"Mind the gap" – mandatory gender pay gap reporting

How will the new rules on reporting pay statistics for men and women affect larger independent schools?

Schools with 250 or more employees will be required to report gender pay gap information from April 2018. A preliminary data "snap shot" showing the gender pay position in school is required by 30 April 2017; so we recommend Bursars start the calculation process now in order to discover the extent of any gender pay gap and address the issues before they "go public".

Employers will be required to report on a "searchable UK website", and a government website, the overall mean and median gender pay gap across their workforce. Pay includes basic pay, paid leave, maternity and sick pay, most allowances such as shift premium pay and bonuses. Overtime, value of sacrificed salary and benefits in kind are not included.

The number of men and women in each quartile of the employer's pay distribution must be published to illustrate whether female employees are concentrated in a particular way in terms of remuneration which may indicate impediments to career progression.

We expect schools will be keen to take up the option to publish a narrative that explains the context of any pay gap and initiatives undertaken to resolve any pay discrimination issues in the workplace. Prior to reporting Bursars may expect close scrutiny of the figures from Board members on account of the fact a Statutory Director must sign off on the accuracy of information published and, while there is currently no specific penalty for non-compliance, there is potential to name and shame those organisations that fail to publish the required figures.