2016
Pay and
Pay Progression
Survey
NASUWT
The Teachers’ Union
ENGLAND
Contents
Key findings ...............................................................................5
Awareness of pay and performance management policies .....5
The fairness of the performance management process
for last academic year ...............................................................6
Pay progression .........................................................................8
Continuing professional development for last year ..................8
Processes for the academic year 2016/17 ...............................8
Continuing professional development for this year ..................9
The fairness of the performance management process
for this academic year ...............................................................9
The 1% pay award ..................................................................10
3
For a two-week period in November and December 2016, the NASUWT
conducted a survey on pay and pay progression of teachers. The survey
received over 8,000 responses.
Key findings
• More than half (53%) of teachers were set objectives in the performance
management process last year that they felt were unrealistic and
unachievable.
• Almost half (49%) of teachers said that the performance management
process last year added to their workload.
• Three fifths (60%) of teachers had not yet received pay progression.
• Almost half (49%) of teachers did not discuss continuing professional
development (CPD) at all within the setting of performance management
objectives.
• Over half (55%) of teachers have been set performance management
objectives for this year that they believe are unachievable.
• Almost three fifths (59%) of teachers had not received confirmation as to
whether they would receive the 1% pay award for this year.
Awareness of pay and performance management policies
Following concerns about the accessibility of pay and performance
management policies, the survey asked teachers about whether they were
aware of such policies in their schools. Over a third (39%) of teachers stated
that they were unaware of the pay policy in their schools and almost one fifth
(19%) were unaware of their school’s performance management policy.
The percentage of teachers who were unaware of their school’s pay policy
was higher amongst groups with protected characteristics, particularly for
black and minority ethnic (BME) teachers (49%), teachers with disabilities
(42%) and women (42%).
Percentage of teachers not aware of their school’s pay policy
Teachers at the minima of pay range
54%
Women teachers
42%
Disabled teachers
42%
BME teachers
49%
All teachers
39%
0%
10%
20%
5
30%
40%
50%
60%
Although the survey was conducted in late November/December, over a
fifth of teachers (22%) stated that the pay and appraisal process for last
academic year (2015/16) had not been completed.
Percentage of teachers reporting their schools had not completed the
performance management process for last year by December 2016
Teachers at the minima of pay range
38%
Teachers 30 and under
28%
Disabled teachers
28%
BME teachers
28%
All teachers
0%
22%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
The fairness of the performance management process for last
academic year
Teachers were asked to agree or disagree with a number of statements
about the performance management process for last academic year
(2015/16).
When asked whether the objectives set were realistic and achievable,
almost half (53%) of teachers said that they were not. Furthermore, over
three quarters (77%) of teachers stated that the objectives contained
requirements that were not within their control.
Over two thirds (68%) of teachers said they had unrealistic numerical
targets included in their performance management objectives.
More than a fifth (23%) of teachers stated that their performance
management objectives included data targets relating to the work of other
colleagues. This was much higher amongst leaders (42%).
Almost a half (49%) of teachers said that their performance management
objectives added to their workload. A fifth (20%) of teachers stated that
the objectives that were set were not related to teaching and learning and
the same percentage had objectives set that required them to undertake
extracurricular activities. A process, therefore, that is meant to be in
support of professionals leading teaching and learning has in many cases
become the opposite.
6
A fifth (20%) of teachers said that their objectives included Ofsted-style
grades, despite the fact that Ofsted has abandoned the use of lesson
gradings and despite widespread concern that the grading of individual
lessons is discredited as a process.
Fairness of the performance management process last year
Objectives set for last year that were not related to teaching and learning
20%
Objectives for last year included
extracurricular activities
Objectives for last year included Ofsted-style grades 20%
20%
Objectives for last year added to workload
49%
Objectives for last year included data
targets of other colleagues
23%
Objectives for last year included unrealistic numerical targets 68%
Objectives for last year contained
requirements not in their control
77%
Objectives for last year were not realistic/achievable
53%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Ninety-one per cent of all teachers said that their objectives did not take
account of their personal circumstances and three quarters (75%) stated
that they were not given the support that they felt they needed to meet their
objectives.
