Responding to the Chancellor’s speech this morning, Geoff Barton,
General Secretary of the Association of School and College
Leaders, said: “We are pleased to see that the Chancellor has
made education one of his priorities, but he now needs to deliver
on that promise.
“The erosion in the real value of teacher and leader pay over the
last decade has led to a recruitment and retention crisis that is
already damaging educational standards. The Chancellor spoke a
great deal about grounds for optimism. Teachers going on strike
next week and leaders managing the implications of this are
unlikely to share his sunny outlook.
“The extra funding for schools announced in the Autumn Statement
will largely be swallowed up by the high cost of energy bills,
leaving very little left over for any significant improvement to
pay. The Chancellor is right to say the UK has some of the very
best teachers in the world, but one third of them are leaving the
profession within five years for jobs with better pay and
conditions.
“The Chancellor is equally right to identify the importance of
children leaving school with basic skills in reading and maths,
and the role that technical qualifications play in equipping
people with the skills they need for future employment. But any
ambitions to improve education rely on schools having a qualified
teacher in every classroom, something that is becoming more and
more difficult to achieve. Providing the investment needed for a
significant pay rise for teachers that will begin to address the
recruitment and retention crisis must be the immediate priority.
“The Chancellor said that if companies cannot employ the staff
they need, they cannot grow. It is exactly the same for schools
and it is a damning indictment of the government that they are
unable to recognise this.”
