Confirmation of the 2025 Teachers' pay award

Following the publication of the 35th School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) Report,  the Secretary of State has published a Written Ministerial Statement, confirming acceptance of the STRB recommendations to implement a pay award for school teachers and leaders of 4% for the academic year 2025-26.

The award will be applied evenly across the pay scale.

The pay award applies to maintained schools, with academies continuing to have freedom over their pay and conditions.

Funding

Additional funding to the sector of £615m will be provided - the Ministerial statement confirms that this will not fully cover the implementation costs for schools. They will be expected to find just over 1% of the pay award through improved productivity and smarter spending.

Suggestions from the STRB for improvements to pay and conditions for school teachers

The report also makes suggestions for improvements to the current system of pay and conditions to boost teacher recruitment and retention including:

• Improving flexible working, recommending DfE intervention to 'move the practice forward' in schools, including making a flexible working policy mandatory for each school and allocating SLT and Governor responsibilities for implementation and the monitoring of impact
• Work to be undertaken to research how targeting remuneration could be used to address teacher shortages
• A significant review of terms and conditions of employment included in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and associated grading structures including TLR (Teaching and Learning Responsibility) payments, suggesting that these should be paid based on the proportion of responsibility the teacher carries out rather than their actual contracted hours
• DfE monitoring of the effectiveness of performance related pay (PRP) to decide whether current arrangements (whereby schools can choose to retain PRP ) should continue for 2026-27

Following the publication of the STRB Report the DfE have confirmed:

• A new reference to flexible working will be added to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) to make it clear requests for this should be supported 'where operationally feasible'
• TLR payments should be paid to teachers based on the proportion of responsibility they carry out rather than contracted hours - this change will come into effect by September 2026

Union Response

The NEU and NASUWT previously have voted for potential strike action should no additional government funding be provided for implementation of this year's pay award, or where inadequate levels of funding are provided.

We will provide further updates once the teaching unions have considered their position and responded to the pay announcement.

What happens next?

The Department for Education will now consult with the statutory consultees of the STRB on the Government’s response to the recommendations and on a revised School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and Pay Order for 2025.

The consultation will last for seven weeks, and schools can expect the STPCD to be updated ahead of the new academic year.

HR Customers can access supportive resources via the Teachers' Pay and Allowances  pages of HR Hub.