• Teachers pay “frozen since 2010”

    960 633 Stuart O'Brien

    Following an announcement by The School Teachers Pay Review Body (STRB) on recommendations for teacher pay for 2017-18, a leading education professional has said there is a still no meaningful uplift in teacher pay. This is despite the STRB report noting there is a real risk that schools will not be able to recruit and retain a workforce of high quality teachers to support pupil achievement and warning that schools are “working under increasing financial constraints”.

    “Since I entered education recruitment 15 years’ ago I have witnessed a systematic erosion of recognition for the valuable role that teachers and support staff play in our society. Teacher pay has now essentially been frozen in real terms since 2010,” commented Baljinder Kuller, managing director of online supply teacher portal The Supply Register.

    “Schools are already facing substantial pressures around recruitment and retention, including the target for initial teacher training contracts being missed in 2016-17 for the fifth successive year.”

    The Government has accepted the guidance that there should be a one per cent increase across all pay ranges, while those on the minimum and maximum of the main pay scale – typically teachers in the first few years of their career – will get an increase of up to two per cent.

    Kuller concluded: ”We support the position of Chris Keates, the NASUWT’s general secretary, who has said ‘There is already a recruitment and retention crisis in the Education Service. The stark differences in graduate pay highlighted in our research will unfortunately mean this crisis will worsen.’ However, while school leaders will continue to have little room for manoeuvre around pay for permanent staff, it is recommended that they revaluate agency staff and supply teacher providers to ensure that teachers are getting a fair deal.”

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    Stuart O'Brien

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