The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) is an annually-published document which forms a part of the contract of all teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s and head teacher

Head teacher

A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....

s in maintained schools in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. The document is binding on all maintained schools and Local Education Authorities

Local Education Authority

A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...

.

Content

The current version of the STPCD is formed of four sections, although the document itself is actually included in section 2. The document is accompanied by an explanatory introduction and statutory guidance.

Section One

The introduction of the document sets out its legal status, and gives summary details of key changes to the document in its most recent version.

Section Two

Section two is the main legal document, which sets out the key pay and conditions arrangements for teachers. Although sections vary, recent documents have been formed of 12 parts, outlines of which are listed:

Part One

This sets out the commencement arrangements for the document, and gives a detailed glossary of definitions for terms used within the document.

Part Two

This sets out the context of the document, including the need for teachers' pay to be reviewed annually, and setting requirements on schools to have a pay policy.

Parts Three to Seven

These parts set out the arrangements for the pay of head teachers, deputy head teachers, assistant head teacher, qualified teachers and unqualified teachers, including arrangements for performance related pay, teaching and learning responsibility awards and other supplementary pay awards

Parts Eight to Twelve

These parts relate to the conditions under which teachers and school leaders are employed, including setting out the number of days to be worked, and the number of hours which teachers may be directed to work. Notably, it also includes a clause which requires a teacher to "work such reasonable additional hours as may be needed to enable him to discharge effectively his professional duties"

These parts also detail the arrangements for planning, preparation and assessment time - that is, the allocation of time which must be set aside for teachers' planning and assessment during the school day, and during which time they cannot be required to teach pupils.

Section Three

This section gives general guidance for employers and employees on the application of the document.

Section Four

This section gives guidance on recent changes to teachers' pay and conditions since the introduction of the National Workload Agreement between the government

Government

Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 and union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s. This agreement saw the removal of administrative work from teachers' responsibilities, and introduced compulsory non-contact time for all teachers.

New Documents

The content of each new document is formed following proposals from the School Teachers' Review Body. The body makes recommendations to the secretary of state, having received evidence from various bodies, including the secretary of state, teaching unions, and the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Department for Children, Schools and Families

The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...

.

Enactment

Each year, the document is constructed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Department for Children, Schools and Families

The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...

 outlining the pay and conditions of teachers in schools. It must then be enacted by secondary legislation, and this too is produced annually in the name of Secretary of State for Education and Skills

Secretary of State for Education and Skills

The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....

. The Statutory Instrument

Statutory Instrument

A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...

 is currently issued under the provisions of the Education Act 2002

Education Act 2002

The Education Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Main provisions:The act significantly amended legislation relating to academies, publicly-funded schools operating outside of local government control and with a significant degree of autonomy areas such as wages and...

.

The secondary legislation usually takes the form of a statutory instrument entitled "The Education (School Teachers' Pay and Conditions) Order". This document revokes the previous year's document, replacing it with the new version. The legislation is normally brought in during August of each year, coming into effect on 1 September before new school terms start.

External links

• Teachernet Pay information - includes full text of the document.