Over half of schools opt to not increase teachers pay by two per cent

Over half of schools have opted to not offer the best performing teachers a pay rise of two per cent, a survey has found.

The survey, conducted by law firm Winckworth Sherwood, found that 52 per cent of schools had not taken the opportunity to offer larger pay rises to the best performing teachers, instead continuing to offer a pay rise of just one per cent.

Extra flexibility was introduced by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan in September 2015 which allowed head teachers the freedom to give larger pay rises to the best or most experienced teaching staff.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), says that the new freedoms didn’t come with additional funding, meaning that most schools do not have the money to offer the larger pay rises.

This view was echoed by James Lynas, an employment partner at Winckworth Sherwood, who said: “It’s clear that even though the restrictions have been loosened, most schools don’t feel able to foot the bill for additional pay.”