Education unions today respond to the publication of initial
recommendations by the Workload Reduction Taskforce to reduce
workload for school leaders and teachers – including an end to
performance-related pay. The general secretaries of school
leaders’ union NAHT; the Association of School and College
Leaders (ASCL); and National Education Union (NEU), said:
“We are pleased that the taskforce’s initial set of
recommendations has been accepted. We particularly welcome the
news that the government will be removing the obligation for
schools to use performance-related pay from September.
“It has become increasingly clear that not only does
performance-related pay not work in the education sector, but it
also drives unnecessary workload and bureaucracy for leaders and
teachers alike. Its removal is a positive step. We will now work
closely with the Department for Education to ensure that any
updated guidance replacing it is fit for purpose and reduces
workload burdens.
“Reinserting a list of bureaucratic tasks that teachers and
leaders should not be expected to do into the school teachers’
pay and conditions document is also helpful and the new
non-exhaustive examples better reflect how schools operate in
2024. Of course, the update is only a very small part of the work
that now needs to take place if we are to begin to see the
reductions in workload we all aspire to.
“We look forward to participating in the more substantive
discussions on workload drivers and how to tackle them as part of
the taskforce’s ongoing work over the coming weeks and months.”
