Teacher pay rise

The government has provided evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body.

“The Department for Education’s view is that a 2.8% teacher pay award would be appropriate for 2025/26. This level of award would maintain the competitiveness of teachers’ pay, despite the challenging financial backdrop the Government is facing. This award would follow a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 that has meant a combined increase of over 17% over the last three pay awards – and which this further pay proposal for 2025/26 could see rise to over 21% in four years.”

The Department believes that to cover the 2.8% award proposed for teachers, most schools will need to supplement the new funding they receive in FY2025-26 with efficiencies. The balance between cost increases covered by new funding and those covered through efficiencies in existing budgets will vary at an individual school level, depending on a school’s circumstances and previous spending decisions.

Schools will also want to factor in the impact of a 2025-26 pay award for support staff on their budgets. The Department assumes that, in planning their budgets, schools will consider pay awards across the board, i.e. across both teachers and support staff. Any pay award assumptions which exceed what is affordable for a school overall will need to be covered through efficiencies. This includes steps necessary to achieve the proposed pay award for teachers.

Many of the teaching unions are not happy with the situation. The National Education Union, is reported as saying that the “proposed unfunded 2.8 per cent pay increase” fell “well short of the urgent action needed.”  “We are putting the government on notice. Our members care deeply about education and feel the depth of the crisis. This won’t do.”