Teachers', leaders' and governors' views on the pay framework

This report presents the findings of IES research conducted on behalf of the Department for Education to gather teachers', leaders' and governors' views on the teacher pay framework.

The UK Government carried out significant reforms of the teacher pay framework, implemented in 2014 and 2015, with the aim of connecting pay more clearly to performance. This research project aimed to gather views on the pay framework to identify whether further reforms or changes are necessary and, if so, on what particular issues they might focus.

We found that headteachers had a greater understanding of various aspects of the pay framework and progression than teachers. The use of allowances was valued by both teachers and headteachers, but widespread issues existed in the way that allowances were understood and awarded. The report also offers insights on views with reagrds to the main and upper pay ranges and offers a detailed policy context.

On recruitment and retention, the research suggested that teachers, headteachers and governors felt that teaching is not primarily about pay, believing that it is not what attracts people to the profession. Yet, when pay is unfairly awarded, or unequal to the task, it was said to impact profoundly on staff motivation.