Academy trust increases pay to two per cent

Astrea Academy Trust has given its teachers a two per cent pay rise, despite only a national government increase of one percent, Tes has reported.

Astrea Academy Trust, formerly known as Reach4, has 16 schools in Yorkshire, and recently launched a second hub in the east of England.

The ability to fund the pay rise has come as the size of the trust allowed the trust to make big enough savings.

The news comes after education secretary Justine Greening announced that the government would keep the one per cent pay cap for teachers, excluding a small proportion who would receive two percent.

Libby Nicholas, chief executive of Astrea Academy Trust, told Tes: “Our teachers are such a valuable asset – they work tirelessly to deliver an education that inspires beyond measure.

“We appreciate that public spending is extremely challenging right now, but we have decided to top up the national pay increase of one per cent, doubling it to two per cent for all teaching staff.”

Nicholas continued: “This is quite explicitly about signalling our respect to the profession and how much we value their work.”