NEU help and advice pages comprise FAQs and other guidance which address common employment workplace issues and are entirely problem focused. These documents, along with our current top 5 FAQs posed by members, represent the quickest way to get support if you need it.
Other ways to get help
Your first point of contact is your workplace reps - they are best placed to discuss your next steps to dealing with your issue. If you don't know who that is, contact your branch for assistance. Find the contact details here.
You also contact the Employment AdviceLine - however, please be advised that this national service deals with a very high volume of emails and calls and your waiting time for a response may be long.
If you can't find the answer to your question below, speaking to your rep or branch secretary will be the quickest way to answer your query.
- The Upper Pay Range is a pay range offering significantly higher pay than the main pay range. This advice helps explain progression to the Upper Pay Range.
- Ten bullet points on independent sector collective bagaining.
- The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that performance-related pay (PRP) is completely unworkable and should be discontinued.
- This guidance applies to all staff - including substitute teachers and temporary non-teaching staff in response to absences because of Covid-19.
- The campaign for equal pay has a long history; one which is still ongoing.
- Using equality data in tackling pay progression
This guidance sets out the obligations of employers and employees in relation to notice periods and notice pay.
- guidance on the pay and conditions implications of teachers’ participation in out-of-school-hours learning activities.
- An introduction to the pay and conditions arrangements of part time teachers.
- Advice on identifying the grounds for a pay appeal and on how you might run a successful one.
- This checklist will help you prepare for meetings about recommendations to deny pay progression and appeals hearings after a decision has been taken to deny pay progression.
- Model letters for meetings about recommendations and appeals hearings around denial of pay progression.
- FAQs on pay scale, allowances for additional responsibilities and pay progression to help understand how teacher pay works.
The most common queries NEU members have on pay for leadership teachers in schools and academies.
- Guidance on the pay framework for sixth form college teachers and advice for NEU representatives for college level discussions on its implementation.
- As private businesses outside the national collective bargaining structure in the maintained sector, independent schools have greater freedom to set their own terms and conditions of employment.
- This model pay policy will help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers, provide the basis for sound financial and personnel planning and minimise the risk of grievance and discrimination.
- School teacher checklist for England to be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.
- School teacher checklist for Wales to be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.
This advice summarises how performance related pay progression works for teachers.
- A guide for reps on equality in schools, including a checklist to ensure that all eligible members receive pay progression.
- Pay safeguarding applies when your employer determines your pay should be reduced. It allows a period of time for you to adjust to the lower pay.
- Details of how academies and trusts set pay scales and what pay and conditions arrangements are in place in these workplaces.
- Advice explaining the payments and entitlements you may receive if your post becomes redundant. In any case where redundancy is threatened, specific advice and assistance is available and should be sought from your school/college rep or division/association/branch secretary.
- Pay and conditions for teachers in residential establishments are aligned with those in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), the Burgundy Book and the Independent Pay Review Body in Wales.
- All schools, including academies, should have a pay policy which sets out how decisions are taken on pay matters including pay assessments, pay progression, discretionary payments, appeals etc.
- Information on pay and conditions for Soulbury paid officers in England and Wales.
- This guidance is aimed at new teachers and those returning to teaching service after a break. It explains the basics of the pay structure and gives advice on ensuring you are fairly paid and able to seek the most favourable use of pay discretions.
- Pay and conditions agreement for support staff - most LA schools use the local government pay scales to pay their support staff in conjunction with National Joint Council (NJC) terms and conditions.
Guidance on matters to consider in relation to pay and conditions when working in the independent sector.
- This Q&A document is a comprehensive overview to the teachers’ pay structure and classroom teachers’ pay scales for 2021-22.
Advice on Teaching & Learning Responsibility Payments (TLRs) and other allowances such as Special Educational Needs allowances and Recruitment and Retention payments.
- This guidance summarises the position in respect of pay and conditions for unattached teachers employed by local authorities and there are separate STPCDs for England and Wales.
- This guide gives advice on how the pay progression system for classroom teachers works.
- Advice and guidance for next steps you can take around pay progression decisions in your workplace.
- This guide explains how to challenge unfair pay policies and secure a fair pay policy in your school.
- This guide gives advice on securing pay progression by persuading governors not to accept a recommendation to deny pay progression or by appealing successfully against a decision to deny progression.
- The Upper Pay Range is a pay range offering significantly higher pay than the main pay range. This advice helps explain progression to the Upper Pay Range.
- Using equality data in tackling pay progression
- Advice on identifying the grounds for a pay appeal and on how you might run a successful one.
- This checklist will help you prepare for meetings about recommendations to deny pay progression and appeals hearings after a decision has been taken to deny pay progression.
- Model letters for meetings about recommendations and appeals hearings around denial of pay progression.
- This model pay policy will help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers, provide the basis for sound financial and personnel planning and minimise the risk of grievance and discrimination.
- School teacher checklist for England to be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.
- School teacher checklist for Wales to be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.
- This guide gives advice to leaders on how their pay progression system works.
This advice summarises how performance related pay progression works for teachers.
- A guide for reps on equality in schools, including a checklist to ensure that all eligible members receive pay progression.
