红桃影视

Ministers have told the teacher pay body to make a multi-year recommendation and advise on whether to reduce salary safeguarding and allow maintained schools to pay bonuses.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has also ordered a review of directed time, which she said is “potentially creating a constraint on schools鈥� deployment of teachers”.

The Department for Education has issued the School Teachers’ Review Body with

Phillipson told chair Dr Mike Aldred: 鈥淚 know how important budget certainty is when making strategic decisions 鈥� especially in the context of the wider ask on the public sector to maximise value from every pound spent.

“I want to help schools plan to spend their money as effectively as possible to provide every child with the high-quality education they deserve.鈥�

Multi-year recommendations sought

She has asked the STRB to make formal recommendations for pay awards for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years, 鈥渁s well as an indicative pay award for the 2028-29 academic year鈥�, which would be 鈥渃onfirmed or reconsidered in a future remit鈥�.

Earlier this year, the government accepted the STRB鈥檚 recommendation of a 4 per cent pay rise for this coming September, but said schools would have to meet some of it from their own budgets.

And Phillipson said that at the recent spending review, 鈥渢he department鈥檚 settlement was predicated on the basis that no additional funding will be made available for pay awards, in any year of the multi-year spending review period.

鈥淲e will continue to support schools to drive better value from every pound as we expect schools will need to continue to contribute to the costs of future pay awards and ensure spending is maximised to deliver for children and young people.鈥�

Salary safeguarding could reduce

The government鈥檚 children鈥檚 wellbeing and schools bill will require academies to observe minimum pay rates.

In her letter Phillipson said that, 鈥渢o begin laying the groundwork for increased flexibility, in this year鈥檚 remit I would value your expert advice on some initial changes鈥� to salary safeguarding and the ability to offer 鈥渘on-consolidated payments鈥� including bonuses.

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.

Phillipson said: 鈥淲e understand that the existing salary safeguarding period of three years can be a barrier to schools making workforce changes.

鈥淚 invite you to provide recommendations on whether the salary safeguarding period should be reduced to enable employers to deploy their workforce most effectively, whilst ensuring that teachers are still protected from sudden drops in their salary.鈥�

Bonuses for maintained schools?

Phillipson also noted maintained schools cannot currently make non-consolidated payments to their teachers, 鈥渨hilst academy schools can use them to recruit, retain or reward their staff鈥�.

鈥淚 am seeking your recommendations on whether to introduce the option for maintained schools to offer non-consolidated payments (including bonuses) to reward teachers, separate to and above any pay progression arrangements and the annual STRB recommended pay uplift.鈥� 

Review ‘benefits and drawbacks’ of directed time

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.

Phillipson said workload 鈥渋s a commonly cited reason for teachers leaving the profession and our evidence tells us that teachers and leaders often work long hours.

She said directed time was 鈥渁lso an unusual contractual provision, potentially creating a constraint on schools鈥� deployment of teachers, other than what is best for pupils and staff鈥�.

鈥淗owever, I also recognise that a change to the current system of directed and undirected time could bring substantial complexities and unintended consequences to the system, and any such change would need careful consideration.鈥�

She asked for the STRB鈥檚 views 鈥渙f the benefits and drawbacks of the current working hours arrangement within the STPCD, considering both directed and non-directed time for teachers, and working hours for leaders.

DfE seeks to speed up pay process

After gaining power last year, Labour committed to moving the pay-setting process earlier in the year to give schools more certainty. Under the last government, it had become normal for schools not to have pay rates for September confirmed until July.

Phillipson pointed out the government was launching this pay round 鈥渢wo months earlier than the previous pay round, and five months before the previous government commenced the 2024-25 pay round鈥�. 

She asked the STRB to 鈥渟upport an earlier pay announcement by submitting your recommendations for the pay award at the earliest point that allows you to give due consideration to the relevant evidence, which I understand to be the end of February.