Education unions today respond to the publication of initial recommendations by the Workload Reduction Taskforce to reduce workload for school leaders and teachers – including an end to performance-related pay. The general secretaries of school leaders’ union NAHT; the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL); and National Education Union (NEU), said:

“We are pleased that the taskforce’s initial set of recommendations has been accepted. We particularly welcome the news that the government will be removing the obligation for schools to use performance-related pay from September.

“It has become increasingly clear that not only does performance-related pay not work in the education sector, but it also drives unnecessary workload and bureaucracy for leaders and teachers alike. Its removal is a positive step. We will now work closely with the Department for Education to ensure that any updated guidance replacing it is fit for purpose and reduces workload burdens.

“Reinserting a list of bureaucratic tasks that teachers and leaders should not be expected to do into the school teachers’ pay and conditions document is also helpful and the new non-exhaustive examples better reflect how schools operate in 2024. Of course, the update is only a very small part of the work that now needs to take place if we are to begin to see the reductions in workload we all aspire to.

“We look forward to participating in the more substantive discussions on workload drivers and how to tackle them as part of the taskforce’s ongoing work over the coming weeks and months.”

Signed:

Geoff Barton, general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT

Daniel Kebede, general secretary at the National Education Union