TLR payments reward additional leadership and management responsibilities undertaken by classroom teachers. Yet many teachers, especially those in primary schools where most teachers are women, do not receive any TLR payment, despite undertaking significant additional responsibilities. Where teachers do get TLR payments, they are often too low in relation to the responsibilities undertaken.
The deep dive approach of Ofsted since the introduction of the Ofsted framework in 2019 has placed additional pressure on primary subject leads to be accountable for every subject across the school and not just their core subject area.
Additionally, there is an equality issue for part-time teachers, namely that many undertake the full responsibilities of their TLR role but are paid a prorated allowance.
The NEU position
The NEU is clear that staff cannot be held accountable for subject areas they do not receive TLR payments for. Teachers, including those on the upper pay range, should not be required to undertake additional responsibilities without appropriate TLRs.
Expecting teachers to carry out additional work without proper remuneration is not acceptable. We need to move to a fair and transparent national pay structure, with fully funded, appropriate and mandatory payments for additional responsibilities.
Where a part-time teacher undertakes the full additional responsibilities of a promoted post, we believe it would be unfair, unethical and potentially unlawful if they did not receive the full value of the TLR payment for those responsibilities, simply because they are employed on a part-time contract.
What the STPCD says
The criterion for TLR payments is set out clearly in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), which states that a school ‘may award a TLR payment to a classroom teacher for undertaking a sustained additional responsibility, for the purpose of ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning and for which the teacher is made accountable.’
Paragraph 48 of the STPCD makes it very clear that teachers cannot be required to carry out significant responsibilities without additional payments.
Action for reps
Follow the bargaining cycle to challenge the disproportionate allocation of TLRs at your school.
