Union warns Welsh teacher incentives overlook workloads

School leaders’ union NAHT Cymru has warned that the Welsh government’s new teacher incentives package fails to address the wider conditions driving staff shortages across schools.

It comes after the Welsh government announced the new incentives package on 5 October, coinciding with World Teachers’ Day as part of efforts to tackle recruitment shortages across Wales. 

While the union said improving pay, workload and working conditions was key to ensuring long-term recruitment and retention, it also questioned whether the scheme would deliver lasting results without retention requirements. 

The programme, confirmed by cabinet secretary for education Lynne Neagle, includes the Priority Subject Incentive, the Minority Ethnic Incentive and the Welsh language incentive Iaith Athrawon Yfory. The support will continue into 2026.

Incentives are available for postgraduate trainees in key secondary subjects such as biology, chemistry, design and technology, computing, mathematics, modern foreign languages, physics and Welsh. Bursaries of up to £25,000 are available for those not on salaried routes.

The salaried route – an employment-based scheme introduced in 2020 that allows candidates to earn while completing a two-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) – also continues to receive government funding.

Since its launch, 505 graduates have completed the salaried route, with more than half of participants aged over 30. The government said the pathway has helped schools gain additional classroom support and expanded access to teaching.

According to official figures, teachers’ salaries in Wales start at £33,700, rising to £146,300 for headteachers. The Welsh government said the latest package was designed to highlight teaching as a rewarding career and attract candidates to shortage areas.

Laura Doel, national secretary of NAHT Cymru, said: “We appreciate that the recruitment of subject-specific teachers, Welsh language teachers, and teachers from ethnic minorities is problematic. But we feel that this incentives package ignores the wider concerns of the profession.”

“NAHT has long campaigned for an improvement to the terms and conditions of all teachers and leaders to ensure the profession remains attractive for all,” she said. “We firmly believe that creating the conditions where all can thrive, having manageable workloads, and reasonable expectations being placed on the profession is a much more sustainable way of tackling the recruitment and retention crisis.”