TEACHERS from East Lancashire have rejected the idea of performance-related pay along with colleagues from all over Britain.

Almost 12,000 teachers took part in a survey at the end of the summer term asking about pay and career issues.

Fewer then 30 per cent of teachers accepted the idea of performance related pay with more than 90 per cent calling for a clearer career path and salary structure.

More than 70 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to see their pay linked to their professional development and the achievement of specified competencies in different areas of teaching.

Simon Jones, NUT spokesman for East Lancashire said: "There was a high level of response to this survey from East Lancashire and elsewhere and it goes to prove that this is an issue of concern to teachers.

"Without persuasion or explanation teachers have declared their opposition to performance related pay.

"It can never be fair linked as it is to pupil performance which can vary from school to school and from year to year as the pupils change.

"But what teachers have done is state their belief that once they achieve specific targets for competence then that deserved recognition in their salaries.

"A national scheme based on the achievement of such targets would be fair and open and would not be based on the subjective achievement of high performance."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.