NEWS: Teachers Accept 5.5% Pay Rise, Seek More

Teachers in England have voted overwhelmingly to accept a 5.5% pay rise but warned ministers that without further “corrections” pay would remain uncompetitive and teacher shortages would persist.

Of those members who responded to the National Education Union’s snap poll, 95% voted to accept the 2024-25 offer, which would give schools an additional £1.2bn to cover the pay rise.

As the result was announced the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, launched the next pay round for 2025-26 with a letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body asking for their recommendations at the earliest opportunity.

Phillipson also asked the independent body, which makes recommendations to the government about teachers’ pay, to consider how the pay framework could be adapted to promote more flexible working, as the government seeks to improve teacher recruitment and retainment.

The NEU general secretary, Daniel Kebede, said: “The earlier publication of the remit is a welcome early signal that the new government will give teacher pay the urgent attention it deserves.

“The secretary of state is also right to highlight the need to raise the status of the profession and tackle recruitment and retention – a marked contrast to the head-in-sand approach of successive Tory predecessors.

“But without a clear recognition of the need for further corrections in pay, teacher pay will remain uncompetitive, teacher shortages will persist and the government will not achieve its aims.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “The pay award will need to be sufficient to address a severe shortage of teachers both in terms of recruitment and retention.

“It is vital that the government puts in place the funding that will be necessary to make this possible in the autumn budget on 30 October, and that this covers college staff as well as school staff.”