- All schools, including academies, should have a pay policy which sets out how decisions are taken on pay matters including pay assessments, pay progression, discretionary payments, appeals etc.
- This is a guide on steering a course through your appraisal and the pay decision process to ensure that you can secure pay progression.
- This guide gives advice on how the pay progression system for classroom teachers works.
- Advice and guidance for next steps you can take around pay progression decisions in your workplace.
- This guide explains how to challenge unfair pay policies and secure a fair pay policy in your school.
- This guide gives advice on securing pay progression by persuading governors not to accept a recommendation to deny pay progression or by appealing successfully against a decision to deny progression.
- Model letters for meetings about recommendations and appeals hearings around denial of pay progression.
- This model pay policy will help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers, provide the basis for sound financial and personnel planning and minimise the risk of grievance and discrimination.
- School teacher checklist for England to be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.
- This guide gives advice to leaders on how their pay progression system works.
- This is a guide on steering a course through your appraisal and the pay decision process to ensure that you can secure pay progression.
- This guide gives advice on how the pay progression system for classroom teachers works.
- This guide explains how to challenge unfair pay policies and secure a fair pay policy in your school.
- This guide gives advice on securing pay progression by persuading governors not to accept a recommendation to deny pay progression or by appealing successfully against a decision to deny progression.
- Advice on your eligibility for and access to workplace pension schemes as an agency supply worker.
The Teachers’ Pension Scheme will provide much of your retirement income so it is vital that you understand it. This guidance covers the career average section of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) in which most members are accruing pension.
- In whatever capacity you work in education, there is likely to be an occupational scheme available for you to join and you may have automatic membership as soon as you are employed.
Information about the final salary section of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), including how to find out if you are in this TPS section.
- The government has published its response to the July 2020 public consultation - Public service pension schemes: changes to the transition arrangements to the 2015 schemes consultation. The NEU is pleased that the government has adopted our position and favours ‘Deferred Choice’.
- Pensions advice note on non-pensionable allowances in the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme.
- Advice and frequently asked questions on pension scheme auto-enrolment for April 2021.
- Information for members on pensions tax relief - annual allowances and lifetime allowance
- Guide for teachers and other school staff who wish to continue working beyond age 65.
- Information about the single-tier state pension and changes to the retirement age.
- Latest update from the Department of Education (DENI) on annual benefit statements.
- Useful information when you’re considering applying for Ill-health retirement with the NI Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
An overview of the Local Government Pension Scheme, introduced in 2014
- The Government has announced its decision on how to deal with age discrimination issues in Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The issue and its solution affect pension arrangements for the vast majority of serving teachers.
- The term ALPS is derived from A-Level Performance System. ALPS aims to provide value added scores to colleges and to individual courses.
- This advice aims to answer the most common queries NEU members have on appraisal. You should read this guide in conjunction with your school/college appraisal policy.
This checklist will help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the union.
- The most common queries NEU members have on preparing for a teacher appraisal review meeting.
Joint NEU and NAHT model policy Model policy for appraising teacher performance.
- NEU guidance surrounding capability proceedings
- This guidance may apply to all school staff except where reference is made to appraisal, which is a process applicable only to teachers.
- The objective of formal and/or informal support should be to improve staff performance where appropriate, and not to penalise staff for failing to meet management expectations.
- Guidance on classroom observation protocol in Wales
- What to expect from classroom observations as a trainee teacher, including feedback, professional reviews and formal assessment meetings.
NEU advice on observation by colleagues and others of support staff in schools.
- This advice explains the circumstances in which schools may disclose capability information to prospective employers.
- Model policy on classroom observation to ensure it is developmental and supportive.
This guidance outlines NEU best practice models for both the conduct of lesson observations and the Teaching and Learning Observation System (TLOS) framework within which they are conducted.
This NEU guidance addresses the need to secure fair and reasonable objectives for teachers at the very start of the appraisal process.
- Advice for trainee members on lesson planning, timing and pacing, and tips on how to save time.
- The term ALPS is derived from A-Level Performance System. ALPS aims to provide value added scores to colleges and to individual courses.
- Details about your employment rights under the Red Book as well as the minimum rights you are entitled to under general employment law.
- Details of your statutory rights as an employee in the Further education sector. In some cases your contract will provide you with better terms and conditions and, if this is the case, those better terms and conditions will apply.
- The basic framework of health and safety law for sixth form colleges
- This advice is intended to assist in discussions in relation to recognition and recruitment in FE colleges and sixth form colleges where there are National Education Union (NEU) members.
- Guidance on the pay framework for sixth form college teachers and advice for NEU representatives for college level discussions on its implementation.
- Advice on what NEU reps should expect colleges to have in place to protect children and vulnerable adults.
- Redundancy has unfortunately become a fact of life for education staff in recent years. This guidance is for workplace reps about redundancy and the consultation process that NEU’s FE members whose posts are at risk should expect.
- When colleges are going through restructuring members understandably look to their union for support and advice. This guidance is intended to assist NEU college reps in dealing with the issue and ensuring that restructures are carried out fairly and transparently.