This lack of support for objectives was even higher for part-time teachers
(78%), older teachers (79%), teachers with disabilities (84%), BME teachers
(81%), and teachers at the maxima of the main pay range (78%).
Percentage of teachers who said that they were
not given any support to meet their objectives
Teachers at the maxima of the pay range
78%
Teachers 50 and over
79%
Disabled teachers
84%
81%
BME teachers
Part-time teachers
78%
All teachers
75%
70% 72%
74%
7
76%
78%
80%
82%
84%
86%
Pay progression
Pay decisions based on the performance management objectives for last
academic year should normally have been confirmed with teachers during
the first half-term of the new academic year and normally by 31 October.
However, by December 2016, almost a third (29%) of teachers received no
information about the outcomes of their performance management reviews.
Two fifths (40%) of teachers who were eligible for pay progression had a
decision made; 60% of teachers have been denied pay progression so far.
Continuing professional development for last year
Just over a fifth (22%) of teachers were given the time that they needed in
order to complete CPD requirements in relation to their performance
management objectives for last year, and almost a fifth (19%) were
expected to fulfil CPD requirements despite the fact that they were given
no time at all for this.
Older teachers (21%) and those at the maxima of the main pay range (24%)
were not given any time to complete the CPD needed for their objectives.
Percentage of teachers who were not given any
time to complete CPD
24%
Teachers at the maxima of the pay range
Teachers 50 and over
21%
19%
All teachers
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Eleven per cent of teachers stated that they were not able to access any CPD
at all last year.
Processes for the academic year 2016/17
Although the survey was undertaken in the latter half of the autumn term, over
a quarter (26%) of teachers had not yet had a meeting to set their performance
management objectives for this academic year (2016/17).
8
This was higher for BME teachers (24%), older teachers (24%), teachers with
disabilities (29%) and teachers at the minima of the main pay range (26%).
Continuing professional development for this year
Almost half (49%) of teachers did not discuss CPD at all, as part of the setting
of performance management objectives for this year.
Only 15% of teachers have been given the time that they need in order to
complete CPD requirements in relation to their performance management
objectives for this year.
The fairness of the performance management process for this
academic year
Teachers were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a number of
statements about the performance management process for this academic
year (2016/17).
When asked whether the objectives that are currently set were realistic and
achievable, over half (55%) of teachers said that they were not. Furthermore,
over three quarters (79%) of teachers stated that their objectives for this year
contained requirements that were not within their control.
Almost two thirds (65%) of teachers said they had unrealistic numerical targets
included in their current performance management objectives.
Over a quarter (26%) of teachers stated that their performance management
objectives include data targets related to the performance of other colleagues.
This figure was much higher (46%) for school leaders.
Twenty-one per cent of teachers stated that the objectives that they had been
set were not related to teaching and learning and the same number had
objectives set that included extracurricular activities.
Furthermore, almost a fifth (19%) of teachers said that their objectives included
discredited Ofsted-style grades.
9
Fairness of the performance management process this year
Objectives set for this year that were not
related to teaching and learning
21%
Objectives for this year included
extracurricular activities
21%
Objectives for this year included
discredited Ofsted-style grades
19%
Objectives for this year included data
targets of other colleagues
26%
Objectives for this year included
unrealistic numerical targets
65%
Objectives for this year contained
requirements not in their control
79%
Objectives for this year were not achievable
55%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
The problems that teachers had last year that in many cases had led to
deep inequalities in the system have in many cases worsened this year.
The 1% pay award
Almost three fifths (59%) of teachers reported that they had not received
confirmation by December 2016 of whether they would receive the
minimum 1% pay award meant for teachers.
This was even higher amongst BME teachers (64%), teachers with
disabilities (64%) and women (62%). In addition, almost three quarters
(72%) of teachers at the minima of the main pay range reported that they
had not received the 1%.
Percentage of teachers who had not received the 1% pay award this year
Teachers at the minima of the main pay range
72%
Women teachers
62%
Disabled teachers
64%
BME teachers
64%
59%
All teachers
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
10
NASUWT
The Teachers’ Union
Tel: 03330 145550
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nasuwt.org.uk
16/12021 England