Commenting on the DfE’s submitted proposals to the School
Teachers’ Review Body, Kevin
Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the
National Education Union, said:
“The increases to starting pay represent long overdue
recognition that teacher training targets have been missed for
years, and that a significant number of those who qualify leave
teaching within five years. But those increases need to be
replicated across the teacher workforce. The 2.5% increase
proposed for September 2020 for experienced teachers is likely to
be barely at the level of RPI inflation according to the latest
forecasts. It will also fail to restore the value of
teacher pay in the graduate labour
market.
“The Government should know from teachers’ reaction to
previous differentiated pay increases that this announcement will
create widespread dismay. With teacher retention problems
worsening, this is a devastating message for experienced and
dedicated teachers.
“The Government’s approach will create new problems.
Starting pay needs to be increased significantly to attract new
recruits to teaching, but we need to stop the loss of experienced
teachers too. All teachers deserve a pay increase that will
make a significant start in restoring the real terms cuts to
their pay since 2010.
“Although the Government recognises that teacher workload
is through the roof, its efforts to combat it has made precious
little difference. This is because Ofsted and the accountability
culture continues to run rampant in England’s schools. This is
another contributing factor to the recruitment and retention
crisis. Many young teachers find their working conditions to be
untenable and leave as a result.
“As our own evidence argues (1), all teachers in England
need a 7% pay increase fully funded by the Government as the
start of a process of restoring the real-terms cuts to teacher
pay in England since 2010.”
Editor’s Note
(1) NEU
evidence to STRB: https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/strb-submission-2020
