DfE teacher pay rise recommendation ‘extremely disappointing’, union warns

The Government has recommended teachers receive a 6.5% pay increase spread over the next three years, as unions warn the proposals are “extremely disappointing” and could make teacher shortages worse.

Teachers’ pay should rise by 6.5% across 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29, the Department for Education (DfE) has said in its evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), published on Thursday.

Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said the proposals are “extremely disappointing”.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of teachers’ union NASUWT, said the proposals fail “to address the thousands of pounds in pay that teachers have lost over the past decade due to years of real-terms pay cuts”.

Mr Wrack added that the proposals “are only likely to exacerbate the current recruitment and retention crisis in teaching”.

The DfE said in its evidence to the STRB, an independent body that advises the Government on teacher pay, that the 6.5% rise should be weighted towards higher rises in 2027/28 and 2028/29.

“The proposed awards would maintain the competitiveness of teacher pay and provide a real terms improvement over the parliament,” the DfE said.

“A 6.5% award over the next three years, when combined with the increases from the last two pay rounds, would mean teacher pay rising by nearly 17% across the parliament.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said: “The last Labour government made education its top priority – ‘education, education, education’. This Labour government, however, is failing to deliver on its promises.

“Instead of 6,500 more teachers, we have botched Ofsted reforms, declining school funding, and now a pay recommendation that will do nothing to address the continued crisis in retention.”

The DfE’s evidence states the department expects “most schools” will need to implement plans to get “better value from existing spend” to afford the pay awards.

In a joint statement, teaching unions have called for a fully-funded pay increase that addresses real terms pay cuts for teachers and school leaders.

Mr Di’Iasio said: “The DfE’s recognition that most schools would need to find savings from existing budgets to deliver even this meagre amount reflects the insufficiency of the government’s education funding plans.

“School finances are already run very tightly, and it would not be possible to bridge this funding gap through efficiency savings, as these don’t exist. Without additional funding, schools would have to implement further cuts, which will have an impact on educational provision.”

Teachers were awarded a 4% pay rise for 2025/26 after the DfE originally recommended the rise should be 2.8%.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The 6.5% pay rise suggested by the government for the next 3 years would be a real-terms pay cut for teachers and leaders if inflation and average earnings across the wider economy rise as predicted.

“While the government have, over the last few pay awards, arrested the severe decline in school leader and teacher salaries, there remains much to be done in order to make teaching a really attractive proposition for graduates, retain serving professionals and improve leadership aspiration. Pay is a key part of that proposition, and salaries are still worth 16% less now than they were 15 years ago.”

One of the Labour Government’s first decisions after the election was a 5.5% pay award for teachers in 2024/25.

The previous year, teachers received a 6.5% rise after teachers went on strike in 2023. The DfE had originally proposed a smaller rise.

Schools have been facing issues recruiting and retaining teachers over the past few years. For 2024/25, the DfE hit 62% of its target for recruiting trainee teachers.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Teachers play a vital role in transforming children’s lives and are at the heart of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. We have worked hard to rebuild the relationship with the teaching profession, leading to major improvements in recruitment and retention through our Plan for Change.

“We have already made pay awards worth almost 10% over two years, and these proposals mean teacher pay would rise by almost 17% across this parliament, equating to a significant real-terms increase over the five years.

“To help schools plan their budgets and maximise every pound spent, we are proposing a multi-year pay award. We will also continue to support schools to get the best value for money on areas like energy, recruitment, and banking, so every penny is invested in delivering opportunities for young people.”