Govt proposes 6.5% teacher pay rise spread over three years

The government has recommended a 6.5% pay increase for teachers, spread over the next three years, in its latest submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

In written evidence, the Department for Education (DfE) said the proposed award, covering 2026-27 to 2028-29, would be “appropriate” and weighted towards the later years of the period. The move follows a delay of more than a week in setting out the department’s pay plans.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson asked the STRB to make recommendations for a three-year period rather than a single year, in a bid to give schools greater certainty over their budgets. The STRB is expected to publish recommendations for 2026-27 and 2027-28 by February 2026, along with an indicative recommendation for 2028-29.

While the government is not obliged to follow the review body’s advice, it has accepted its recommendations in the past two pay rounds.

According to the DfE, the 6.5% award, combined with recent increases, would mean teacher pay rises by nearly 17% over the course of the current parliament. The department said average earnings growth across the economy is forecast to slow to around 2% by 2028-29, and that a “worsening” graduate labour market is helping to improve teacher retention.

The department argued that the proposal would be affordable for schools, with the back-loaded increase giving them more time to plan and adjust budgets.

However, sector leaders have criticised the plans, warning they amount to a real-terms pay cut and would do little to address ongoing recruitment and retention challenges.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the proposed award “will do nothing to address the continued crisis in retention”.

Kebede said: “Instead of 6,500 more teachers, we have botched Ofsted reforms, declining school funding and now a pay recommendation that amounts to a real-terms pay cut.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), also said the government’s proposal would still leave teacher salaries lagging behind inflation and wider wage growth.

Whiteman added: “The 6.5% pay rise suggested for the next three years would be a real-terms pay cut if inflation and average earnings rise as predicted. “Salaries are still worth 16% less now than they were 15 years ago.”

He urged ministers to focus on reversing pay erosion and making teaching a “sustainable, long-term career” to attract and retain skilled professionals.