England Schools Must Cover Part of 3.5% Teacher Pay Rise

Schools in England will receive £1.8 billion over two years to help cover pay rises for teachers and support staff, but must still fund the first 1% of each award themselves. The government accepted recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body for a 3.5% pay rise from September and a further 3% rise from September 2027.

An extra £485 million will go to colleges and further education providers over the same period.

The National Education Union said it is considering all options, including a formal ballot for industrial action. Its general secretary stated that schools are being asked to find £460 million from budgets already at breaking point. The union noted that this amount equals roughly 8,300 school staff positions.

It also pointed to separate government plans for £15 billion in defence spending over four years.

The NAHT said the additional funding is helpful but stressed that the award is not fully funded. Its general secretary said existing budgets have very little headroom. The Association of School and College Leaders said many schools will find it very challenging to meet the requirement from current budgets.

Both unions welcomed the fact that the increases exceed the 2.8% inflation rate recorded in May. The Department for Education also announced that academy trust executives’ pay will be capped at £174,000 from September, with trusts required to seek approval for higher salaries.