, Cabinet Secretary for
Education : I am pleased to publish today the sixth
report of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB), which
makes a recommendation for teachers' salaries and allowances from
September 2025. I would like to thank the IWPRB for producing the
report. The remit for this year was in two parts so after
completing their work in relation to pay, I asked the IWPRB to
consider leaders conditions of service and I look forward to
receiving their report on that part of the remit later in the
year.
https://www.gov.wales/independent-welsh-pay-review-body-sixth-report-2025
(Due to the compressed timeframe this year, the Welsh
report will be available as soon as possible, no later than 24
June).
In the Welsh Government's evidence to the IWPRB, we outlined the
challenging financial context faced by the Welsh Government,
local authorities and schools. We also outlined the need to be
mindful of affordability, while providing suitable reward for
existing practitioners and ensuring that teaching in Wales
continues to attract high-quality new entrants.
The IWRPB report recommends that all salaries and allowances be
increased by 4.8% from September 2025, citing the importance of
recruitment and retention.
Local authorities and unions representing the education workforce
were unanimous in their evidence to the IWPRB, and have told me
directly, about the importance of any teachers' pay award being
fully funded. I am very mindful of the possible impact that
unfunded pay rises could have on teacher numbers and workload.
In recognition of the importance of providing full and
sustainable funding for teachers' pay, I am therefore consulting
on increasing all salaries and allowances by 4% from September
2025. While this is below this year's IWPRB recommendation, in
2024/25 I was able to make a pay award of 5.5% - significantly
higher than the IWPRB recommendation of 4.3%. What I am proposing
therefore equates to around a 9.7% pay award over 2024/25 and
2025/26, compared to the approximately 9.3% total recommended by
the IWPRB over those two years.
For the Welsh Government to dedicate the resources necessary to
fund the recommended pay award, it would require significant
funds being redirected from other areas of Government spending
such as school budgets, in addition to the funding recently
announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
to support devolved public sector employers with the cost of
increased National Insurance Contributions.
In their report, the IWPRB request that the Welsh Government
commits to a timeline for implementation of the outstanding
recommendations from the IWPRB Strategic Review of the
Structure of Teachers' and Leaders' Pay and Conditions in
Wales. I remain grateful to all those involved in the review
and the recommendations it produced.
While I was able to accept the recommendations in principle, I
was very clear at the time this was subject to discussions with
stakeholders and implementation being cost neutral or agreed with
stakeholders that costs could be met from existing local
authority or school budgets. This has understandably been
challenging for all those involved. However, some recommendations
have already been implemented and, together with employers and
unions through the Pay Partnership Form, we have been able to
undertake a prioritisation exercise to identify the most
impactful recommendations to begin to progress.
We will now be working to deliver these most pressing
recommendations, subject to funding considerations and working
through implementation requirements with partners.
One area of priority is continuing progress on moving ALN
Coordinators (ALNCos) to the leadership pay scale, as recommended
in the IWPRB's fifth report
(recommendations 4 and 5). These recommendations are vital to
recognise and reward the important role ALNCos play in our
education system. This is why I am also today consulting on
changes to the STPC(W)D to bring these changes into effect.
I am also committing to progressing the IWPRB strategic review
recommendations to move towards a single pay scale for
teachers (recommendations 1 and 3). I am therefore also
consulting on changes to the STPC(W)D which remove the
application process for moving from the main pay scale to the
upper pay scale from September 2025, whilst we work with partners
to consider options for the development and structure of a single
consolidated pay scale.
Continuing to work together, through our social partnership
approach, to reward and recognise the excellent work that
teachers do here in Wales is how we will continue to make
improvements for our education workforce. I will now be inviting
written comments from key stakeholders by 8 July on my response
to the IWPRB's sixth report and the proposed changes to the
STPC(W)D. I will consider all responses to the consultation
before making my final decision.
