Teachers pay rises to remain capped at one per cent

The government has accepted a recommendation from the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) that pay rises for most teachers will rise by one per cent for 2017/18.

The one per cent pay rise for teachers is in line with the government’s cap on public sector pay rises, which many had hoped would be scrapped.

The one per cent rise will apply to teachers on the upper pay range, unqualified teachers and leading practitioners, along with headteachers and other leaders.

The government has also accepted recommendations from the STRB that teachers at the bottom of the main pay scale will now receive an automatic two per cent increase, but this would only apply to just a small proportion of teachers.

A Department of Education spokesperson said: “We recognise and value the hard work of teachers which is why we have accepted the pay deal proposed by the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, in line with the 1 per cent public sector pay policy.

“This will ensure we continue to strike the balance between being fair to public sector workers and fair to taxpayers.

“This deal also allows headteachers to give some teachers up to a two per cent pay uplift – alongside generous training bursaries and competitive starting salaries.”