The government has accepted a recommendation of a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers, but will only provide extra funding for 3 per cent. Gillian Keegan’s decision on pay for the 2023-24 academic year is due to be published today, alongside the report of the In a joint statement, general secretaries of the four education unions said they would put the deal to members 鈥渨ith a recommendation to accept the STRB recommendation鈥�. 鈥淭his deal will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action and resume normal relations with government.鈥� The DfE is proposing a 6.5 per cent increase across all pay scales apart from the bottom of the main pay scales outside London and in the capital’s “fringe”, which will rise by slightly more to meet the pledge of a 拢30,000 starting salary. A teacher on the M3 pay point outside London would see their pay rise from 拢31,750 to 拢33,814. A teacher on U3 would get an increase from 拢43,685 to 拢46,525. Teacher pay is higher in and near the capital. Schools will be expected to fund 3.5 per cent of the rise from their own budgets, which the DfE said is “affordable” given the 拢2.3 billion funding boost announced last year. Keegan told Sky News she had 鈥渒nown all along that whatever we offer, we also have to offer to fund, not all of it because there is some within the school budgets that they were expecting and they budgeted for, but quite a big chunk of it鈥�. 鈥淪o in this case, we’ve had to find a significant amount of money.鈥� Funding uplift to come from DfE budget The DfE will provide funding for the remaining 3 per cent from “reprioritising” within its own budgets to “protect frontline services”. Overall, schools will receive an additional 拢482.5 million in the 2023-24 financial year and 拢827.5 million in the 2024-25 financial year. The DfE is also handing out 拢42.5 million in 2023-24 and 拢72.5 million in 2024-25 to early years and post-16 institutions. The department said its “strong expectation is that all schools will use these additional funds for teacher pay as is intended”. The statement, also put out by Downing Street and Keegan, hailed the 鈥渓argest ever recommendation from the STRB鈥�. 鈥淎 6.5 per cent increase for teachers and school leaders recognises the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession.” They said the offer was 鈥減roperly funded for schools鈥�. 鈥淭he government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March – building on the additional 拢2 billion given to schools in the autumn statement.鈥� 拢40m hardship fund and workload taskforce The government’s affordability estimates are based on national, not school-level, analysis – meaning pay rises would not be affordable for all schools, with smaller and special schools worst hit. A 鈥渉ardship fund” of up to 拢40 million has been announced today to “support those schools facing the greatest financial challenges鈥�. Ministers have also announced they will convene a “workload reduction taskforce”. This will look at “how we can go further to support trust and school leaders to minimise workload for teachers and leaders”, Keegan said. Government wants to reduce working hours by five hours a week. DfE will also “plan to reinsert a revised list of administrative tasks that teachers should not be expected to do” into the school teachers鈥� pay and conditions handbook.
E Vine 15 July 2023 So does this mean buildings, maintenance, working conditions, support, send and everything else gets cut which will accelerate many teachers out of uk teaching?
19 May 2024 […] While still working as a headteacher, I wrote an article published in The Catholic Herald pointing out that staffing typically represents at least 80% of a school鈥檚 budget (in many cases it is much higher than this) and that in 2010 on-costs for employing staff had added 15.3% to my school鈥檚 wage bill. By 2018 those costs had risen to 25.8% and they have risen much further since. Meanwhile, as we are all acutely aware, schools have often not been given the funds to cover pay rises negotiated nationally. […]