Just over half of teachers at English state schools support using pupils’ progress and results to decide whether they should receive pay increases, a new poll for the Sutton Trust revealed today.
The survey of 1,163 teachers by the National Foundation for Educational Research showed that 55% of primary teachers and 52% of secondary teachers accepted that ‘considering the progress and results of pupils they teach’ should be one of the criteria used to decide whether or not to give teachers an incremental pay increase.
Performance related pay was introduced for experienced teachers in 2000. The coalition is extending this for pay increases during the first five years of teaching, replacing length of service. Schools are required to revise their pay and appraisal policies to link pay progression to a teacher’s performance from September 2014. However, the teaching unions have opposed these changes.
Teachers were asked which criteria should be used to decide progression along the pay scale. The three criteria with the greatest support are:
However, nearly half of teachers favour keeping the old criterion, where teachers received pay increases based on length of service, provided their progress is satisfactory. This was backed by 47% of teachers, including 49% of primary and 44% of secondary teachers.
37% of teachers believe their own self-assessment should feature in pay decisions, while just 10% think pupils’ evaluation of their performance should be a factor, though this rises to 14% among secondary teachers.
Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment Foundation said today:
“Effective appraisal and pay policies can help improve the 450,000-strong teaching workforce in England’s schools. This new polling shows a positive response by a majority of teachers to performance related pay, based on senior staff assessment and pupil progress.
“Sutton Trust research has shown evidence from the UK and the US that there is a significant correlation between teacher evaluations and exam results. However, the evidence also suggests that schools should rely on a combination of approaches to gain a fuller picture of teacher effectiveness, and that teachers should be assessed on their cumulative performance over several years rather than on the data from a single year.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
In your opinion, which criteria should be used to decide progression along the pay scale? | |||
All | Primary | Secondary | |
% | % | % | |
Assessment by the headteacher | 54 | 71 | 36 |
Assessment by more senior staff (e.g. by their line manager) | 60 | 56 | 65 |
Peer assessment by other teachers | 16 | 13 | 19 |
Considering the progress and results of pupils they currently teach | 53 | 55 | 52 |
Ofsted inspectors grading of their lessons | 9 | 10 | 8 |
Self-evaluation of their performance | 37 | 40 | 33 |
Evaluation by pupils | 10 | 7 | 14 |
Length of service, so long as their progress is satisfactory | 47 | 49 | 44 |
Other means | 6 | 4 | 7 |
No response | 1 | 0 | 0 |
N = | 1163 | 602 | 561 |
More than one answer could be given so percentages may sum to more than 100. The percentages in this table are weighted by FSM rates for all schools and for secondary schools separately. Percentages are not weighted for primary schools. Source: NFER Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey March 2014. |
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