Following the School Teachers’ Review Body publication on teacher pay, the Government has offered:
- To fully implement the report recommendations, awarding a 6.5 per cent pay increase from 1st September.
- To provide extra funding – £900m per annum – for schools to fund it.
- Guarantees that this extra money will not come from any frontline education services.
- A set of commitments – agreed with the PM – to take urgent measures to reduce teacher workload.
Ballot
The National Executive of the NEU have considered the offer and agreed to recommend acceptance to members. The electronic ballot will run from 18th-28th July.
If members vote to accept, teacher strike action next term will not go ahead.
Shreeve: Schools expected to meet balance of 3.5% through existing budgets
Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The action taken by Isle of Wight NEU members and others around pay and funding has compelled Government to finally accept the recommendation on pay.
“However, it is not being fully funded by Government. Just 3 per cent will be met with additional funding. Schools will be expected to meet the balance of 3.5 per cent through existing budgets.
“This balance may have already been factored in by schools, but attending the Island’s schools forum meeting this morning, spending still raises concerns. We were reminded, the LA is seeking to deliver ‘a total estimated £5,974,000 cost avoidance by 2026/27’.”
Another paper stated,
“It is concerning that such a significant proportion of schools (over a half) operated through 2022/23 on an in-year deficit position.”
Mr Shreeve said,
“The high needs deficit has been an ongoing challenging concern for years too, particularly as the Isle of Wight has 6 per cent of learners in receipt of an EHCP, the third highest in the country.
“Throughout, the NEU has taken every opportunity to talk with Government and seek a resolution. It’s now up to members.”
Still many challenges
Mr Shreeve continued,
“There are still many challenges. The offer is below inflation and represents a real terms pay cut and is less than teachers in Scotland and Wales received.
“No teacher wants to be on strike, see their pay eroded, their school funding decimated or their workload left unaddressed.
“Should the offer be accepted, the NEU will continue to work to ensure improved working conditions for teachers and an improved education system for all young people.
“But, in the light of this morning’s school forum meeting and the ongoing challenges raised at Tuesday’s public briefing on primary school pupil places, education will still have a mountain to climb.”
Parentkind: Parents believe teachers should be paid a fair wage
Responding to the announcement about the 6.5 per cent pay increase, Parentkind’s Chief Executive Jason Elsom says,
“Parents’ views on this dispute have been remarkably stable – when polled they’ve said that they believe teachers should be paid a fair wage, and they supported teachers taking industrial action despite the inconvenience it caused for their family. Against this backdrop, we believe parents in England will welcome today’s announcement from HM Treasury that teachers will be offered the 6.5% pay increase recommended by the School Teachers Review Body.
“Importantly, we welcome moves by government to ensure that this pay increase doesn’t have to come entirely from already squeezed school budgets, and it’s particularly positive that the Department for Education will consider teacher workload too.
“England’s children deserve a world-class education, and that relies upon fairly paid teachers, a properly funded education system and a close working relationship between home and school. Today’s news is a big step toward that.”
About Parentkind
Seen as the voice of parents in relation to their children’s education, Parentkind is one of the largest federated charities in the country.
The network of almost 13,000 Parent Teacher Associations, and more than 100,000 parent volunteers, is the strongest of advocates for the delivery of a world class education system.
Important update
The NEU have provided an update to the information shared last week, this has resulted in a change in the headline and excerpt. The statement reads:
In the hours after the announcement of the STRB publication and offer, there was some confusion over whether it was ‘fully funded’.
Although rather long-winded clarification has now been received. It is fully funded. The detailed explanation can be found below.
The school funding year is April to April, but the pay year September to September.
So last year’s funding settlement to cover April 2023 to April 2024 had to contain an allowance for what the Government thought pay would be from September 23 to April 24.
Government thought that pay rise would be 3.5% – that’s what they suggested to the STRB.
But the NEU thought they hadn’t allocated enough for schools, which is why the NEU campaigned last September/October for an increase. The NEU wrote to all Tory MPs saying the NEU would relaunch the School Cuts Website. Then they added £2bn more.
That money would cover 3.5% for most schools. We understand from talking with headteacher unions, NAHT and ASCL that most heads had budgeted for 3.5% pay rises.
The £900m extra that NEU members action has won is to cover the 3% increase from 3.5% to 6.5%. This £900 million doesn’t come from frontline services. A lot of it comes from unspent money in the department and a lot of that on the tutoring program. Normally that money would be returned to the Treasury. But the Treasury is allowing the department to keep it – unlike other departments.
The good news is, that the pay rise will be fully built in to the base budget for future years, so NEU members have genuinely won new money for education.
Article edit
5pm 16th Jul 2023 – Headline and excerpt updated to reflect new information from NEU
Image: Christopher Bill under CC BY 2.0
