it is strongly recommended that Academies take legal advice when considering implementing changes in respect of teachers’ pay.
Maintained schools should already have the following steps in place, and should actively implement them:
• Your pay policy should clearly set out: (i) the basis on which teachers’ pay will be determined with sufficient detail for teachers to understand how pay decisions will be made; (ii) how appraisals are linked to pay decisions; (iii) how performance will be assessed against relevant standards and objectives; (iv) the types of evidence upon which assessment may be based and how this will be gathered; (v) how pay will be determined when teachers are on long term absence; and (vi) the procedure for teachers to appeal against pay decisions.
• Your appraisal policy should clearly set out: (i) how appraisals are linked to pay progression; (ii) how objectives will be set (for example by identifying success criteria); (iii) how observation of teachers will be managed and how performance will be assessed; (iv) whether appraisal reports will be used to provide evidence in support of pay recommendations; and (v) how moderation will be applied and how fairness and consistency will be achieved.
• You should ensure that the school’s teaching staff understand the changes, including how they will work in practice.
• Teachers must take part in an annual appraisal, where the level of performance expected, the teacher’s objectives for the academic year, and the evidence on which performance is to be assessed should be discussed. Objectives should be finalised and communicated to teachers at the start of the academic year.
• Consider moderation of teachers’ performance objectives to ensure consistency.
• Consider training for all staff who are conducting appraisals.
• Monitor performance in accordance with the pay and appraisal policies throughout the academic year, with teachers assessed against the relevant standards and objectives. Following the end of the academic year, an assessment report should be produced, which will include a pay recommendation. Teachers may appeal against the pay decision.
• Pay and appraisal policies should be reviewed and, if necessary, updated on an annual basis.