Demand for pay curb on super heads
UNION bosses are calling for a cap on bonuses given to super heads for transforming failing schools.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) wants to limit rewards paid on top of a salary for head teachers who pull schools out of special measures.
The ATL’s general secretary Mary Bousted called the “bonus culture” a “creeping sickness in state schools”. The association has tabled a motion at the Trades Union Congress in Liverpool this week to call on ministers to write a
maximum limit for super heads’ bonuses into the teachers’ pay and conditions document .
The ATL warned against “importing market values into the public sector” , demanding bonuses are replaced with “clearly defined limits”.
But John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders , said it was ridiculous to treat teachers in the same way as bankers who pocket millions .
While City bankers can net bonus payments of more than £1million, rewards for Britain’s super heads are around £10,000 or £20,000, rising to £60,000 .
Dr Dunford said: “We are not talking about a fortune here. It is hardly a king’s ransom. It is on a completely different scale to banking bonuses.”