Greening argues the case to keep teacher pay rises capped at 1 per cent

Despite concerns of a school recruitment crisis, the education secretary has made the case for keeping teachers’ pay rises capped at an average of 1 per cent next year.

Justine Greening said there remains a “strong case for continued pay restraint in the public sector.”

The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) last year said a pay rise higher than 1 per cent will be needed to ensure the teacher pay framework remains competitive. It highlighted workload, a decline in earnings and the temptation of more rewarding career opportunities elsewhere as concerns for the profession.

But in a letter to the STRB, Greening called for pay to be capped again at 1 per cent in 2017/18. She said there should not be an expectation that all teachers will get a one per cent rise, but instead schools will be able to choose which staff get rises, which could be based on performance.