Commenting on the government’s announcement that it has accepted a recommendation of a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers, Jack Worth, School Workforce Lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), said:
“This is welcome news but very much the first step towards making teaching a more attractive profession to improve recruitment and retention.
“Concerns also remain over whether the 3.5% will be affordable for all schools. Different schools are in very different financial positions, and many have been hit hard by the cost-of-living squeeze, highlighted in a report we’re publishing this autumn.
“A long-term strategy is needed that increases teacher pay by more than the rate of pay growth in the wider economy and which sits alongside workload reduction, increased flexible working and better access to high-quality professional development.”