HEADTEACHERS in Lincolnshire have been urged to block a pay increase of pound;1,000 for post-threshold teachers because of concerns over who will fund the rise.

One teaching union called the block an “unballoted strike” and is now considering legal action against the heads.

Teachers who qualified for the new, one-point rise on the upper pay spine should have seen the cash in September’s pay packets.

A letter from the chair of the Lincolnshire Association of Secondary Heads called for a county-wide “embargo” and warned members not to break ranks until the issue is sorted out.

According to the Department for Education and Skills, the extra point should be awarded at schools’ discretion for “substantial and sustained performance and contribution”. Schools will receive an as yet undetermined proportion of the money to pay for the rises through a pound;90 million grant next January.

Ian Wright, chair of the association and headteacher of Sir William Robertson high school, Welbourn, called for the county’s 63 secondaries to block the rise because government guidance is “inadequate”. He said that schools could be sued if they awarded the increase inconsistently.

“We are saying we will pay you as soon as we get the money and when we are able to get the judgments on who is eligible,” he said, confirming that the pay would be backdated. “It’s a difficult issue for heads,” he added.

Chris Keates, deputy general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said the Lincolnshire heads could be breaking laws requiring them to carry out staff assessments to determine progression on the upper pay spine.

“To place an embargo on progress on the upper pay spine at such a time is causing huge problems in relationships between staff and heads,” she said.

A spokeswoman for the National Union of Teachers said the money should have been given uncapped and with clear, compulsory criteria. “We think that if you pass the threshold and continue to do a good job, you should get the money.”

Roger Kirk, chair of the national salaries committee for the NASUWT, said the rise should automatically be given to teachers who meet their performance management targets. “I suspect the heads are hiding behind the money argument because they have not completed the performance management cycle.”

The Secondary Heads Association and the National Association of Head Teachers have issued joint guidance, saying the pound;1,000 should be given on the basis of maintaining threshold standards, appraisals, and professional development.

John Dunford, general secretary of SHA, said: “Our advice to the Lincolnshire heads is simply to follow the joint guidance, as other heads in the country are doing.”

Kerry George, national salaries officer of the NAHT, said: “Given the negative messages from LEAs about future budgets, I can understand why heads and governing bodies are being cautious. But we have said nobody should be turned down purely for budgetary reasons.”