Opinions of pupils and parents can be taken into account by school governors and headteachers when deciding on performance-related pay rises to teachers, according to new government advice.
From September, a teacher's salary will be linked to their performance - and it could be tied to pupils' progress, improving behaviour in the classroom and taking part in after-school activities.
Ministers insist the major pay system reforms will allow schools to pay good teachers more - but teaching unions say it will depress teachers' living standards and harm recruitment to the profession.
Changes: From September, a teacher's salary will be linked to their performance - and it could be tied to pupils' progress, improving behaviour in the classroom and taking part in after-school activities (file picture)
Department for Education advice published yesterday says that schools could consider a number of factors when assessing a teacher's work, including their impact on pupils' academic progress.
Schools can also look at a teacher’s impact on wider pupil outcomes, contributions in other areas of school life - such as pupil behaviour and lesson planning - as well as work outside the classroom.
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Some schools already have performance-related pay. The DfE highlighted the Harris Federation of academies which offers incentives for good performance, including attendance and exam results.
It also mentioned Capital City Academy in Brent, north-west London, which gives school staff up to £1,400 a year in a lump sum for running at least three hours of extra-curricular activities a week.
The DfE additionally highlighted Greenwich Free School in south-east London, which raises teachers' pay based on their performance in annual appraisals.
Pay methods: The DfT highlighted Capital City Academy in Brent, north-west London, which gives school staff up to £1,400 a year in a lump sum for running at least three hours of extra-curricular activities a week
A DfE spokesman said: ‘It is vital that schools can recruit and reward the best teachers.
‘The advice published today (Tuesday) will help schools to review their pay policies and put in place arrangements that enable them to pay the best teachers more.’
Ministers confirmed in January that they are pressing ahead with plans for performance-related pay.
Concerns: Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, is worried about the changes
Under the changes - expected to come into full effect next year - teachers will no longer receive automatic annual pay rises, but will get annual appraisals, with schools deciding on salary levels.
The proposals, put forward by the School Teachers Review Body, are effectively an almost complete deregulation of teachers' pay and a move away from national pay structures.
The changes cover pay for classroom teachers in England and Wales, and do not include school leaders such as head teachers and deputy or assistant head.
By this September every school will need to have a new pay and appraisal policy on how pay will be linked to performance, with the first pay rises under the new system from September 2014.
Christine Blower of the National Union of Teachers, said: ‘These changes could deter graduates from entering teaching, restrict serving teachers' ability to move jobs and cause many to leave teaching if they are unfairly deprived of pay progression by decisions which ignore their contribution to their school but focus instead on funding pressure or whether the teacher's face fits.'
And Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: ‘In the real world heads have schools to run and teachers have pupils who want to learn.
‘We continue to believe performance-related pay will not attract or keep teachers, which will jeopardise children's education, and we remain firmly opposed to it.’