Teachers' pay

As a member of school staff you will have an appraisal review once a year with your line manager. You might be apprehensive before attending your appraisal review, especially if you have concerns about your performance with meeting objectives or when having pay reviewed.

ACAS explains that by law, men and women must get equal pay for doing ‘equal work’ (work that equal pay law classes as the same, similar, equivalent or of equal value).

If you work in a maintained school in England, you will be paid accordingly to nationally agreed pay scale, as outlined in the STPCD. If you work in an academy, free school or independent school, your pay will be set according to your school’s pay policy.

You may be an independent school teacher who is concerned with being withdrawn from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). All schools, including independent schools, are facing a 40% rise in employer pension contributions towards the TPS. The Department for Education (DfE) has said it will fund this increase for state schools until the next spending review, however, independent schools must fund it themselves.

You may be invited to attend jury service while you are teaching. In this article, we explain if you have to attend, if you can delay attending and what you are able to claim in expenses.

Pay portability was a term to describe your current salary transferring with you when you started a new role at a different school. Since September 2013, there is no longer pay portability for appointments in maintained schools in England and Wales.

Pay progression for all teachers now depends on appraisal outcomes and meeting standards set by schools. Decisions about teachers’ pay progression are now linked to performance.

You might have heard of salary sacrifice schemes before if you have worked in businesses, charities and other sectors. You might wonder if your school runs an equivalent alternative?

You may be unsure about your entitlement to sick pay as a teacher. The entitlement to sick pay and sick leave for teachers in the maintained sector is set out in the Burgundy Book.

You may have seen news reports over the recent years that some teachers are eligible to claim back student loan repayments. This is an initiative launched by the government to improve teacher retention rates in certain subjects.

Teacher pay in Wales has been reformed. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) which outlines teachers’ pay and conditions in maintained schools in England no longer applies in Wales.

You may be wanting to progress onto the upper pay range (UPR) or eager to know how to progress within the UPR. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Documents (STPCD) outlines the criteria for teachers in maintained schools to access the UPR and pay progression information.

This article provides an overview of teacher pay scales in England for 2020/21. A pay increase was announced for 2020/21 of 3.1%.

Teachers’ Pensions is the organisation responsible for administering the scheme on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE). You can sign up as soon as you start teaching and receive a Teachers’ Pension number.

TLR payments can be given to classroom teachers for taking on additional responsibilities. You might be a teacher interested in seeing how much you will be awarded, want to find out how to qualify for TLR payments or might be concerned if your TLR can be taken away. 

As a part-time member of teaching staff you should be aware of your employment rights. Part-time working can be a good way of balancing work and personal commitments and you should not be penalised for working part-time at your school.

Lead practitioners will model excellent practice, sharing their skills and experience with other teachers. You might be interested in taking on a lead practitioner role at your school or may already be in post.

You may have heard of the recruitment and pay award but might be unsure if you are eligible to receive it. The School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) outlines guidance on recruitment and retention incentives and benefits.

As a member of school staff you will want to be familiar with your employment contract. This will include details on how much you are paid, your terms and conditions of employment, working hours and more details.

You might think that your pay is incorrect or you might not have actually been paid for the month. You should contact your school, HR department or local authority in the first instance.