Teachers in England will receive pay rises that are expected to outpace inflation over the next two years, after the UK government accepted recommendations from an independent review body.The move, however, has failed to satisfy the country’s largest teaching union, which is weighing strike action over concerns that schools will have to absorb part of the cost.Pay rise to take effect from SeptemberThe Department for Education (DfE) announced on Wednesday that teachers and school leaders will receive a 3.5 per cent pay increase from September 2026, followed by a 3 per cent rise from September 2027, news agency Reuters reported.According to the government, the latest settlement means teachers’ salaries will have increased by around 17 per cent since the Labour government came to power in 2024.The increases are currently above the UK’s annual inflation rate, which stood at 2.8 per cent in May, although economists expect inflation to edge higher in the coming months.£1.8 billion support package for schoolsTo help implement the pay awards, the government said it would provide £1.8 billion in additional funding to schools over the next two years. However, schools will be expected to finance the first 1 per cent of each pay award from their existing budgets.The DfE also announced an additional £485 million over two years for colleges and further education providers, aimed at supporting staff recruitment and retention as well as course delivery.Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the multi-year agreement would provide greater certainty for schools and colleges while recognising teachers’ contribution.“Our brilliant school and college teachers go above and beyond every day, and I’m determined that dedication is not just recognised, but rewarded,” she said.Government tightens rules on academy executive payAlongside the pay package, ministers unveiled new restrictions on salaries for senior leaders of academy trusts.From September, academy trusts will need government approval before advertising roles paying more than £174,000 annually. Executives will also be prevented from receiving pay increases that exceed those awarded to classroom teachers.Phillipson said the changes would ensure that teachers were not seeing executive pay rise faster than their own and would help direct more resources into classrooms.Teachers’ union signals possible industrial actionThe announcement was met with criticism from the National Education Union (NEU), England’s largest teaching union, which argued that the settlement does not go far enough.NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said the government had improved on its original proposal but had failed to reverse years of real-terms pay erosion.“A partially funded settlement still means cuts to education,” he said, referring to the requirement for schools to fund part of the increases from existing budgets.The union said it was considering all options, including a formal ballot for industrial action later this year.Earlier this year, an indicative ballot showed that more than 90 per cent of participating NEU members would be willing to take strike action, although turnout fell below the legal threshold required for a formal mandate.School leaders welcome rise but warn of budget pressuresEducation leaders broadly welcomed the above-inflation pay award but echoed concerns about funding.Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, described the deal as “another step in the right direction”, provided inflation remains under control. However, he warned that partial funding would add pressure to already stretched school budgets.Similarly, Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said many schools would find it challenging to meet their share of the costs.Meanwhile, Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, criticised the new executive pay restrictions, calling them an example of excessive government intervention.Recruitment and workload remain major concernsWhile higher salaries may help attract new entrants to the profession, some education experts say workload remains a bigger challenge.Former primary school teacher Jessica Featonby, who now runs an education technology company, told the BBC that long hours and expectations beyond contracted working time were key reasons many teachers leave the profession.She said teachers often worked early mornings, evenings, weekends and school holidays to keep up with demands, making retention a persistent issue despite pay increases.The latest move follows a 5.5 per cent pay rise in 2024 and a 4 per cent hike in 2025. Teachers in England also staged multiple strikes in 2023 over pay disputes before accepting a revised government offer.Pay recommendations are made annually by the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, which considers submissions from the government, unions and other stakeholders before advising ministers on salary awards.
