Teachers to shun payment by results

Most teachers say they will turn down the chance of a £2,000 salary increase next year because they think the government's plans for performance-related pay are unfair, according to an opinion poll published yesterday.

It found only 17% of experienced teachers who will be eligible to apply for the performance bonus next year are willing to undergo the required assessment of their work, including measurement of their pupils' academic and disciplinary progress.

Women teachers in primary schools were the least likely to accept the performance review and there was a particularly high level of opposition to the proposal in London and the south-east.

Ministers have predicted that more than half the 220,000 experienced teachers in England will pass the assessment next year and immediately move on to a higher pay scale with an initial £2,000 increase in salary.

They think it is inconceivable that staff would turn down the chance of extra reward without any addition to their working hours or responsibilities.

But the survey by NOP for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers found that 45% of teachers thought the proposals were unfair. Other reasons for rejecting the scheme included a fear that it amounted to "payment by results" and worry that a performance bonus would cause resentment among other members of staff.

Although only 17% of eligible teachers said they would apply to be assessed, this rose to 27% among men and 24% in secondary schools.

Among all teachers, 55% said they would not apply and 29% did not know.

Among the younger teachers not yet eligible for performance assessment, 31% said they would apply when the time came, 33% said they would refuse and 37% did not know.

Nigel de Gruchy, the association's general secretary, said: "The survey makes sober reading for the government. It shows that teachers are extremely cool, even icy, towards the prospect of a £2,000 pay rise if the equation includes payment by results.

"The message for ministers is slow down and listen The inclusion of payment by results is poisoning the atmosphere... A golden opportunity risks being squandered."

A senior government source said the poll was not a reliable guide to teachers' reactions next year when they would have a choice whether or not to apply for the extra £2,000.

"There has been lots of misinformation until recently when the teacher unions started to accept that this scheme will happen. As the details filter into the schools, more teachers will be attracted.

"Faced with the reality that they can be assessed on the work they are doing, against targets they will be set anyway, we are confident that most teachers will want to apply for this," he said.

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "If this poll accurately reflects the attitude of teachers, it sends a very strong message to the government that they have a lot more work to do to sell these proposals."