Pay toolkit

Use our pay toolkit to secure pay progression, by taking collective action or by pursuing and winning appeals against decisions that individual teachers should not progress. 

The toolkit gives you all the advice and support you need to secure fair pay treatment in your workplace. It includes advice on pay scales supported by the National Education Union and other teacher unions, a model pay policy and checklist, advice on securing a fair pay policy and pay progression, and advice on pursuing pay appeals where pay progression is denied. 

Using this toolkit

Using the advice in this pay toolkit you can take some simple steps so as to:

  • ensure you have the right appraisal objectives;
  • keep your pay progression ‘on track’ throughout the year;
  • secure a good outcome at the review meeting; and
  • successfully challenge any decision that you should not progress

All the documents in this NEU pay progression toolkit focus on the provisions of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) in England and the now separate though very similar School Teachers Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document.

These provisions apply to teachers employed by local authority maintained schools. In England, they also apply to teachers employed by academies and multi-academy trusts which have adopted the provisions of the STPCD. The position of other teachers will depend on the provisions of their employment contracts.

In Wales, performance-related pay has been abolished in favour of experience-related pay progression and national pay scales for Wales have been implemented.

  • Advice Young woman talking to man
    Securing pay progression

    This is a guide on steering a course through your appraisal and the pay decision process to ensure that you can secure pay progression.

  • Advice Section of a school teachers pay slip
    Winning pay appeals

    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 Workload
    Pay appeals - model letters

    Model letters for meetings about recommendations and appeals hearings around denial of pay progression.

  • Advice Workload
    Pay appeals - checklist

    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.

  • Advice Workload
    Pay model policy

    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.

  • Advice Female teacher marking students work
    Pay policy checklist

    This checklist should be used alongside the National Education Union model policy to help you negotiate a policy acceptable to the NEU.

Further information