Government delivers landmark rises to teachers’ salaries

• Teacher starting salaries to see 8.9% uplift in September this year, reaching £28,000
• Experienced teachers to get 5% pay award in 2022/23, the highest in 30 years
• Independent pay review body recommendations met in full for next academic year

Teachers across the country will benefit from pay increases of between 5% and 8.9% from September, as the government has today (Tuesday 19 July) fully accepted pay recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for the next academic year.

The starting salary for teachers outside London will rise by 8.9%, with salaries reaching £28,000 in the 2022/23 academic year. This means that the Government is making good progress towards meeting its manifesto commitment for new teacher pay to rise to £30,000 and from September a new teacher will receive over £2,000 more than this year.

The competitive new starting salary will help attract top quality talent and further raise the status of the teaching profession.

Those in the early stages of their careers will also benefit from significant increases, ranging from 5% to 8% depending on experience.

Pay for experienced teachers who have been in the profession for more than five years will rise by 5% in the next academic year – an increase on the Government’s initial proposal of 3%, in recognition of the broader economic context and the STRB’s recommendations.

The rise is equivalent to an increase of almost £2,100 on the average salary of £42,400 this year.

Education Secretary James Cleverly said:

“Teachers are the fabric of our school system and it is their dedication and skill that ensures young people can leave school with the knowledge and opportunities they need to get on in life.

“We are delivering significant pay increases for all teachers despite the present economic challenges, pushing teacher starting salaries up towards the £30,000 milestone and giving experienced teachers the biggest pay rise in a generation. This will attract even more top-quality talent to inspire children and young people and reward teachers for their hard work.”

Today’s pay award – alongside the suite of high quality, free to access training courses available to teachers – is part of the Government’s drive to make sure there is an excellent teacher in every classroom across the country, helping ensure that wherever a child lives they have the quality of education and the opportunities they deserve.

The government is targeting early career teacher pay with the highest percentage uplifts as this is where salaries can most effectively support recruitment and retention. Those in the first five years of their careers will see pay rises of between 5% and 8.9%, supporting teachers on the lowest incomes where the cost of living pressures are felt most.

Pay awards this year strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer and managing the broader economic context. The 5% pay rise for experienced teachers is intended as a responsible solution to both supporting teachers with the cost of living and the sound management of schools’ budgets. By contrast, double digit pay awards for public sector workers would lead to sustained higher levels of inflation. This would have a far bigger impact on people’s real incomes in the long run than the proportionate and balanced pay increases recommended by the independent Pay Review Bodies now.

The Government has decided it is appropriate to confirm teachers’ salaries for the next academic year only, rather than the two years initially proposed, and return to the usual timeframe for the pay setting process for 2023/24.

Academies, as usual, have the freedom to set their own pay policies.

The pay uplifts come alongside provisional school funding figures released today for the 2023/24 financial year, in which the core schools budget is set to receive a £1.5 billion boost. This extra money builds on this year’s increase of £4 billion, which schools are already benefitting from. It means that in the 2023-24 financial year, primary school pupils will attract £5,023 on average  and secondary school pupils will attract £6,473 on average.

Taken together with the funding increases seen this year, funding through the schools NFF will be 7.9% higher per pupil in 2023-24, compared to 2021-22.

Notes to editors

• In the 2021/22 academic year, the average teacher starting salary was £25,714 in England excluding London, rising to £32,157 in Inner London. Following the pay uplifts set out today, in 2022/23 these will rise to £28,000 in England excluding London and £34,502 in Inner London.
• The average teacher salary is £42,360 (£560 higher than 2020).
• The regional breakdown of today’s announcement of the schools national funding formula (NFF) provisional allocations for 2023-24 is below. You can find further breakdowns of figures at school level at: National funding formula tables for schools and high needs: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• The below figures are provisional allocations through the 2023-24 schools NFF based on current pupil numbers and do not include growth funding. Allocations will be updated in December to give final figures.

• School funding is allocated via the National Funding Formula (NFF), which distributes cash fairly based on the needs of schools and their pupils. In the next financial year, the NFF will target 9.8%, over £4 billon, of school funding at deprived pupils – a greater proportion than ever before. This will help schools in their crucial work to close attainment gaps and level up educational opportunities.
• Northern regions (the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber) are attracting above average increases per pupil through the schools NFF.
• High needs funding, for children and young people with complex needs, is increasing in the next financial year by 6.3%.