Teachers across England will receive a 3.5% pay rise from September, with another 3% increase planned for the following year, according to the Department for Education. The government says the decision reflects its commitment to supporting teachers while also providing additional funding for schools.
The government has allocated £1.8 billion in extra funding for education. However, schools will need to cover the first 1% of each pay increase from their existing budgets. Officials believe this approach will help balance higher salaries with responsible public spending.
Government Introduces New Rules on Academy Executive Pay
Alongside the pay announcement, the government has introduced new measures to limit the salaries of senior leaders in academy trusts.
From September, academy trusts must seek government approval before advertising executive roles with salaries above £174,000. In addition, academy executives will no longer be allowed to receive pay rises that exceed those given to classroom teachers.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said teachers deserve fair recognition for the work they do every day. She also said executive salaries should not grow faster than teachers’ pay and explained that the new rules will help prevent excessive pay increases for senior leaders.
Teaching Union Still Considering Strike Action
Despite the pay award, the National Education Union (NEU) has not ruled out industrial action.
The union had previously warned that it would hold a formal strike ballot in the autumn if the government failed to improve its original pay proposal.
Following the latest announcement, an NEU spokesperson said the union is still reviewing its options. General Secretary Daniel Kebede argued that the pay increase does not fully address the financial pressure facing schools.
He said schools will still have to find part of the funding from their existing budgets, which could lead to spending cuts in other areas. According to Kebede, the union believes education should receive full funding instead of asking schools to absorb additional costs.
The NEU’s national executive committee is expected to meet next week to decide its next steps.
Former Teacher Says Wellbeing Is the Bigger Challenge
Former primary school teacher Jessica Featonby, who now runs an education technology company, welcomed higher salaries but said pay alone will not solve the challenges facing the profession.
She explained that many teachers regularly work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and even school holidays without additional pay. In her view, reducing workload and improving staff wellbeing are just as important as increasing salaries.
Featonby believes better working conditions would encourage more teachers to stay in the profession and help schools improve long term staff retention.
What the Pay Rise Means
The latest pay settlement offers teachers a higher salary over the next two years while introducing tighter controls on executive pay in academy trusts. However, concerns remain over how schools will fund part of the increase, leaving ongoing debate between the government and teaching unions about the future of education funding in England.
