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Appendix A - Local authority results - October 2024

Introduction

Consultation conducted online with one response allowed per organisation

Deadline: close of 13 September 2024.

Total number of responses taken into consideration: 74

Questions one and two asked respondents for their organisation and email addresses.

Full report and appendices

Affordability

Q3. and Q4. How will most of your schools manage this pay award?

Q3. Noting the government's commitment to provide an additional grant of almost £1.1 billion funding for schools for 2024/25 how will most of your schools manage this pay award? Is it:

a. Manageable within revised budgets after taking account of the Government's commitment of extra funding
b. On average schools budgeted for an anticipated pay award of this level.
c. Minor adjustments needed (no impact on curriculum/services/jobs).
d. Significant adjustments needed (may impact on curriculum/services/jobs). - 

Please respond to Question 4 below if you have chosen this as an option

Table 1
a. Manageable within revised budgets after taking account of the Government’s commitment of extra funding. 35 responses (47%)
b. On average schools budgeted for an anticipated pay award of this level. 4 responses (5%)
c. Minor adjustments needed (no impact on curriculum/services/jobs). 13 responses (18%)
d. Significant adjustments needed (may impact on curriculum/services/jobs) 22 responses (30%)

 

Q4. Only respond to this question if you indicated “D” option in question 3 above. Please choose top 3 out of the section below:

Table 2
a. Restructuring of roles (too early to say which) within schools  18 responses (29%)
b. Will result in administrative staff reductions  6 responses (10%)
c. Reduced teaching assistant roles  14 responses (22%)
d. Will result in teacher role reductions  7 responses (11%)
e. Reduce pastoral support roles  3 responses (5 %)
f. Reduce curriculum offer to pupils 0 responses (0 %)
g. Reduction in out of hours service (e.g. breakfast/after school clubs)  0 responses (0 %) 
h. Reduction of enrichment services 8 responses (13 %)
i. Reduction in estate investment/IT/logistical budgets  7 responses (11 %)
j. Left blank 0 responses (0%) 

 

Q5. From the options chosen in Question 4, please rank your choices in order of priority using the relevant option letters

Table 3
  Total of responses 1st 2nd 3rd
Restructuring of roles (too early to say which) within schools   16 13 responses  (82%) 3 responses (19%) 0 responses  (0%)
Reduced teaching assistant roles 13 5 responses  (38%) 6 responses  (46%) 2 responses  (15%)
Will result in teacher role reductions  6 2 responses  (33%) 0 responses  (0%) 4  responses  (67%)
Reduction of enrichment services 9 1 response  (11%) 2 responses  (22%) 6 responses  (67%)
Reduce pastoral support roles 3 0 responses  (0%) 2 responses  (67%) 1  response  (33%)
Will result in administrative staff reductions  5 0 responses  (0%) 3 responses  (60%) 2  responses  (40%)
Reduction in estate investment/IT/logistical budgets 5 0 responses  (0%) 2 responses  (40%) 3 responses  (60%)
Reduce curriculum offer to pupils 0 0 responses  (0%) 0 responses  (0%) 0 responses  (0%)
Reduction in out of hours service (e.g. breakfast/after school clubs)  0 0 responses  (0%) 0 responses  (0%) 0 responses  (0%)

 

Additional information – two organisations (Other) did not respond directly to this question – instead, they supplied the following comments:

  • Varies by school. Note also that reductions may result from not replacing staff as well as formal restructures.
  • We anticipate there will be some budget issues leading to reductions in staff in some schools as a result of the increase linked to their inherent financial position.

Q6. and Q7. Is there an affordability gap in your schools budget for 2024/25?

Q6. Considering the additional grant of almost £1.1bn (which is intended to cover the estimated average cost of the teachers' pay award and the NJC estimated school support staff pay award for 2024/25) and taking into account all other financial pressures, is there an affordability gap in your schools budget for 2024/25?

Table 4
Yes 54 responses (73%)
No  5 responses (7%)
Don’t know 15 responses (20%)

 

Q7. If you responded yes to the question above, what size (as best you can estimate)?

Table 5
0% 0 responses (0%)
0.1-1% 2 responses (4%)
1.1-2% 7 responses (13%)
2.1-3% 12 responses (22%)
3.1-4% 6 responses (11%)
4.1%-5% 5 responses (9%)
5% + 1 response (2%)
Don’t know 21 responses (39%)

Q8. and Q9. How is affordability/financial challenge felt among different schools?

