On 29th July, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves gave a statement to parliament on the state of the public finances. As part of this announcement, she provided an update on the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) recommendations for teachers pay in England for 2024-25. This was then followed by a written statement to parliament by the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson providing further detail.
This article explains all about the Teacher Pay Rise 2024 and what it means for you and your school.
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What is the STRB and what have they recommended?
The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) plays a crucial role in determining teacher pay in England. It is an independent body that advises the government on matters related to the pay, allowances, and conditions of employment for school teachers and leaders. The STRB’s recommendations are based on a comprehensive review of various factors, including the state of the economy, the government’s policies on public sector pay, and the need to recruit, retain, and motivate teachers. These recommendations are not binding. After considering the STRB’s advice, the government decides on pay levels, which are then implemented across schools.
The STRB recommendations were published by the government on 29th July and recommend a 5.5% pay rise for teachers in England. This matches increases in earnings of the private sector jobs (meaning the whole economy, not the independent school sector).
Why was this not announced earlier before the end of the school year?
The STRB gave their recommendations to the previous government and Secretary of State for Education (Gillian Keegan) in May but the government chose not to publish the recommendations prior to the General Election. This was considered by many to be a political decision and delayed the process of a decision being made on the awards. The new government was only made aware of the recommendations once they assumed office in early July. Bridge Phillipson the new Secretary of State announced that she would seek to act on these recommendations as a matter of urgency but they would be considered as part of the overall evaluation of the state of the public finances by the Chancellor.
Is the teacher pay rise fully funded?
The issue of how pay rises are funded and whether they count as fully funded always causes debate.
On the one hand, the government says that the pay award is to be “fully funded at the national level”, with the government allocating nearly £1.1 billion in additional funding to schools through the Core Schools Budget Grant.
However, it is understood that some of the funding for the pay award will need to be met by the ‘budget headroom’ which the DfE analysed that mainstream schools could afford in 2024-25. This amounts to 1.2% of the pay award.
So in simple terms, the new pay award is not fully funded with new money. However, of the 5.5% pay rise, 4.3% will come from new money.
However, this is likely to be more than schools were expecting (in a positive way). As part of their budgeting process, schools will have budgeted to account for at least the 1.2% headroom announced and in many cases significantly more than that. They may find that they are now in a better position than they expected when those budgets were first put in place.
The Chancellor did announce that whilst some new money would be allocated to departments for the public sector pay rises, departments would have to find some savings internally. We will therefore see some cuts to some Department for Education spending on other projects. One to already get the chop is the previous government’s plans for the Advanced British Standard to replace A-Levels.
We also now know that VAT on private school fees will be brought in earlier than expected in January 2025 rather than September 2025 as most in the sector expected.
Will my school have to make cuts?
Given that the majority of the pay rise will be funded and the remainder likely to have been budgeted for already, this announcement is unlikely to put any further cost pressures on schools.
However, this will not apply to all schools due to complex funding and staffing arrangements. For example, SEND schools are more likely to face cost pressures from pay rises to staff due to their higher staff to pupil ratios. It should also be noted that there are still other cost pressures being experienced in schools that have meant school leaders having to make tough decisions on spending.
Does the teacher pay rise apply to all schools and academies in England?
No. Academies are free to set their own pay scales. Whilst more schools are academies than part of local authorities, most academies use the national pay scales as a basis for their own pay scales.
It is therefore likely that for most teachers working in academies, they too will see their pay rise by 5.5%.
How much more will I be paid and when will I see it in my pay packet?
We have created a helpful pay calculator here which allows you to see how much more you should be paid from September onwards.
Whilst the announcement has been made now, teachers may not see it in their pay packet until October. This is because the government will consult with the statutory consultees (unions and local authority employers) of the STRB to discuss this pay award as well as some of the other changes announced today (see below).
What other changes were announced?
The government also confirmed that they would be continuing with the recommendation made by the last STRB report to remove performance related pay and they have published new guidance on appraisals and capability procedures too. They have also indicated that changes will be made to the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) including clarifications on PPA time which will recommend that schools grant further flexibility in allowing teachers to take this at home. This will be a bigger change for secondary teachers as Teacher Tapp polling showed in February earlier this year.
What have the unions said? Is there likely to be more industrial action this year?
Whilst the 5.5% doesn’t match the double digit increase that unions were calling for earlier in the year, the announcement has been positively received by the NEU, NASUWT, ASCL and NAHT.
It is worth noting the wider context of the award as NHS workers were also awarded a 5.5% pay rise. Junior doctors who are on different pay structure, were awarded a 22% pay rise over two years. They have taken considerably more industrial action than teachers (29 days over 15 months) compared to the 8 days of action by the NEU last year. Some NEU members may make the case that further action is needed to achieve similar double digit rises.
The NEU will put this offer to their members in a snap poll in September but it would appear that any further industrial action for this academic year is unlikely.
What if I have other questions?
If you want to know more about how this may affect you or your school, get in touch. Our expert team at Edapt supports our subscribers with a wide range of education related queries and questions as well as providing expert legal support and guidance for serious allegations, disciplinary issues and grievances. Find out more about how Edapt provides an alternative for school staff who want support and protection but without the wider campaigning and union activity that comes with a teaching union membership.