This meeting was about whether Councillor D Davies, the Deputy Leader / Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years, should adopt the national School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document, which provides a framework for teachers’ pay and conditions in Wales. This document sets out the pay scales for teachers at different levels of seniority, and for unqualified teachers, along with rules and advice about additional allowances that can be paid in a range of circumstances.

National Pay Policy for Teachers

A report was provided to the meeting that sets out a new, national model for how schools should decide on how much to pay their teachers.

The report explains that there is a requirement for each individual school to publish an annual pay policy for teachers , and that this new, national pay policy was created by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), in partnership with all the local authorities in Wales, and with the support of the Trade Unions ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, UCAC, UNISON, GMB and UNITE. The report says that, because this new model policy was negotiated nationally, and essentially just summarises the requirements of the STPC(W)D, a Fairness and Equalities Impact Assessment was not required.

The report notes that the STPC(W)D was published on 6 November 2024 as part of the Cabinet Secretary’s Written Statement on the Teacher’s Pay Award 2024/25 .

The report says that individual schools will still be responsible for deciding on the details of how their staff are paid, but that this model policy will help them meet their statutory obligations to publish a pay policy.

The report provides the following details about the contents of the new model pay policy:

“The national Pay Policy provides a framework for making decisions on Teachers’ pay. It has been developed to comply with the requirements of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document (STPC(W)D). This national Pay Policy only applies to those directly employed by Local Authorities and does not apply to anyone employed via an agency.

The STPC(W)D was published on 6 November 2024 as part of the Cabinet Secretary’s Written Statement on the Teacher’s Pay Award 2024/25. The relevant recommendations and changes as part of this year’s review of the STPC(W)D have been replicated in the revised national pay policy. This policy does not apply to support staff. The Governing Body will be responsible for setting the pay of support staff (as per the Staffing of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations in accordance with the Local Authority’s Pay Policy and their job evaluation scheme. This is already in place separately

The development of the STPC(W)D is negotiated centrally at Welsh Government with Trade Unions. The development of the national approach to a pay policy has been coordinated and negotiated with support from the WLGA.

It should be noted that this policy is available in Welsh.”

The report recommends that Councillor Davies approves the proposed national policy and begins recommending it to schools.