Two teaching unions are joining forces to call for the government to extend the application deadline for performance-related pay.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) say the 5 June deadline is too early - especially as this is the first year of the new pay system.

They want the deadline to be extended by a month, to give schools enough time to process their applications.

They say this would give more teachers the chance to get the �2,000 pay rise and access to a higher pay scale.

There are also concerns that head teachers have not had enough time and training to prepare to implement the pay reforms.

The ATL general secretary, Peter Smith, said: "The government introduced significant changes to teachers' pay and we welcome the opportunity for teachers to gain a boost to their pay.

"However, the timing has to be reconsidered. Schools are not yet properly prepared for the changes.

"An extra month will, at least, help to ease what is already an extremely busy time in the school year."

Legal challenge

In March, the government announced that the head teachers of larger secondary schools would get more time to assess teachers under the new system.

Schools where 40 or more staff are aiming to pass through the threshold will have until the autumn half-term holiday to complete the process.

The deadline for schools with fewer than 40 staff applying remains the same, 31 July.

The NUT has been given permission to mount a High Court challenge to the system.

It successfully applied for a judicial review over the government's handling of related new regulations, arguing that it had not allowed the required period of consultation.