UPS

[SheStoodInTheStorm]

I want to apply for UPS (should have done a couple of years ago!)

School has stated UPS is given upon achieving all of the standards and if they have a UPS vacancy?

Now I didn't think UPS was a "role" like a tlr? So how can they have to have a space for me to progress on the pay scale?

Can anyone help?!

Can anyone help please?! ^

I hate to say it, but I think all these types of decisions are now dependent on schools' individual pay policies. So if your school Pay Policy says the school will only have a certain percentage of teachers on the Upper Pay Scale, or that progress onto the Upper Pay Scale is dependent on budgetary restraints, then you're stuffed. It makes a mockery of the whole decision to stop portable pay scales and make pay progression totally dependent on performance. You can perform your socks off and still not progress.

Do you have a copy of the Pay Policy?

Find out what your union says about this. Speak to school rep and ask them to contact regional office for advice. They are certain to ask about the pay policy, so as advised look in staff shared folders for that.

Thanks for your replies.

Checked the pay policy and unfortunately it does say there has to be a vacancy for UPS. Which makes pay progression ridiculous. So I'm capped at m6 forever?!

I will speak to my union but I doubt it's wrong.

Some of the things in the standards & pay policy seem a little out of reach for someone who isn't already SLT!!

Definitely check with your union as it is my understanding that it is illegal to withhold ups progression if you have met your performance management.

Was intrigued by this so dug a bit.

This makes interesting reading. It's from here.,.
https://www.teachers.org.uk/sites/default/files2014/2017-neu-pay-toolkit-doc-2_0.pdf

Setting the criteria and standards for pay progression - the school’s pay policy
As noted earlier, the governing body sets the criteria and standards for pay progression but these must be consistent with these provisions of the STPCD.
Para 19.2 of the STPCD says that the governing body decides how pay progression will be determined for classroom teachers, subject to the following requirements:
 "the decision whether or not to award pay progression must be related to the teacher’s performance" as assessed through appraisal;
 the governing body must "have regard" to the reviewer’s pay recommendation; and
 "continued good performance as defined by an individual school’s pay policy should give [a teacher] an expectation of progression to the top of their respective pay range".
Para 19.3 of the STPCD requires the governing body to set out clearly in the school’s pay policy how pay progression will be determined. The particularly important provision for teachers is the right to expectation of progression on the basis of “continued good performance”.

So if I'm reading it correctly, and your school follows STPCD, and isn't an academy, then pay progression must be directly related to the teachers performance as assessed through appraisal ie. the pay policy can't cap progression for any other reasons like a quota or budgetary restraints, and you should definitely contact your union. The tricky bit will be if your school is an academy, as then I don't think the same rules apply, as they can be a law unto themselves.

Hope that helps.

Thank you!

No, not an academy, but clearly states UPS will only be awarded if there is a vacancy to do so.

Well then, I would say their Pay Policy is blatantly disregarding what is clearly stated in STPCD, which they legally should be following. Pay progression should only be decided upon against assessed teaching standards, nothing else, and there is an expectation that you can progress on the pay scale if you are meeting those standards.

Time to get the Union in, if you can come with the stress.

Why do they make it so difficult?

Just a word of warning - I’m been in ups for 10 years, almost entirely working part time.

I’ve just resigned from a post, but have so far not been able to secure a new one. The main reason being that I am far too expensive for current school budgets! (Despite living in a major Southern city which has a FT recruitment crisis) it’s also quite difficult to meet all the “wider community” standards that I’m supposed to contribute to whilst working part time.

If you are thinking about moving on in a year or two, then I would suggest that you wait until you’ve secured a new school, and do your threshold then. If your happy and have no plans to leave anytime school, then go for it!

Another

Sorry, I’m on an old tablet with a cursor that loves to randomly jump!

The NEU document is referring to progression within a payscale, not between two scales. It says there is further detailed guidance for moving to UPS. I would ask your union about it.