Rank school types by financial challenge (1 = most challenging) 

Table 6
  1 2 3 4 5
Primary schools 40 responses  (58%) 13 responses  (19%) 13 responses  (19%) 2 responses
(3%)		 1 response
(1%)
Special schools 21 responses  (34%) 21 responses  (34%) 13 responses  (21%) 5 responses
(8%)		 2 responses
(3%)
PRUs 9 responses  (18%) 10 responses  (20%) 17 responses  (33%) 13 responses
(25%)		 2 responses
(4%)
Other e.g. Middle Schools 5 responses  (17%) 6 responses  (21%) 2 responses  (7%) 4 responses
(14%)		 12 responses
(41%)
Secondary schools 1 response  (2%) 18 responses  (31%) 27 responses  (46%) 9 responses
(15%)		 4 responses
(7%)

 

Q9. Rank school types by financial challenge (1 = most challenging) 

Table 7
  1 2 3 4 5
Rural schools 25 responses  (60%) 11 responses  (26%) 4   responses  (10%) 1 response
(2%)		 1 response
(2%)
Areas of deprivation  23 responses  (43%) 16 responses  (30%) 12 responses  (22%) 2 responses
(4%)		 1 response
(2%)
Other   9 responses  (36%) 4 responses  (16%) 2   responses  (8%) 3 responses
(12%)		 7 responses
(28%)
Inner city provision 7   responses  (21%) 9 responses  (27%) 9   responses  (27%) 5 responses
(15%)		 3 responses
(9%)
Coastal towns 4 responses  (19%) 6 responses  (29%) 8   responses  (38%) 1 response
(5%)		 2 responses
(10%)

Q10 , Q11 and Q12. Will this pay award improve teacher recruitment and retention?

Table 8
Yes 23 responses (31%)
No 18 responses (24%)
Don’t know 32 responses (43%)
Left Blank 1 response (2%)

 

Q11. If you responded Yes, why? Rank in priority order

Table 9
  Total of responses 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Helps with the cost-of-living challenge 21 12 responses  (57%) 7 responses  (33%) 2 responses  (10%) 0 responses
(0%)
Staff will feel more valued   21 9 responses  (43%) 8 responses  (38%) 2 responses  (10%) 2 responses
(10%)
Feels closer to the local labour market salary growth 22 1 response  (5%) 1 response  (5%) 11 responses  (50%) 9 responses
(41%)
Keeps pace with national graduate salary trends  22 0 responses  (0%) 6 responses  (27%) 6 responses  (27%) 10 responses
(45%)

 

Q12. If you responded No, why? Rank in priority order

Table 10
  Total of responses 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 
Insufficient pay increase      3 responses  (20%) 2 responses  (13%) 2 responses  (13%) 3 responses
(20%)		 5 responses
(33%)
Workload/wellbeing more significant issue   12 responses  (67%) 4 responses  (22%) 2 responses  (11%) 0 responses
(0%)		 0 responses
(0%)
Lack of flexible working    0 response  (0%) 4 responses  (25%) 5 responses  (31%) 3 responses
(19%)		 4 responses
(25%)
Pupil/parent behaviour issues    2 responses  (12%) 5 responses  (29%) 6 responses  (35%) 4 responses
(24%)		 0 Response
(0%)
High stakes accountability system is a more significant issue   1 response  (6%) 3 responses  (19%) 3 responses  (19%) 5 responses
(31%)		 4 responses
(25%)

Q13. Do you welcome the new approach to performance related pay (i.e removing the requirement)?

Table 11
Yes 46 responses (62 %)
No  10 responses (14%)
Don’t know 17 responses (23 %)
Left Blank  1 response (1%)

Q14, Q15, and Q16. Are you anticipating any of your schools will retain their existing performance-related pay model for 2024/2025?

Table 12
Yes 15 responses (20 %)
No  31 responses (42%)
Don’t know 27 responses (37 %)
Left Blank  1 response (1%)

 

Q15. If yes, why? Choose 1 reason from list.

Table 13
Proven performance management model  7 responses (47%)
Insufficient time to implement changes 5 responses (33 %)
Helps to manage internal cost  2 responses (13 %)
Other 1 response (7%)
Left Blank  0 response (0%)

 

Q16. If No, why? Choose 1 reason from list.

Table 14
May help to reduce workload of teachers/leaders 2 responses (6 %)
To avoid tension or anticipated pressure from trade unions 2 responses (6 %)
To avoid tension or anticipated pressure from teachers/staff 5 responses (16 %)
Following the lead from the STPCD 2024 (draft) wording  15 responses (48%)
Was used sparingly in any case (to hold back progression) 4 responses (13%)
Other 2 responses (6%)
Left Blank  1 response (3%)

Q17. Flexibility of PPA time

Q17. Flexibility of PPA Time – do you welcome the draft wording within the 2024 STPCD? i.e “Where reasonable appropriate and agreed by both the individual teacher and the relevant body, PPA can be taken in one weekly unit and it can be taken away from the school site”.

Table 15
Yes 40 responses (54%)
No  14 responses (19%)
Don’t know 19 responses (26 %)
Left Blank  1 response (1%)

Q18. Moving the list of administrative tasks

Table 16
Support this repositioning 21 responses (28 %)
Would prefer to keep it as Guidance in Section 3  31 responses (42%)
Don’t know 21 responses (28%)
Left Blank  1 response (1%)

Further information