Support staff in local authority-maintained schools have their pay and other terms and conditions determined through the National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services. The result of these negotiations is covered in The Green Book, and the national agreement on pay and conditions of service for local government services.

Many staff working in academies will also be subject to these provisions, either as a result of a TUPE transfer or because the trust they work in has chosen to adopt them as part of their terms and conditions of service. The Green Book was updated in May 2024.  

ASCL is committed to a system of national pay and conditions. In our evidence submission to the 34th remit, we have again included a direct representation on behalf of business leader members for the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to include business leaders in its recommendations in order for them to be recognised and remunerated in the same way as other senior leaders.

Our negotiation and influencing on behalf of members, individually and collectively, is underpinned by ASCL’s position that business or executive leaders who undertake whole-school responsibilities are an integral part of the leadership team, and that this should be reflected in their status and remuneration – they should be paid with parity to other leadership colleagues holding the same level of responsibility. Where this is not the case, there should be a review of the business leader’s pay to ensure their crucial role is appropriately recognised and remunerated.

ASCL’s Business Leaders: Support Hub provides guidance, tools (including a salary review business case template), and case studies relating to school business leaders’ pay, conditions and recognition. We also provide support to members on an individual basis, with confidential, dedicated one-to-one support from a member support officer or pay/conditions specialist, providing advice and guidance on matters such as making an application to their employer for a review of pay or conditions, re-structuring of their role, employment contract terms and conditions, pension arrangements, grievance processes, redundancy and dismissal.

Our guidance Pay, conditions and recognition for business leaders intends to bring more consistency and equality to the process of assessing the level of responsibilities to inform decisions about setting pay for those working in business leadership roles. 

Information on the latest NJC pay award can be found here.