Pay award 2025/26 England
The Government has accepted in full all of the recommendations of the STRB report, which includes a 4% pay increase from 1 September to all school teacher pay points and allowances in England.
The STRB report with recommendations for teacher pay in England in 2025/26 has been published, along with the Government’s proposals for implementation.
The NEU has taken part in a joint union response to the statutory consultation on the STRB report and the draft School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document for 2025/26. The response sets out the united view of the unions on the need for fully funded improvements to teacher pay and conditions. The separate NEU response covers more detailed pay and conditions issues.
Alongside the national response, we want to support reps in their schools. The publication of the draft STPCD earlier than in previous years provides a valuable opportunity to negotiate improved pay arrangements in their schools during the summer term, before the new STPCD comes into effect on 1 September.
Reps should focus on these four key asks during the pay implementation discussion with their school:
- The implementation of the 4% pay increase to all pay points and allowances, with confirmation of the pay increase early enough to ensure that it is paid in September and not delayed.
- Adoption of the pay scales recommended in the joint union advice – the 2025-26 version can be used in school discussions to show the endorsement of ASCL, NAHT and Community of key pay implementation asks, including the removal of PRP.
- Removal of performance-related pay (PRP) if this hasn’t happened already. (If the school has agreed to remove PRP, consultation should take place on putting arrangements in place to support the NEU’s call for automatic and annual pay progression.)
- Award of the full value of TLRs to part-time teachers undertaking the whole responsibility associated with the TLR.
This model letter can be used as part of a rep engagement with the school and can be customised as appropriate.
The draft STPCD also includes important updates on flexible working. We want to ensure that schools implement meaningful improvements on these issues, which have significant potential to improve the working lives of members, especially women.
We are working on updates to the NEU pay advice materials including the Pay Bargaining Toolkit but it remains valid and can be used to inform negotiations at school level. Reps are encouraged to press their schools on the core asks above and to share success stories.
STRB and teachers’ pay increase for 2025/26 – England
NEU has responded to the Government’s inadequate and underfunded 4% pay increase for teachers.
NEU and separate joint union written evidence on the 2025 teacher pay increase has been sent to the School Teachers’ Review Body.
The NEU evidence uses members' voices to show the STRB the reality in schools – the pay cuts, unfair pay outcomes, funding shortages, and sky-high workloads faced by teachers and school leaders every day. It sets out detailed evidence supporting the NEU’s call for a fully funded, and above-inflation pay correction and effective action to cut sky-high workload. These actions are essential to repair the damage caused by pay cuts and excessive workload and to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis. The NEU evidence also highlights major concerns about the unfairness of the current pay structure.
The joint union evidence to the STRB underlines the consensus in the profession on the action needed including key objectives such as the pay correction, workload improvements and the mandatory removal of performance-related pay.
The NEU’s supplementary evidence to the STRB responds to the Government’s inadequate and unfunded proposed 2.8% pay increase for teachers. We also set out the workload problems and the urgent need for an increase in flexible working. We call for the Government to get serious about pay, repair the damage done by years of pay cuts and provide the additional investment needed to recruit, retain and properly value teachers. We have also sent the full report of the latest NEU Teachers’ Pay and Progression Survey to the STRB. With responses from some 24,000 members, the NEU survey highlights the huge problems members face on issues like pay progression, TLRs and access to flexible working – as well as the major pay equality issues and the impact of pay cuts and PRP.
