Commenting on the Secretary of State's remit letter to the STRB on teacher pay and conditions in England published today, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“At a time when we desperately need the Government to step up and deliver the properly funded education system our children and young people deserve, the narrowness of the new STRB remit is shocking. Teachers have lost around a fifth of the value of their pay in real terms against RPI inflation since 2010 and inflation is on an upward trajectory - but the STRB remit does not include a review mechanism on the proposed 3 per cent pay increase for September 2027.
“Unfair blocks to pay progression, often due to school funding issues, remain in place and drive experienced teachers out of the profession. Yet there is nothing in the remit about the fair, mandatory and transparent national teacher pay structure needed to support recruitment and retention.
“Teachers in the UK continue to work more intensively and for longer hours than any other profession - but there is nothing in the remit to tackle workload.
“Attacks on teacher pay and sky-high workload have contributed to teacher shortages which cause huge damage to our education service. Our schools have been starved of funding for a sustained period. The new STRB remit completely ignores these key issues. Teachers need to be properly valued, and schools properly funded, to save education.