Unions angered by message from Education Secretary which puts more pressure on school finances
The Education Secretary has signalled that teacher pay rises next year will have to come from school budgets and will not be covered by government funding.
Gillian Keegan, who was appointed Secretary of State last month, said in a letter to the independent panel which will advise on teacher pay in 2023-24 that it should recognise the “impact pay rises will have on schools’ overall budgets”.
Teachers’ unions have reacted with anger over the language used in the letter after warning that schools are already struggling to cover five per cent pay rises for experienced teachers and nine per cent increases for new teachers this year from school budgets.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders said the Education Secretary’s letter “strongly suggests that the Government has no intention of providing any additional funding to enable schools to pay the award to their staff – just as it has failed to provide this vital funding for this year’s pay award.