Commenting on an analysis of teachers’ pay published by the
Taxpayers’ Alliance, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Even by the Taxpayers’ Alliance’s standards this is complete
nonsense. The independent School Teachers’ Review Body has
recognised that the level of pay is adversely affecting teacher
recruitment and retention, and average starting and
profession-wide salaries are considerably lower in teaching than
in other graduate professions. Since 2010, successive governments
have subjected teachers to continuous pay freezes and pay caps,
cutting their pay by 15% in real terms - despite rising earnings
elsewhere in the economy. Analysis of Government figures by the
in September 2017 found that
teachers were more than £5,000 a year worse off than in 2010 due
to the public sector pay squeeze.
“The Taxpayers’ Alliance dismissal of support staff as an
unnecessary cost to schools is not just inaccurate but offensive.
The National Education Union strongly believes that support staff
are an essential part of the school workforce and have a tangible
impact on the outcomes of all learners. Schools are already
having to make staff redundant or not replacing them to balance
the books. Surely in 2018 we do not think that this is what our
children and young people deserve – an education system run on a
shoestring and skeleton staff.
“The real problem is schools simply do not have sufficient funds
to run an effective education system. The sooner people get their
heads out of the sand and accept this, the better. To ensure the
best outcomes for our children and young people, we need a fully
funded education system that can afford to pay its teachers and
support staff a decent wage.”
