The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2024: key changes
The Department for Education has published the 2024 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, which will come into force on 8 November 2024. The key updates focus on performance-related PPA time, and the 2024 pay award.
This guidance is statutory for local authority-maintained schools in England, but academies and multi-academy trusts (MATs) may also apply it where it is incorporated into employment contracts or otherwise followed.
Performance-related pay
One of the most notable changes in the 2024 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) is the removal of the mandatory requirement for schools to link pay progression to teacher performance.
The 2023 position
Under the 2023 and earlier versions of the STPCD:
- Pay progression decisions were required to be based on teacher performance, typically assessed through the appraisal process.
- Teachers needed to demonstrate satisfactory or exceptional performance to progress, with criteria set out in the school’s pay policy.
- Schools were required to clearly detail how performance criteria would influence pay decisions.
The 2024 position
The 2024 STPCD removes the obligation to base pay decisions on performance. However, schools may still opt to retain performance-related pay. If they do schools must set out their approach in their pay policy. This may include awarding varying levels of progression based on performance.
The 2024 STPCD contains some limitations on withholding pay progression:
- If performance-related pay is retained, pay progression may only be withheld for poor performance.
- If performance-related pay is not retained, pay progression may only be withheld if the teacher is in capability proceedings.
Key considerations
Academies and MATs may wish to assess:
- Whether they are contractually bound to follow the STPCD, guided by it, or depart from it entirely.
- Whether they intend to retain performance-related pay progression.
- Whether their pay policy requires updating to reflect the 2024 changes.
Pay, planning, preparation, and assessment (PPA) time
The 2024 STPCD introduces new flexibility in how teachers can use their PPA time, offering opportunities to support teacher wellbeing and operational efficiency.
Entitlement under STPCD 2023
All teachers are entitled to reasonable PPA time within their 1,265 directed hours, which must be:
- At least 10% of their timetabled teaching time;
- Allocated in units of no less than half an hour during the school’s timetabled teaching week.
2024 changes
Under the 2024 STPCD where reasonably practicable and agreed between the teacher and the headteacher, PPA time can now be:
- Taken in one weekly unit; and
- Taken off-site.
It is likely that schools will receive requests from teaching staff to take PPA time in larger blocks and/or away from the school site. Schools will need to assess whether such requests are reasonably practicable, considering factors such as:
- Timetabling Challenges: Ensuring that larger blocks of PPA time can be accommodated without disrupting school schedules.
- Accountability: Implementing systems to track how off-site PPA time is being used.
- Wellbeing and Reasonable Adjustments: Considering how flexibility might enhance teacher wellbeing and intersect with the duty to make reasonable adjustments where applicable.
- Fairness: Balancing flexibility while ensuring equitable treatment among staff.
2024 Pay Award
Finally, in line with the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) 34th Report, the 2024 STPCD introduces:
- A 5.5% increase in pay and allowance ranges, as well as advisory points.
- Backdating to 1 September 2024, ensuring that teachers receive the full benefit of the pay increase for the academic year.