The Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference is today set to give its full support to a vigorous campaign to restore pay parity between the school and further education sectors.

According to the ATL's members there can be up to a £10,000 per year difference between comparable positions in the two sectors.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Chris Wilson, chair of ATL's further education committee, told ePolitix.com: "At Conference today ATL delegates will call for immediate increases in FE and sixth form college lecturer salary levels to bring parity with school teacher salary levels.

"ATL has called for a substantial pay award for the FE sector for the forthcoming year. The 2002/2003-pay claim is especially significant as it is part of a joint representation from all of the further education unions. This is a move warmly welcomed by ATL.

"ATL's conference also calls for the Teachers' Pay Initiative (TPI) scheme to be implemented fairly and quickly to all grades affected. Only once this happens will the TPI have the full confidence of the profession. The failure of many colleges to implement both pay awards and TPI schemes in a just manner has been strongly condemned by the Association.

"The government must recognise that it is not acceptable for colleges to opt out of agreed pay awards. It cannot expect a year on year increase in student numbers without fairly remunerating the professionalism of further education staff. For a government committed to social justice, it is ironic that it tolerates such injustice amongst professional and dedicated public sector employees. It is time to stop treating the FE sector as the Cinderella service and give it proper recognition."

Forum Response: Association of Colleges

A spokesman for the Association of Colleges told ePolitix.com: "AoC would call for the government's plans to be bolder, but focussing on the needs of the 50 per cent of young people who currently are failed by a system that does not offer them progression and purpose beyond 16.

"Current and future proposals make 5 GCSEs grades A* - C a watershed for progression, and there is now less choice and opportunity for half the current population of 16 year olds that have not made these grades. AoC wants boldness in curriculum planning, to offer a range of programmes with different learning styles and approaches to assessment that will suit the needs of all learners.

"AoC acknowledges concerns about the reduced number of subjects that will comprise the core of the curriculum, but welcomes the opportunities for genuine collaboration with schools, so that subjects such as art, modern languages, theatre, music and sport may benefit from the facilities and specialist qualified staff employed in colleges.

"AoC welcomes the greater flexibility, which will allow earlier experience of work and vocational skills-building; it has considerable expertise in this area. But it does wonder where the extra placements will come from, unless the government can engage as boldly with small and medium enterprises, as it is with providers of training.

"The Association agrees with ATL over its concerns about the overarching diploma, and is clear that its "added value" will need to be more transparent, with real commitment from HE and employers. It is concerned that as conceived, it may exclude the 50 per cent of learners who may not reach the required level, thus having the potential to de-motivate and exclude rather than improve performance.

"Overall, the Association sees that the benefit of greater flexibility and choice for learners outweighs concerns over the narrowing of the core curriculum, given the wide range of subjects available through colleges."