The chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that the Government has accepted the recommendations of the Independent School Teachers’ Review Body in full. It formed part of her statement on public finances.
The 5.5 per cent award, which applies to maintained schools, will be effective from 1 September and, according to the Department for Education (DfE), is equivalent to an increase of over £2,500 for the average teacher, which would take the median salary for 2024/25 to over £49,000.
Schools will receive almost £1.2billion in additional funding to cover their costs, fully funding the pay award for teachers and support staff in financial year 2024-25.
The National Education Union (NEU) thanked the Government for ‘showing the positive leadership needed on teacher pay and the recruitment and retention crisis that was missing under the previous 10 Conservative education secretaries.'
General Secretary Daniel Kebede went on to say that they expect pay to be restored to what teachers and school leaders have lost since 2010 through future pay rounds.
Teach First said that the pay award will make a ‘significant difference, making the profession a more competitive career choice, while rewarding current teachers who work so tirelessly to unlock the potential in our young people.’
Reducing teachers' workload
The Government has also announced today further steps to reduce teachers' workload, ‘reset relations with the sector and make teaching an attractive profession again’.
The requirement for schools to use the Performance Related Pay (PRP) system – which the DfE says can lead to schools and teachers going through an overly bureaucratic process to agree individual teachers’ pay rises – will be removed from September.
The Government will also clarify that teachers can carry out their planning time at home, improving flexible working for staff.
Martin Hodge, head of education policy at Community Union, said, ‘Together with a commitment to fund a pay uplift for support staff, the ability of staff to take their planning time at home and the end to performance related pay, this is the action we need to put our schools on a secure footing and to start to address workload.
‘When we provide our education sector with the funding and support it needs our teachers benefit, our schools benefit and the pupils benefit too. This is a positive move for our schools, and we look forward to working with the Labour Government moving forwards to improve education for all.’
The NEU said the ‘flexibility is badly needed.’
‘Allowing teachers to take the time needed to plan, prepare and assess at home will inject some flexibility into teachers’ working lives, as in other professions.’
Commenting on the chancellor’s statement, the chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), Purnima Tanuku, said, ‘We need to see the Government honouring the Spring Budget commitments on factoring pay increases and inflation into childcare funding rates so providers can remain sustainable.
‘Longer-term, we need a comprehensive review of the funded childcare policy to make sure it works for children, families, provider and the public purse. Any funded childcare plan needs sufficient investment to enable providers to deliver high-quality places for children and families.’
