Commenting in response to the Government’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body, where they have said teacher pay should rise by 6.5 per cent over the next three years, Jack Worth, Education Workforce Lead at NFER, said:
“The DfE's teacher pay proposal of 6.5 per cent over three years is the same as the Office for Budget Responsibility's current forecast for average earnings growth, suggesting that it would act to maintain pay competitiveness at its current level. While it could help contain the cost pressures facing stretched school budgets, it would be very unlikely to contribute to improving teacher recruitment and retention.
“With significant cuts to some bursaries, it is vitally important that the Government lays out exactly what measures it does plan to implement to meet its 6,500 teacher target.”