Schools will no longer be obliged to use performance-related pay from September 2024, the government has said as part of recommendations to reduce teachers’ workload.
The initial recommendations of the Department for Education’s Workload Reduction Taskforce include plans to remove performance-related pay (PRP) for teachers, update the list of administrative tasks that teachers should not be required to do, and amend guidance to governors and trustees to emphasise their role in considering staff workload and wellbeing.
The taskforce was formed in the autumn to consider how the government might meet its ambition to cut teachers’ workload by five hours a week within three years.
It includes teachers’ unions, professional bodies and school representatives and is set to make its final recommendations to the government, Ofsted and school leaders by the end of March.
Performance-related pay
The group heard concerns that PRP works poorly in practice, presents a significant administrative burden, and does not have a positive impact on teaching and learning.
The taskforce has recommended that it should be removed in time for the 2024/25 academic year, subject to a consultation which is yet to take place.
The DfE document says: “We want to ensure that school leaders are able to support, develop and reward their staff in the least burdensome way, removing the bureaucratic requirement to run the PRP system. We accept the recommendation that the requirement for PRP should be removed and replaced with a less bureaucratic way to manage performance fairly and transparently.
“We will conduct a rapid government and trade unions review of current guidance surrounding appraisal and performance management to facilitate a replacement for PRP being in place from 1st September 2024. By communicating any changes in Spring 2024, schools will have sufficient notice to enable them to prepare during the summer for September 2024 implementation.”
In a joint statement, the general secretaries of school leaders’ union NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders and the National Education Union 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.”
Last year it was revealed that nearly a quarter of full-time teachers worked more than 60 hours per week.
The DfE has also accepted recommendations to insert a revised annex into the school teachers’ pay and conditions document, to update the list of administrative tasks that school teachers should not be required to carry out. These tasks include analysing attendance rates, investigating pupil absence, ordering supplies, bulk photocopying and booking venues for school trips.
The unions said: “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.”
Education sector HR roles on Personnel Today
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Browse more HR jobs in education
