More than a quarter of teachers have been denied salary increases after the introduction of a controversial new system of performance-related pay in schools, a new survey finds.

The study into the impact of the radical pay reforms also shows that almost nine out of 10 teachers who were refused an increase were not warned in advance, despite Department for Education guidance calling on schools to use a “no surprises” approach.

Ethnic minority teachers and those were working in primaries were most likely to miss out, the poll of almost 5,000 teachers by the NUT reveals.

Of the teachers who had been notified of their pay decision, 28 per cent were denied an increase. Among Asian and black teachers, this rose to 40 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.

Kevin Courtney, the union’s deputy general secretary, said the results showed that the implementation of the policy had been “dreadful” and that teachers’ pay progression amounted to a “lottery” determined by where they worked.

A DfE spokesperson said: “All schools are required to set out clearly how their teachers’ pay is linked to performance and there is no evidence to suggest there are any schools that have not done this. Any school without an appropriate policy in place will be held to account by Ofsted.”

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