The government has set out how it will legislate to remove pay band maximums for maintained school teachers if its education bill passes.
The Department for Education has tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, clarifying the bill’s provisions on pay and conditions.
Under the amendment, there would be a minimum pay standard for academy teachers - but no maximum.
Subsequent reforms to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) will also remove maximum pay bands for maintained schools “and provide additional flexibilities to enable healthy competition and innovation”, policy notes on the bill state.
These reforms would happen through secondary legislation.
Schools minister Catherine McKinnell announced last week that the DfE would table an amendment to the bill, in recognition that the existing provision on pay and conditions was not clear.
Concern had been raised across the sector that, as currently worded, the bill would remove academy freedoms to pay more than the teacher pay framework that maintained schools follow or to offer additional flexibilities to help attract teachers.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson later told the Commons Education Select Committee that the provision would set a “floor but no ceiling” on teacher pay, but this failed to quell concern.
A spokesperson for the DfE said: “We have been clear that we will enable all schools to attract the top teaching talent they need.
“Our amendment will allow the education secretary to ensure that all state school teachers will have a core pay offer that cannot fall below the minimum level, creating a floor but no ceiling.”
Writing for Tes, Ms McKinnell had previously said all schools - including local authority maintained schools - would see the benefit of further flexibilities that the government will remit the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to consider once the bill passes.
The DfE said that once amended, the measures in the bill and secondary legislation would mean that all teachers have a guaranteed minimum pay offer, that “all state schools have flexibility to attract and retain teachers” and that “innovations which are making a positive difference” can spread.
Academies will still have to “have regard” to the STPCD under the measures in the bill.
The power to set minimum remuneration levels for academies would come into effect two months after the bill receives royal assent.
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