Heads unite to fight for teachers bonuses

Head
teachers in England and Wales are threatening to take industrial action over
the handling of classroom teachers’ performance related pay (PRP).

Officials
from the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) and National Association of Head
Teachers (NAHT) say they will bring the PRP scheme to a “juddering halt” unless
the government provides an extra billion pounds to fund it.

They
claim the scheme is being seriously underfunded and that to pay the bonuses of
senior teachers, heads would have to dip into money reserved for books and
equipment.

In
an unprecedented move for head teachers, the unions have combined to fight the
cause. It is the first time the SHA has ever contemplated industrial action,
and the NAHT has not proposed strike action for 20 years.

If
the situation does not change union members could be balloted by next term and
the industrial action could take place some time after mid May.

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Both
unions say the action will not affect pupils.

By Phil Boucher