The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill contains wide-ranging amendments to the freedoms that are currently afforded to academy trusts. One aspect which has received significant comment is the way in which academies exercise freedoms in relation to the pay and conditions of teachers. The Bill was originally drafted to extend the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) to include teachers in academies. It was reported that this change aimed to create a unified pay and conditions structure across all state-funded schools, ensuring that teachers in academies receive the same core offer as those in maintained schools.
After significant pressure from the academy sector to revisit this aspect of the Bill, the Secretary of State has now confirmed that the reforms will not cut teachers’ pay at all, and the Government will propose an amendment to the Bill, removing the requirement for academies to comply with the STPCD, replacing it with a requirement to have “regard” to it in determining pay and conditions of teachers. We await sight of the amendment to confirm the wording.
Stone King has produced a full briefing on the Bill.