NAHT has responded to the School Teachers' Review Body's (STRB) 29th report. The government has accepted its recommendation that this year's pay award of 2.75% should not be 'targeted' or 'differentiated'.
We welcomed the Review Body's recognition of the sliding rates for leadership retention, and that the 'targeted' uplifts in favour of early career risks '...being ineffective even in its own terms'.
NAHT is clear that there must now be a concurrent review of the pay structure for both teachers' and leaders' pay, in order to create a positive proposition for teaching as a professional career choice. We highlight the real terms losses to leaders' pay over the last decade, and the sharp decline in the differential between leaders' and teachers' salaries since 2014.
We call on the new Secretary of State to set aside the recommended award in favour of a 5% uplift to signal a first step towards positioning teaching as a serious career option for new graduates, and offering tangible proof to serving teachers and leaders that their contribution to the future of the nation's children is valued.
Read our full response below.
First published 12 September 2019
First published 22 May 2021