Government Announces Pay Rise for English Teachers
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that teachers in England will see a 3.5% pay increase starting in September, followed by an additional 3% the subsequent year. This announcement comes with an allocation of £1.8 billion in extra funding. However, schools will be required to cover the initial 1% of each pay rise from their existing budgets.
Executive Pay Controls Introduced
In conjunction with the pay announcement, the DfE also revealed measures to restrict the remuneration of senior leaders within academy trusts. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that these controls aim to prevent executive salaries from escalating faster than those of classroom teachers, ensuring that "unjustifiable exec salaries become a thing of the past." Under the new rules, from September, government approval will be necessary for any job advertisements with salaries exceeding £174,000, and executive pay raises will not be permitted to surpass those of classroom teachers.
Union Response and Funding Concerns
Despite the government's offer, the National Education Union (NEU), England's largest teaching union, has rejected the proposal. NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede argued that the offer "still means cuts to education" and is insufficient to address the real-terms pay cuts teachers have experienced since 2010 or to restore the competitiveness of teacher salaries, particularly given anticipated inflation. Kebede emphasized the need for a fully funded pay award, expressing that a partially funded settlement would inevitably lead to educational cutbacks.
Regarding the cap on executive pay, Kebede acknowledged it as "a start" but noted it was "not enough" and would not be applied retrospectively.
Impact on Teacher Retention and Wellbeing
Jessica Featonby, who transitioned from primary school teaching to founding an education technology company, suggested that while higher salaries might attract more individuals to the profession, the core issue remains teacher wellbeing. She highlighted the extensive hours teachers often work, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and school holidays, far exceeding their paid hours, making it difficult to complete tasks within the standard workday.
Broader Economic Context and Previous Actions
The announcement comes as UK inflation stood at 2.8% in the year to May, with expectations of further increases. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders' union NAHT, viewed the offer as "another step in the right direction" but expressed concern that the partial funding would place additional strain on already stretched school budgets.
The independent School Teachers Review Body provides recommendations on pay to ministers annually. The DfE's submission proposed a 6.5% pay award over the 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 academic years. The department indicated that approximately £250 million and £750 million would be available from existing school budgets in 2026-27 and 2027-28, respectively, to cover parts of the rise, making the first year particularly challenging for schools financially.
In May, the NEU criticized a proposed 6.5% increase over three years as an "insult," believing it unlikely to keep pace with inflation. An informal ballot earlier this year, with a 48.6% turnout, showed 90.5% of NEU members were prepared to take industrial action over pay. The NEU had previously engaged in strikes in the first half of 2023, leading to school closures, before calling off further action after the government revised its 2023 offer to 6.5%. Teachers subsequently received a 5.5% rise in 2024 and a 4% rise in 2025.
Additionally, the DfE announced an extra £485 million for colleges over two years. David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, welcomed this as a "very positive announcement" but noted that "college pay still lags a long way behind schools and industry."
