Michael Gove’s mission to de-regulate your pay and conditions Spring 2013

STRB Report Loosens national framework for pay No more fixed pay points Only statutory minimum and maximum pay levels, with as many points between these as a school chooses Progression more closely linked to individual performance No guarantees on pay “portability” Ends a system that has predictability and security and that has existed since 1924

DfE Toolkit for school pay policies Encourages schools to limit the pay available for teaching posts – something which isn’t permitted now Says starting pay should reflect “market conditions”, which will often mean the lowest pay schools can get away with. Suggests as many as three different levels of pay rise for different teachers Encourages schools to relate pay progression to matters such as peer review or student or parent voice

DfE Toolkit for school pay policies The DfE guidance says that completing induction is not necessarily enough to earn NQTs a pay rise Progression to the Upper Pay Range can depend on teachers being “good enough to provide coaching and mentoring, giving advice and demonstrating effective teaching practice” Where teachers start on the Upper Pay Range might depend on the “nature of their post” – so schools may now begin offering pay progression as an alternative to TLR payments for responsibilities.

DfE Toolkit for school pay policies Schools can deny pay progression even to good performers beyond a set rate for the job. So the DfE’s suggestion that good teachers should have a “reasonable expectation” of reaching the top of the pay scales is unenforceable. Pay progression can be withheld without advance warning and without putting teachers on capability procedures Schools will no longer have to pay people at the same level when they move schools or return from a break

Where could this lead? Greater divisions in schools and lack of transparency Schools could decide that only a fixed number of staff can progress each year Schools could find any argument they like for denying progression. A higher pay rise for one teacher will mean a lower pay rise, or no pay rise, for others Could it mean more competition and less collaboration in schools?

And there is more The DfE guidance confirms that Ofsted will be monitoring matters – and that Ofsted inspectors will be given detailed reports on pay progression decisions and school leaders will be questioned and asked to justify them.

And yet more Michael Gove has now confirmed that this is indeed only the first stage of his attack. He has asked the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to review our working conditions – PPA time, cover, admin tasks etc He has also stated publicly that the school day and school year should be longer and asked the STRB to report on this in January 2014 This is an unprecedented attack on our national pay and conditions

Remember 2011 and 2012 pay freeze Pension contributions up again in April 2013 Average 1% pay increase in 2013 but maybe not for everyone There is no extra money for implementing new pay policies Government wants “downward pressure” on overall pay bill School budgets could be cut in 2014

Winning our pay policy in schools Schools must revise pay policies in consultation with staff unions DfE Toolkit is guidance only NUT/NASUWT have a model policy and checklist, which maintains most of the existing framework We want schools to adopt our policy Both unions will sanction strike action where schools do not

NUT and NASUWT joint campaign NUT and NASUWT have agreed to work together on joint campaign to stop Gove Sets aside 90 years of differences Action Short of Strike Action continues Further strategy on strike action agreed at annual conferences

NUT and NASUWT joint campaign Joint education rallies on April 27 th, May 11 th and 18 th More rallies to follow Joint regional strike on June 27 th in north-west Further regional strikes in September and October Joint national strike in November Intention to call further strike beyond this if Gove doesn’t listen

Defending education All these proposals soften schools up for privatisation 25,000 schools setting their own pay policies is bad for education No evidence that PRP will improve teaching or education No evidence that longer days and terms will improve education Our children already spend more time in school than many European countries

What can you do? Call a joint union meeting in your school to discuss this Look out for NUT/NASUWT model policy and checklist Tell your head that you expect this to be adopted Attend local rallies and meetings Organise something in your school or area on June 27 th to support colleagues in NW your MP Be ready to take strike action