“There has been a decline in teachers’ real-term pay for more than a decade, and during this time staff shortages have reached crisis point. Our evidence clearly demonstrates that, in order to address this, there is an overwhelming need for a significant, above inflation pay increase for all teachers and school leaders. On top of this, there must also be a longer-term plan to restore the real-terms value of staff pay, which has been severely eroded since 2010, and ensure that annual uplifts at least keep pace with inflation. 
 
“To ensure that business leaders are not disadvantaged, the scope of the STRB and the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Documents must be broadened to include those working in these vital roles. It’s also crucial that sufficient funding is provided to ensure that all schools can afford to implement these necessary corrections to staff pay. 
 
“Our evidence also highlights the major issues relating to recruitment and retention of teachers and school leaders. Far more needs to be done to make teaching an attractive profession. Ensuring pay is comparative with other graduate professions is a big part of the solution, but work must also be done to address longstanding concerns around workload and wellbeing.”
 
You can see ASCL’s full submission to the STRB here.