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Writing for 'Report' magazine Mary Bousted stated that she is "increasingly bemused by the coalition's approach to the teaching profession. Ministers tell us that we have the best generation of teachers ever, that they value the work we do with children and young people, and that they want teaching to be the career of choice for graduates.
Regional pay would be a disaster for the teaching profession. Teachers have already made major sacrifices to pay for a recession caused by the reckless lending of unregulated banks. On top of a two-year pay freeze, teachers are now facing a pay cap of one per cent for the next year.
Private sector companies who want to employ well-qualified, highly motivated staff know that national pay scales are vital if they are to be able to recruit a flexible workforce who will be prepared to move to areas where they are needed. The same is true for schools situated in economically deprived areas. Teachers working in schools populated by poor children know just how hard it is to try to combat the toxic effects of poverty, family instability and breakdown, unemployment and hopelessness. They will be far less willing to work in these challenging schools, with all the consequences for teacher workload and stress levels, if they get paid less than their colleagues working in wealthier, and healthier, parts of the country.
The whole point of a national pay system is that it is fair and transparent, and significantly reduces the potential for discrimination. There is already quite enough flexibility in the current pay system to reward outstanding teachers, and pay recruitment and retention allowances for shortage subjects"
