Responding to the Government’s evidence to the School
Teachers’ Review Body on teachers’ pay for 2020, Liberal Democrat
education spokesperson said:
“The evidence published today reveals a catalogue of
problems in recruiting teachers, with targets missed time
and again. Meantime, one in five teachers are now leaving the job
within just two years while retention problems are clearly far
worse in more deprived schools, making it even harder for those
schools to improve.
“Tory Ministers should be offering a more generous pay package to
teachers to stem the tide. Instead, the 2.5% pay rise proposed
for our most experienced teachers is well below average wage
growth. Worse still, this Government are not offering schools the
extra money needed to cover the increase in teachers’ starting
salaries, meaning schools are being forced to pick up the tab,
despite already being underfunded.
“If wants to
show this his Government values teachers, he must put his money
where his mouth is. He should use the next budget to give
teachers a properly funded pay rise, plus the training and
support they deserve.”
ENDS.
Notes to Editors:
The Department for Education’s evidence to the School Teachers’
Review Body can be found here.
The STRB will present recommendations on teachers’ pay to the
Department later in the year for the Government to accept or
reject.
