, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary,
responding to the Government confirming a real terms pay cut for
the majority of teaching staff, said:
“A real terms pay cut for the vast majority of teachers is an
insult after the heroic work they have done to keep children safe
and learning throughout the pandemic.
“After the work they have done in the last year teachers and
school leaders deserve a government that is on their side, but
instead the Conservatives are leaving them worse off and breaking
a manifesto promise to raise starting salaries.”
Responding to the publication of a written statement by the
Secretary of State for Education today, announcing the
recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), and
confirming a pay freeze for school leaders and teachers,
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, the largest
union for school leaders, said:
“School leaders and teachers will be rightly angry that the
government’s pay freeze will deliver yet another a 3-4% real
terms pay cut next year, based on the Treasury’s own predictions
of inflation.
“The teaching profession has long struggled to recruit and retain
school leaders – NAHT’s survey evidence shows that the leadership
pipeline is broken at all career stages. Too few experienced
teachers want to step up to senior leadership positions and even
fewer can be persuaded to take on the heavy responsibilities of a
head teacher.
“The pandemic is creating even greater recruitment and retention
challenges. Those considering leadership roles have seen the
pressures created by the government’s chaotic response to the
pandemic, and its late, confusing and contradictory guidance.
They have seen how leaders have worked literally without a break
since March 2020, organising a move from onsite to remote
learning within in a matter of days, operating complex
arrangements for blended onsite and remote learning, navigating
the extraordinary circumstances facing public examinations, and
operating track and trace through their holidays.
“This pay cut risks further eroding leadership supply, and risks
prompting an exodus of leaders when the pandemic finally lifts. A
slap in the face doesn’t begin to describe it.”
Commenting on the statement made by the Secretary of State for
Education in response
to the latest School Teachers’ Review Body’s Report, Dr
Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT – The Teachers’
Union, said:
“Teachers in England will be right to be angry and demoralised
that the Government’s pay freeze will result in their pay falling
further behind the salaries of teachers in other parts of the UK
and continue the real terms erosion to teachers’ pay in the last
decade.
“Teachers have stepped up to educate and support children and
young people and they will be utterly dismayed that their efforts
are valued so cheaply by the Government.
“The Education Secretary has failed to deliver on the investment
needed to deliver education recovery for pupils and he now risks
a renewed teacher retention crisis in our schools that will
further hamper efforts to secure the recovery that children and
young people deserve.
“The Government’s claims of levelling up and valuing teachers
have been callously exposed.
“Teachers deserve better.
“Once again, the Government has demonstrated its utter contempt
for the teaching profession by failing properly to reward
teachers and by deliberately choosing to delay the release of the
Pay Review Body report until the vast majority of schools have
closed for summer break.”
