Plans
to reward the most effective teachers have been given the green light following
negotiations between the Government and head teacher unions.
The
general secretaries of the Secondary Heads Association and National Association
of Head Teachers have cancelled a ballot on industrial action and recommended
members adopt the revised plans for performance related pay.
During
the negotiations it was agreed that performance management was critical to the
successful management of schools and that there should be a link between
performance and remuneration.
The
recommendations state that there should be no automatic move up the pay scale
and that progression should be based on national criteria, taking into account
local circumstances.
Schools
will also have the right to autonomy over how much they invest in
performance-related pay schemes.
The
total grant from the department for Education and Skills in 2002-3 is widely
expected to be around £100m.
Secretary
of State for Education and Skills, Estelle Morris said that the best teachers
deserved to be rewarded and the teaching profession would benefit from the
move: "This agreement exemplifies the sort of constructive work between
the unions and Government that I want to see continue. We have not been moved
by the threat of industrial action," she said.
"Our
best teachers deserve to be rewarded for raising standards in our schools. We
have confirmed the principles of performance management and the basis on which
we will make grants available to reward the most effective staff through pay
awards."
