Q: I have been deputy head since September. Am I allowed to see the wages structure as it is difficult to argue that you should be on a higher pay level when you haven’t seen the official pay scales?

A: Ask the governing body to certify that you are being paid in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document regulations for deputy heads. All schools should have a staffing strategy and will need to review this as the new allowances for management grades are introduced. If they refuse to certify they are paying you in accordance with the rules, contact your professional association for advice, since they may have been ignoring the rules, possibly unwillingly. You may even be due some additional back pay if they have been under-calculating what you should be paid.