Unions warn of ‘unsustainable pressure’ amid DfE pay proposals 

NASUWT, NEU, NAHT, ASCL and Community have jointly warned that the government’s proposed pay award for teachers will place “unsustainable” pressure on schools. It comes as ministers have recommended a 6.5% pay uplift spread over three years, weighted towards later years.

The DfE proposal confirms schools will be expected to part-fund future pay awards “despite widespread pressure on school budgets”. The 2025/26 pay award for teachers has not been fully funded by the Government and this proposal will “pile enormous additional pressure on schools”.

The unions said the move will “hit morale, damage recruitment and retention, put unsustainable pressure on school budgets and lead to cuts and redundancies”.

In a letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson, the unions said the proposals amount to a real-terms pay cut unless inflation falls sharply and doesn’t address the thousands of pounds in pay lost by teachers since 2010 due to sustained pay cuts under the previous Government.

The joint letter calls on the Government to revise its STRB submission to:

• Deliver fully funded, above-inflation pay awards in each year of this Parliament
• Restore the real-terms value of teacher pay
• Recognise that investment in teachers is essential to achieving ministers’ education priorities

Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “Teachers have already suffered over a decade of real-terms pay cuts. These proposals fail to repair that damage and will only exacerbate the recruitment and retention crisis in our schools.

“It is unacceptable to ask schools to fund pay awards from budgets that are already stretched to breaking point. If ministers are serious about raising attainment and improving the life chances of children, they must invest in the dedicated workforce that delivers them.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary, National Education Union, said: “Yet again the Government has created anxiety amongst the profession by putting forward evidence that suggests a below inflation pay award that is to be funded out of existing budgets. We expected better from Labour.

“The years of pay cuts since 2010 have already caused severe recruitment and retention problems and hit teacher living standards hard.  Further pay cuts will make things even worse.  Fully funded, significantly above inflation pay rises are essential to properly value, recruit and retain the teachers we need.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools are still grappling with the consequences of below-inflation pay rises under the last government which have really harmed their ability to ensure all pupils have the teachers and leaders they deserve.

“Further real-terms cuts would be a recipe for exacerbating the difficulties they face and now is not the time for the government to retreat from the welcome progress it has made in beginning to restore pay and the attractiveness of teaching as a long-term career.”

He added: “Combined with a failure to fund even the disappointing increase being proposed, this would be an unwelcome double whammy for schools, many of which are already struggling to make budgets add up.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “The DfE’s proposals are very disappointing and the government needs to reconsider. Any pay awards that are not fully funded will necessitate schools making cuts to provision, as finances are already so strained. 

“The proposed three-year pay award fails to address historic pay erosion and will do nothing to ease the severe teacher shortages in schools and colleges. The government has to understand that if they are demanding more from our workforce, be that for enrichment, extra-curricular activities, or attracting the new recruits that are necessary to deliver the aspirations of a wider curriculum offer, then this all needs properly funding.”