This week, the School Teacher’s Review Body (STRB) released their 29th report setting out their recommendations for teachers and school leaders' pay for 2019/20. The STRB report notes that the evidence shows the teacher supply situation has continued to deteriorate, and this has affected teachers at all stages of their career.

As such, they have recommended a 2.75% uplift to the minima and maxima of all pay ranges and allowances in the national pay framework.

The secretary of state, Damian Hinds, followed up the STRB's announcement with a written ministerial statement which confirmed that the government will be investing an additional £105 million into the existing teachers’ pay grant this financial year, to cover the increases above 2%.

Our response

While we are pleased that the STRB has again recognised the major recruitment and retention problems facing schools and recommended an above-inflation pay rise for all teachers and leaders, this recommendation falls short of the fully funded 5% increase that we have been calling for. We have also been clear that given the current funding crisis schools are facing, the pay award should be fully funded.

You can read our full response to the announcement here.

NAHT will now be consulted on the STRB report and the secretary of state’s response to the STRB report. As has happened for the last four years, the STRB report has been published extremely late in the academic year, leading to an unacceptably short timescale for statutory consultation on the government’s proposals and on the draft STPCD. We will again be emphasising the problems this causes and will seek a more reasonable timetable in future years.

As in previous years, we will be updating members with further advice and guidance, including recommended pay scales, later in the summer.

First published 23 July 2019