“We are pleased that the Education Secretary has set out an intention to announce the school teachers’ pay award at an earlier point than has been the case in recent years. The previous government’s practice of announcing this decision in July reduced budget planning to a guessing game and created uncertainty for teachers. Bringing it forward is a simple and welcome step.
“The pay award will need to be sufficient to address a severe shortage of teachers both in terms of recruitment and retention. It is vital that the government puts in place the funding that will be necessary to make this possible in the Autumn Budget on 30 October, and that this covers college staff as well as school staff.”