Teacher and school leader unions have called on the government to provide the funding to cover the teacher pay rise for next year in full.
The Association of School and College Leaders, the NAHT school leaders’ union, the NEU teaching union and the Community trade union have said the government should fund all of the 4 per cent pay increase for 2025-26.
Responding to the Department for Education’s consultation on the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) report, unions also called for a fair national pay structure and the full removal of performance-related pay.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “The government must respond to the clear evidence and the united voice of the profession.
“To protect our education service and tackle the recruitment and retention crisis, the government must put in the investment needed to properly value teachers and school leaders.”
‘Partial funding’ leading to cuts
The government announced £615 million towards the 4 per cent pay rise for schools and £160 million for colleges.
But even with the extra funding, schools are currently still expected to find the first 1 per cent towards pay awards from making efficiencies in their budgets.
This is on top of 1.3 per cent of the increase, which the DfE estimates will be covered from existing headroom in school budgets from already announced funding.
ASCL general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said: “The partial funding provided leaves many schools having to make cuts to bridge this shortfall.
“This means a reduction in staffing, which has a knock-on effect on the workloads of remaining staff, which in turn affects retention. It is a vicious cycle which we must break.”
Financial pressures on schools
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman warned that ever-tightening financial pressures on schools mean that finding the money for this is becoming more difficult.
“Any so-called easy savings have long since been achieved after years of under-investment under previous governments, so the government must avoid creating a false trade-off between professionals’ pay and reductions in support for pupils, curriculum resources and activities,” he added.
A survey by NAHT of members last month found nearly half of heads expect to cut teachers next year due to funding pressures.
In its report recommending a 4 per cent rise for teachers, the STRB made several recommendations beyond the main pay rise aimed at improving teacher recruitment and retention.
On performance-related pay, the STRB suggested the department should monitor the effectiveness of this to decide whether current arrangements should continue for 2026-27.
A DfE spokesperson said: “Since day one, the education secretary has made it her priority to back teachers, announcing pay awards of almost 10 per cent over two years and has committed to tackle high workload and poor wellbeing, including encouraging schools to offer more flexible working opportunities.
“We will continue to support schools to get the best value from their funding through initiatives to help them slash the costs on things like energy and recruitment alongside better banking solutions so every penny is invested on delivering opportunities for young people.”
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