The role of the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB)

The STRB was established under the terms of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1991 to report to the Prime Minister and to the Secretary of State for Education on the statutory pay and conditions of school teachers in England and Wales. Its legal status was subsequently continued by the Education Act 2002. Its recommendations cover the duties and working time of school teachers, as well as their remuneration. The Government has undertaken to implement the recommendations of all pay review bodies unless there are clear and compelling reasons to the contrary. The Secretary of State is committed to consulting all the major stakeholders on any changes to school teachers' pay and conditions before they are put into legislation. This is contained in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, and recent copies can be found on this site under the appropriate year.

In recent years the Review Body has worked to an annual cycle, reporting to the Government each year by a specified deadline in respect of the pay settlement due in September. This pattern has varied recently as a result of special remits given to the Review Body and the implementation of a multi-year pay deal from 2004 to 2006 and for 2008 to 2010. Copies of recent reports can be found on this site under the appropriate year. There are about 18-20 meetings of the Review Body during any year and they are held in London. The bulk of the STRB's activity is concentrated in the period September — January. The Review Body also receives oral and written evidence from all the main bodies (in particular the Government, employers and unions) during the Autumn. Copies of recent DCSF evidence can be found on this site under the appropriate year. Members have the support of a secretariat provided by the Office of Manpower Economics, which includes statistical support and other analytical services.

Every year the Secretary of State sends the STRB a remit letter setting out the matters on which the review body is to report. This does not prevent it from reporting on other such matters as it thinks fit. The latest letter is shown on this site and the STRB report for each year also includes the remit letter as an appendix. The Secretary of State may direct it to have regard to certain considerations such as affordability and the Government's policy on public-sector pay, but cannot impose limits on what it may recommend, or the cost of its recommendations.

The STRB may from time to time report on other issues that the Secretary of State remits to it.

The Review Body may have a maximum of nine members; the Chair is appointed by the Prime Minister and the members by the Secretary of State.

Members must have the status and personal qualities to keep the confidence of the remit group and have the intellectual calibre to grasp and probe the major policy issues and the mass of detail presented to them. Aside from that, a background in labour market economics, human resources and industrial relations, financial management and education is useful. The Chair is paid £350 per day and members £300 per day for attending STRB meetings and undertaking school visits. Out of pocket expenses are also reimbursed.