The government believes schools can find savings through adjusting the make-up of leadership teams and deployment of support staff, as it prepares to leave them to foot the bill for future teacher pay rises. The Department for Education also pointed to “opportunities to drive value for money” in academy CEO pay, adding data on executive pay to its school financial benchmarking tool for the first time. Ministers yesterday on pay for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. Here’s what we learned… 1. DfE believes 6.5% over 3 years is 鈥榓ppropriate鈥欌 The DfE believes a 6.5 per cent pay rise over the next three years would be 鈥渁ppropriate鈥. The department said it would 鈥渟upport schools to manage the challenging affordability position鈥 in the 2026-27 financial year, 鈥渨hich has resulted from the significant pay uplift in 2025-26, preceded by a substantial pay uplift in 2024-25″. In its evidence, it said such a rise would 鈥渕aintain the competitiveness of teacher pay and provide a real terms improvement over the parliament鈥. 2. … and should be weighted towards the end of the period The DfE also said the level of awards should be 鈥渨eighted towards the latter part of the remit鈥. Its 鈥渃entral expectation is that 2026-27 is likely to be the year when headroom will be most constrained at a national level and where schools will have had the least planning time to implement any changes and in ways which best deliver for children鈥. 3. Schools will have to pay for it themselves The report repeatedly refers to the 鈥渃hallenging fiscal context鈥 and states schools will need to find savings to cover the proposed pay rises. It also refers multiple times to the government鈥檚 spending review settlement for schools. 鈥淲hile this investment is both welcome and necessary, it is vital to strike a balance,鈥 the report said. 鈥淕oing beyond the proposal set out in written evidence over the SR [spending review] period would place significant pressure on school budgets, especially in 2026-27.鈥 The government 鈥渆xpects that most schools will need to implement plans to realise and sustain better value from existing spend in addition to the funding being provided through the core schools鈥 budget to deliver the pay awards鈥. 4. DfE predicts savings on leadership and support staff The DfE said it acknowledged opportunities to make savings 鈥渧ary across individual schools, reflecting differences in context and operational models鈥. However, it said 鈥渟everal common themes have emerged鈥 as schools seek to save cash, and schools have 鈥渋dentified and acted upon opportunities鈥 in some areas. This includes reviewing their reliance on supply and 鈥渞econsidering the composition of their leadership teams鈥. 鈥淭here has been a 45 per cent increase in assistant 40 headteacher positions since 2011-12, indicating some room to drive better value from spending.鈥 There is 鈥渟pace for schools to optimise the deployment of support staff to enhance their impact on pupil learning and development. 鈥淎s an example, the workforce data shows a 30 per cent increase in teaching assistants, compared to a 7 per cent increase in teachers since 2011.鈥 5. ‘Increasing’ CEO pay added to benchmarking tool The DfE also said it was 鈥渁ware of trends of increasing executive pay and monitors this through an annual engagement exercise”. It said there were 鈥渙pportunities to drive value for money in this area鈥. The department has introduced executive pay into its financial benchmarking and insights tool 鈥渢o encourage boards to make evidence-based decisions when setting executive pay鈥. 6. ‘New programme’ to help schools save The DfE pointed to several existing programmes aimed at helping schools save money. But it also said it aimed to 鈥渆stablish a new programme shortly to help schools and groups seize opportunities to maximise value from every pound. 鈥淭his is a shared responsibility, so the department will tackle the systemic issues that drive costs and prevent schools and groups from getting the best value for money and provide support to schools and groups in four key areas where we know there are opportunities to drive better value.鈥 These areas are commercial spend, assets including reserves, workforce deployment and 鈥渢ackling barriers to further improvements to driving value from their resources, particularly through AI and technology鈥. 鈥淭he new programme will provide an expanded level of support to schools and groups in the form of benchmark data, toolkits, commercial offers, capability building, case studies and investment in areas such as technology.鈥 7. Salary safeguarding could decrease or taper In its remit letter to the STRB in July, the government also asked the body to make recommendations on the future of salary safeguarding. Salary safeguarding means teachers whose pay is due to decrease due to a change in circumstances, school restructure or move to a different school under the same employer have their pay topped up to its old level for three years after the change. In its evidence this week, the DfE said there were 鈥渙ptions鈥 for changes. 鈥淚t may be that for simplicity, the salary safeguarding period is reduced to a shorter period, for example, two years rather than three years, to build in this flexibility for school leaders. 鈥淎nother option could be to taper the salary safeguarding period to avoid the sudden drop in salary, and therefore retention risk, at the end of the period.鈥 8. Consider ‘merits and challenges’ of 1,265 hours reform Earlier this year, Phillipson also ordered a review of directed time, which she said is 鈥減otentially creating a constraint on schools鈥 deployment of teachers鈥. Directed time is a rule in teachers鈥 pay and conditions that stipulates they cannot be 鈥渄irected鈥 to work more than 1,265 hours across the school year. In reality, teachers鈥 average working hours are much greater. In its evidence, the DfE asked the STRB to 鈥渢horoughly consider the merits and challenges of any reform for maintained schools鈥. 鈥淎dditional factors鈥 to consider include the previous government鈥檚 non-statutory expectation of a 32.5-hour school week and the fact the 39-week school year means teachers鈥 annual working hours 鈥渃over shorter, more intense periods鈥. 9. 193 accepted onto teaching apprenticeship for non-grads The first teaching degree apprenticeship for non-graduates was introduced last October. The four-year course gives trainees a degree qualification and leads to qualified teacher status. In its evidence, the DfE said the first recruitment cycle for academic year 2025-26 鈥渉as seen 193 acceptances as of 15 September and high candidate interest and applications in this new route into teaching. 鈥淭he department expects this route to open the profession to those that would not otherwise be able to train to become teachers.鈥 10. DfE trials ‘anonymised recruitment’ through ‘Apply’ service The report acknowledged 鈥渄isparities鈥 in teacher training recruitment based on trainee characteristics. To address them, the DfE said it was 鈥渢rialling anonymised recruitment鈥 through the 鈥渇ind a candidate鈥 section of its digital application service, 鈥淎pply鈥. 鈥淐andidates鈥 names and dates of birth are being obscured to support fairer decision-making. Candidates鈥 ethnicity, sex, and disability information is already obscured during the recruitment process.鈥
Paul M 5 November 2025 Intriguing that the hugely increased roles for school in providing social care, health care, SEND provision within mainstream and safeguarding responsibilities is not acknowledged as a fundamental driver for the increased Leadership and TA employment. These are not cost saving opportunities, they are examples of government cost savings hidden within schools.