STRB backs careful move to targeting pay by subject

The School Teachers’ Review Body has tentatively recommended a move towards targeting pay by subject, but only once teacher pay has been “materially repositioned”.

Former education secretary Gillian Keegan had asked the STRB to look at the potential benefits of targeting remuneration by subject. 

The body last year said ministers should consider the idea to help address “persistent” shortage subject recruitment.

The secondary teacher target has been missed for 10 out of the last 11 years, with some subjects recruiting less than a fifth of the teachers needed.

This year, the STRB has set out a “framework” for future work on the idea, but recognised targeting pay by subject is “controversial”. 

It could have “unintended negative consequences” and would “likely have a negative overall impact” if rolled out in a way that “is not broadly recognised as fair as reasonable”, the body said. 

But “if done well, this might be a useful approach in helping to address the recruitment and retention of shortage subjects in a cost-effective manner”. 

However, targeting of pay by subject is “not a replacement for addressing across-the-board shortages” and highlighted the “context in which [it] is introduced is important”. 

Their priority is correcting the “general deterioration in the competitiveness of teachers’ pay” but once this has been “materially repositioned” they see a “potential role for some degree of pay targeting by subject”.

“Unless there is a fundamental reworking of the pay and grade framework, we would suggest targeting is expanded using the mechanisms that are least complex and controversial and that evidence suggests have the greatest likelihood of impact.”

New payments should be fair and evidence-based

STRB was not tasked with looking for a precise mechanism to deliver any targeting, so looked at pay and incentives. 

Permanent salary changes were “likely to be optimal for recruitment and retention” but they were rated as “high” for complexity. This compared to retention payments which they said had high impact but low to medium complexity. 

They were “encouraged” that several initiatives already in place – like bursaries for trainee teachers in certain subjects – showed “degrees of positive effect” on teacher supply.

But they said “further action is required” and while there is no “easy fix, we believe there is scope to develop a solution”.

However, any new intervention should be guided by a “set of principles”, which include being evidence-based, simple, transparent and easy to implement. 

Any extra payment should be fair and reasonable, coherent, efficient and long-term, the body added.

Communication, good data, avoiding unintended consequences, workforce impact and monitoring should also be considered. 

When looking at the detailed design of new initiatives, important questions include which subjects would be eligible and how long teachers would need to be in service for. 

Policy makers will also need to look at whether payments are made directly to teachers from government or if funding is devolved to schools. 

Mixed evidence, with unions opposed

The STRB said teacher shortages “directly impact” students, with the most socially and economically disadvantaged students least likely to access the most suitable qualified teachers. They said this was “unfair and poor value for money”.

The report stated Keegan thought recent “historically high pay awards were not sustainable and that ‘we need to be more targeted’.” 

She said a “one size fits all” approach did not work and welcomed “greater flexibility and that it was potentially too costly not to act”. 

In their evidence, the unions expressed opposition to targeting, suggesting pay differentiation had added to recruitment and retention problems.

“They said fully-funded, significantly above-inflation and undifferentiated pay increases would better address supply challenges.”

The National Employers’ Organisation for School Teachers reported mixed views from its members, with 58 per cent of academy trusts and 38 per cent of councils supporting the principle of pay targeting for specific subjects.