Pupil Progress Should Influence Pay Say Half of Teachers: According to new education research published by the Sutton Trust charity, more than half of teachers support the position that pay should, at least in part, be linked to the progress of children in the classroom. Some 55% of primary school teachers agreed with this, with 52% of secondary teachers also answering in the affirmative. The figures are based on a survey of 1,000. {Tweet this}

Pupil Progress Should Influence Pay Say Half of Teachers

However, these figures also suggest that around a half of teachers in primary and secondary schools still support the old system of linking pay to the number of years a teacher has been in the profession. {Tweet this}

As of September 2014, the government requires schools to link pay progression to performance in the classroom for all teachers in the first five years of the career. Previously, these teachers would have seen an incremental increase with each year of service.

The Sutton Trust survey asked teachers to rate a number of methods of assessing teacher pay, with the following results:

• 14% said pupils should have the opportunity to evaluate their teachers and this should be factored in to pay {Tweet this}
• 37% felt their own self-assessment should be included {Tweet this}
• 49% of primary teachers, and 44% of secondary teachers said that they felt the old method of linking pay rises to length of service was a good one
• 53% felt that pay should be linked to pupils’ attainment and progress.
• 54% said that their pay should be assessed by the Head Teacher at their school. {Tweet this}
• 60% were in favour of being assessed by other more senior staff

The survey has produced mix responses, with a Department for Education spokeswoman stating that it provided evidence of ‘strong support from teachers across England’ for the government’s plans to ‘let schools pay good teachers more’.

However, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, claimed that ‘despite the spin, this research proves again that teachers oppose the government’s new performance related pay measures.’ She went on to describe the previous system as ‘fairer and less opened to biased judgements’. {Tweet this}

Academics have stated that studies in the United States, where teachers are given bonuses based on their pupils’ achievements, have provided no clear evidence either way.