Briefing: Teachers Pay Survey 2007

BRIEFING: TEACHERS’ PAY SURVEY 2007

INTRODUCTION

 This briefing summarises the key findings of the latest teachers’ pay survey, published by the Office for Manpower Economics (OME) in September 2007.

 The latest survey continues a series stretching back to 1993. The previous survey took place in the autumn of 2004.

 The survey was based on a sample of 3000 schools and achieved a response rate of a third. Survey forms were sent out in March 2007, with a deadline for responses of 11 May 2007.

 The survey reports the position as at January 2007.

 The figures in the survey are estimates and have associated margins of error. An update later this month will indicate the magnitude of the margins for error.

LEADERSHIP GROUP

 Significant numbers of primary deputy and assistant heads were on higher points than some primary heads.

 The distribution of deputy heads in the secondary sector was similar to that of primary heads and median pay for secondary deputies was equal to that of primary heads.

 A smaller proportion of female heads were on the higher spine points, reflecting the size and nature of the schools they were managing.

 Around half of leadership group staff moved one point up the scale between 2005-06 and 2006-07; just over 30 per cent saw no change; 15 per cent moved more than one point up; and a very few saw a drop.

 Median pay for heads ranged from £48,000 for primary heads outside of London/Fringe to £81,000 for secondary heads in Inner London.

 Median pay for deputy/assistant heads ranged from £39,000 in the primary sector outside of London/Fringe to £57,000 for secondary deputy heads in Inner London.

 Median pay for leadership group teachers in special schools was generally positioned between the primary and secondary sectors. CLASSROOM TEACHERS

Placement on the Main Scale and UPS

 Over half of full-time classroom teachers outside of London/Fringe were on the Upper Pay Scale (UPS), with special school teachers most likely to be so.

 Over a third of secondary and special school classroom teachers were on UPS3.

 There were notable differences between the proportions of classroom teachers on the UPS in different pay band areas.

 A minority of primary and secondary teachers in London and the Fringe were on the UPS. Around 10 per cent fewer secondary teachers in London and the Fringe were on the UPS. In the primary sector the difference was starker, with less than a third on the UPS in London and the Fringe compared to over half in the rest of England and Wales.

 Almost half of all classroom teachers in Inner London were in their first five years of teaching, compared to a third in the rest of England and Wales.

 There were only small differences in pay spine distribution by gender.

 65 per cent of part-time teachers were on the UPS, compared to 54 per cent of full-time teachers.

Pay Progression

 Almost all teachers on M1-M5 progressed to the next spine point.

 Around half of those on M6 progressed to the UPS.

 Around 40 per cent of those on UPS1 progressed to UPS2, with around 30 per cent of those on UPS2 progressing to UPS3.

 Between 50-60 per cent of those eligible applied to access the UPS, with applicant success rates of around 95 per cent.

 There were no significant differences between the progression rates of male and female teachers.

 Significantly smaller proportions of part-time than full-time teachers on the main scale progressed to the next point. Median Pay

 Median pay for classroom teachers ranged from around £30,000 in primary schools outside London to around £40,000 in Inner London special schools.

 Differences in pay between the pay bands were reduced by the generally lower proportion of teachers on higher UPS points in London and the Fringe.

 Around 60 per cent of all schools (83 per cent of secondary schools, just over half of primary schools) had started to pay allowances for the majority or all TLR posts in their staffing structure.

 A further 18 per cent of schools had commenced payments for a minority of posts or had plans to commence payments this year.

 The remaining 22 per cent – mainly primary schools – had made no progress or plans in respect of TLR payments.

 33 per cent of all full-time classroom teachers (44 per cent of full-time secondary teachers, 19 per cent of full-time primary teachers) received TLR payments.

 TLRs were most common in London. They were least common in the South West and Wales.

 Some two-thirds of primary TLRs were at the lower end of the range of values, worth up to £3,000 compared to around a quarter of secondary TLRs in this range.

 Around a third of secondary TLRs were worth more than £6,000, compared to around 5 per cent of primary TLRs.

 The highest value TLRs were most common in London and least common in Wales.

 The proportion of classroom teachers holding either a TLR or a safeguarded management allowance was smaller than that holding management allowances in 2004, down from around 51 per cent to around 43 per cent.

Recruitment and Retention Incentives

 Salaried recruitment and retention benefits were much more common in Inner London, where around 14 per cent of classroom teachers received them compared to some 2 per cent nationally for primary/special and some 5 per cent for secondary.

 One-off recruitment payments and non-monetary benefits were most commonly used in London and the South East. They were used for a wide variety of reasons including recruitment, retention, one-off tasks and shortage subjects.  Non-monetary benefits included health care, laptops, refreshments and parking vouchers.

SEN Allowances

 Some 1 per cent of secondary full-time teachers and 2 per cent of primary full- time teachers received SEN allowances.

UNATTACHED QUALIFIED TEACHERS

 Around 70 per cent of unattached Leadership Group teachers were on L1-L12, with only a tenth higher than L18.

 Around three-quarters of full-time unattached teachers on the qualified teachers’ pay spine were on the UPS. This was also true of two-thirds of part-time teachers.

 Smaller proportions of unattached teachers progressed to the next spine point compared to school-based teachers.

 42 per cent of full-time and 22 per cent of part-time unattached teachers received a TLR or safeguarded management allowance.

 Almost half of unattached teachers received an SEN allowance.

UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS

 The majority of unqualified teachers were on either the minimum or maximum spine point.

 Distribution on the pay spine was similar across England and Wales.

 Median pay (including allowances) ranged from under £15,000 in primary schools outside London/Fringe to £28,000 in London special schools.

 Over a fifth of unqualified teachers received at least one allowance.

 Allowances were most common in London.

Salaries Department September 2007