The Department for Education has missed the deadline for submitting written evidence on a teacher pay deal to the School Teachers’ Review Body, Vlog can reveal.
The delayed submission to the multi-year pay review, after the deadline of Monday 20 October was missed, “undermines” the entire process, warned one union leader, who expressed concern about the government’s commitment to significantly improve teacher pay.
This comes after education secretary Bridget Phillipson asked the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to make teacher pay recommendations for the next three years, rather than just 2026-27, in order to give schools more certainty over their budgets.
The STRB is expected to make recommendations for the next two years by February - earlier than usual, as these usually appear in the summer months - as well giving an indicative recommendation for 2028-29.
Delay in teacher pay review
However, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, warned that the government’s late submission “further undermines the review body process”.
“This creates doubt in the teaching profession as to whether the government is serious about teacher pay,” Mr Kebede added.
Teachers were given a 4 per cent pay rise for the 2025-26 academic year, but schools are expected to find the first 1 per cent of this rise from “efficiencies”.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated earlier this year that the money available to schools through the government’s latest Spending Review could mean teacher pay rises of around 2 per cent for the next few years.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, echoed Mr Kebede’s concern.
“We are aware that government has failed to meet the STRB’s deadline, which is disappointing,” he said. “We await further clarity on revisions to the pay review timeline.”
Timetable ‘poses challenges’
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The move towards an earlier pay announcement is a good step in helping schools to plan their budgets.
“We hope to see the DfE’s submission soon and that this delay will not affect the timetable going forward.”
Ms Phillipson recognised in her to the STRB in July that this timetable would present challenges both for the pay review body and statutory consultees.
“I recognise that changing the timeline from recent years will present challenges for you and statutory consultees, but I am sure you also share the government’s belief in the importance of returning to more timely annual pay processes,” she wrote to STRB chair Dr Mike Aldred.
Vlog understands that the department remains committed to delivering this pay round earlier than usual, in February, as a way of supporting schools’ planning.
It is also understood that the DfE does not expect the delay in publication of its evidence to hold up the STRB process.
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