(The
Secretary of State for Education): The 30th report of the School
Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is being published today. Its
recommendations cover the remit issued in September 2019. The
report contains recommendations on the pay award for teachers
that is due to be implemented from September 2020.
The STRB has recommended a 5.5% uplift to the minima of the main
pay range and a 2.75% uplift to the maxima of the main pay range
and the minima and maxima of all other pay ranges and allowances
in the national pay framework. These recommendations are
equivalent to a 3.1% increase in the overall paybill.
The STRB has also recommended advisory pay points on the Main Pay
Range and Upper Pay Range.
I am pleased to confirm my proposed response is to accept these
recommendations in full.
This teachers’ pay award – the largest since 2005 – helps to
recognise the extraordinary efforts of our teacher and leaders.
It provides for a substantial above-inflation increase to the pay
ranges for all teachers and leaders.
For example, for an experienced teacher at the top of the upper
pay range this pay award could mean an increase of between £1,114
and £1,364, depending on location. Furthermore, this pay award is
the continuation of several years of substantial pay awards -
last year all pay ranges were uplifted by 2.75% and in 2018
uplifts to pay ranges averaged at 2.4%.
Furthermore, this Government made a commitment to increase
starting salaries nationally for teachers to £30,000 by 2022/23.
This pay award takes the first step to delivering this
commitment, with a 5.5% increase to starting salaries worth
between £1,341 and £1,677 depending on location. This will mean
that starting salaries for new teachers will be between £25,714
and £32,157 depending on location in the 2020-21 academic year.
These substantial increases to teacher starting pay will help
ensure teaching is rightly regarded as a well-rewarded and
prestigious profession, enabling us to attract the most able
graduates and career changers into teaching to support improved
outcomes for pupils.
This pay award also takes a decisive step towards a pay structure
which better supports teacher retention, with large increases to
early career pay where we know retention is most challenging.
Alongside other crucial reforms such as the Early Career
Framework and new National Professional Qualifications, this pay
award will help to ensure we are retaining great teachers through
the crucial early career phase.
Finally, this pay award will be affordable, on average,
nationally for schools thanks to this Government's three-year
investment package announced at the 2019 Spending Round. We are
increasing core schools funding by £2.6 billion this year, £4.8
billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to
2019-20. As previously set out, from 2021-22 the funding schools
currently receive through the teachers’ pay and pension grants
will be part of schools' core funding allocations, as determined
by the schools national funding formula, and there will be no
increase to these grants in respect of this year’s pay award.
A full list of the recommendations and my proposed approach for
all pay and allowance ranges is attached as an annex.
My officials will write to all of the statutory consultees of the
STRB to invite them to contribute to a consultation on the
Government’s response to these recommendations and on a revised
School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and Pay Order. The
consultation will last for eight weeks.
