NASUWT: Pay system should recognise and reward teaching as a high status profession

Commenting on the EPI’s report into teacher pay, Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“The education recovery for children and young people which depends on recruiting and retaining skilled and experienced teachers is being jeopardised by the dogmatic pursuit of a failed policy of performance related pay and the Government’s arbitrary decision to freeze teachers’ pay from this September.

“The freedoms and flexibilities given to schools on pay matters have regrettably contributed to a year-on-year decline in the value of teachers’ pay, with many teachers reporting that they are being expected to undertake additional responsibilities for no additional remuneration.

“There is ample evidence that localised pay rates and the use of top-up incentives have not secured long term retention.

“The Government has also failed to address the discriminatory impact of the pay system which has led to widening pay inequality to the detriment of women and black and minority ethnic teachers.

“Across the board, the Government’s failure to invest in teachers has resulted in an 18% real-terms decline in teachers’ pay over the past decade, which is contributing directly to the retention crisis in schools.