England’s Department for Education has confirmed a pay increase for teachers totaling 6.6% over two years, comprising a 3.5% raise effective from September and an additional 3% the following year. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced the government would accept recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body, which proposed a higher award than the government’s initial proposal of 6.5% spread across three years.
The government will allocate an additional £1.8bn in funding to state schools over the two-year period to support the wage increases. However, education unions raised concerns that schools would need to cover approximately one-third of the additional costs from their existing budgets. The National Education Union calculated this shortfall at £460m, equivalent to eliminating positions for thousands of school staff members. The NEU indicated it was considering industrial action options, having previously voted to pursue a strike ballot in autumn if a fully funded, above-inflation pay award was not guaranteed.
Support staff will receive a backdated 3.3% pay increase beginning in April. The Department for Education noted that teachers will have received a cumulative 17% pay increase since the most recent election cycle, with average teacher salaries projected to exceed £52,800 from September and rise further to more than £54,400 in the subsequent year. The government also allocated an additional £485m to colleges and further education providers over two years to support staff retention.
Separately, the DfE implemented new restrictions on academy executive compensation, establishing a cap of £174,000 with government approval required for higher salaries. The Confederation of School Trusts objected to this measure, arguing it would create delays in leadership recruitment and diminish organizational autonomy in staffing decisions.
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