Nicky Morgan calls for teacher pay rises to be capped at one per cent
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has called for a further year of minimal salary increases. The recommendation was written in a letter directed to Dr Patricia Rice, chair of the School Teacher’s Review Body (STRB).
The letter states that there remains “a strong case for continued pay restraint in the public sector”. Ms Morgan has asked the STRB to consider whether teachers could "move down from the upper pay range to the main pay range" in order to allow schools more flexibility.
Teacher unions have warned that the plans expected to be carried out for 2016 will worsen the teacher recruitment crisis.
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The government has completely ignored the mounting evidence of teacher shortages in its remit to the STRB.
“We are already failing to meet our targets for recruiting new teachers. Retention is also in crisis, with more than half of teachers thinking of leaving teaching.
“The government’s response is to threaten more pay restraint, pegging pay increases at a maximum of one per cent and depriving many teachers of any pay rise at all.
“Unless the government changes course on teachers’ pay, it is going to make the teacher recruitment and retention crisis even worse.”
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “The government cannot continue to hold teachers' pay behind private sector pay and expect teaching to remain an attractive profession.”
Brian Lightman, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary said: “The key issue remains the recruitment crisis in teaching. Teachers’ and school leaders have taken successive pay cuts for a number of years now and it is vitally important that steps are taken to redress this.”
The STRB is due to make official recommendations regarding pay awards by the end of April 2016. The teacher unions must submit their responses to the recommendations by the end of November.
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