The life-changing contribution of teachers is to be celebrated
with a new campaign to align with UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day.
Education Secretary is encouraging teachers,
heads and school leaders to take part in the day’s celebrations
by posting their own videos across social media about why they
are #ProudToTeach.
World Teachers’ Day, to be held on Saturday 5 October, provides
an occasion to take stock of teachers’ achievements, with this
year’s theme focusing on ‘Young Teachers: The future of the
Profession’.
Education Secretary said:
Teachers here in England, and around the world, have a truly
life-changing impact on their students, acting as inspirational
educators, role-models and mentors.
I will always have fond memories of the teachers who guided and
encouraged me through my school life, and today I want to
celebrate the same role that all teachers have in young
people’s lives. And I want all those at the front of our
classrooms, inspiring our young people, to feel valued in the
profession and to use today’s celebration to mark the variety
of reasons they are proud to teach.
Minister Gibb today met Peter Tabichi, winner of the Global
Teacher Prize 2019. He donates 80% of his monthly income to help
pupils from poor families in the Kenyan village where he works.
In the next academic year, school teachers and leaders are set to
receive an above inflation pay rise, after the Education
Secretary accepted all the recommendations from the independent
School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), to raise the upper and lower
boundaries of all pay ranges by 2.75 per cent.
The increase in pay will be supported by an additional £105
million to be paid through the teachers’ pay grant, on top of the
£321 million already committed for the 2019-20 financial year,
and is equivalent to a £1,000 increase to average classroom
teacher pay and a £1,620 increase in the average pay of school
leaders.
Teachers’ starting salaries are also set to rise to £30,000 by
2022-23, under government plans for the biggest reform to teacher
pay in a generation.
The move would make starting salaries for teachers among the most
competitive in the graduate labour market, building on the
above-inflation average pay increases for teachers in the last
two years.
The Teacher’s Pension Scheme is also one of the most generous on
offer. From September, the government will be fully funding
increased contributions into the scheme, so that school leaders
can focus as much of their resources as possible on the front
line. It means teachers will get an employer contribution of
23.6% on top their salary towards their pension every year to
ensure the scheme is fully funded.
Teachers can get involved with the campaign by posting videos to
social media with the reasons they are #ProudToTeach.
