England’s elite sixth-form colleges have snubbed the government’s controversial performance-related pay reforms in schools by coming up with their own salary framework.

The proposals from the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA), which represents 93 institutions across England for 16- to 19-year-olds, mark a significant shift in approach.

While the SFCA plans to formalise the link between appraisals and annual pay rises in the sector for the first time, several key elements of the system in use in schools have been ignored.

Crucially, the plans also commit colleges to matching the pay on offer in schools for the first time since 2010.

The new system, according to the SFCA, would offer “a career path for individuals wishing to remain in the classroom”. It is the first attempt to change pay structures for college teachers in more than a decade.

“The proposed system has got a number of positive features compared with what’s happening in schools,” said Steven Crane, national officer for pay and conditions at the ATL teaching union.

For more on this story, read this week’s TES on your tablet or phone by downloading the TES Reader app for Android or iOS. Or pick it up in all good newsagents.