Teachers' pay award 2023 - England
In England, the Government published the 2023 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) in mid-October. The pay figures in the STPCD reflect the 6.5% pay increase to all pay points and allowances, with slightly higher increases for M1 outside of London, and all increases backdated to 1 September 2023. NEU members’ strike action forced the Government to improve its 2023-24 pay offer to teachers by 3 per cent, to 6.5 per cent, and to commit an extra £900 million to properly fund the teacher pay offer and protect support staff jobs.
New joint union pay advice is now available, alongside a model letter for reps on securing pay increase.
Teachers' pay award 2023 - Wales
The Welsh Government originally published the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document (STPC(W)D) in mid-November. Since then, and as a result of the NEU pay campaign, an improved pay offer has been received which sees an increase in consolidated pay to 6.5% with effect from September 2022 and an additional 1.5% non-consolidated lump sum payment. With RPI inflation at 12.6% in September 2022, the 6.5% increase for all pay points plus 1.5% lump sum still represents another real terms cut in pay.
However, the NEU has also secured confirmation from the Minister for Education and Welsh Language that if teachers in England subsequently receive a higher award than that presented to teachers in Wales, the principle of no-detriment will be applied to ensure that teachers pay in Wales is automatically uplifted to the same level.
- The Welsh Government letter to Local Authorities setting out the new pay scales is available in English and Welsh.
- The revised STPCD (Wales) document is available in English and Welsh.
- The Minister for Education and Welsh Language's statement is available in English and Welsh.
In addition to the above, the NEU pay campaign in Wales has also secured an improved pay award with effect from September 2023 which will now see an award of 5% up from the previously recommended 3.5%.
NEU evidence and joint union statement to the STRB 2024
The NEU has sent written evidence to the STRB calling for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise that constitutes a meaningful step towards a long-term correction in pay and significant improvements in workload. The NEU evidence sets out the overwhelming evidence in support of our call for urgent improvements to teacher pay and conditions to repair the damage to teacher pay and address the recruitment and retention crisis. Members’ experiences and voices are included in the NEU evidence.
As part of our written evidence, we have sent a report from the latest NEU Pay and Progression Survey to the STRB. With responses from almost 24,000 members, the findings of the survey highlight the major pay equalities issues with unfair pay outcomes across the pay system and show that four-fifths of respondents have considered leaving teaching due to low pay or concerns about pay progression. Four-fifths of respondents said they were underpaid given their job role, responsibilities, and workload.
A joint union statement from the NEU, ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and Community has also been sent to the STRB setting out the united position of the unions on the key issues facing teachers and school leaders. The joint statement set out clearly isolation of the Government and its refusal to acknowledge the reality of crisis in our education service.
The NEU has also submitted supplementary evidence to the STRB with a detailed rebuttal of the Government’s evidence to the STRB.
