NASUWT statement on teachers’ pay award

Commenting on the announcement from the Prime Minister that he has accepted the recommendation of the STRB for a 6.5% pay award for teachers and school leaders in England, Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“We welcome that our ballot of NASUWT members has now unlocked months of prevarication and brought the government back to the negotiating table.

“The Government has confirmed to us that it will deliver a 6.5% pay award from September to all teachers and school leaders and ensure that schools also receive an additional 3% funding uplift to their budgets in the form of a Teachers’ Pay Grant worth more than £1 billion to deliver the pay award.

“We have also reached agreement that delivers significantly more money for schools in addition to a package of financial support for schools in financial difficulty, worth an extra £40 million.

“We are confident that the additional funding for schools should enable every school and academy in the country to deliver the 6.5% award in full from this September.

“Because of the actions we have taken, NASUWT members can now expect more money in their pockets at a time when the financial pressures on them continue to bite.

“Whilst pay restoration remains a key priority for our members, we have also been clear to the Government that tackling workload and excessive working hours must also be a priority.

“We welcome that this offer is backed by a number of important commitments on tackling excessive workload and working hours, including a target to reduce teachers’ working hours by a minimum of five hours per week, a national taskforce to tackle workload, and measures to strengthen teachers’ working time rights and protections.

“The NASUWT National Executive has agreed to put this deal to our members with a recommendation to accept the STRB recommendation and we will now be consulting our members on it.”