Responding to new NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) analysis which finds that a 6.5% pay rise for teachers and school leaders would need to be combined with other measures and a long-term strategy to effectively tackle the recruitment and retention crisis, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“A significant pay rise will be absolutely crucial in tackling the crippling recruitment and retention problems gripping schools following years of real-terms pay cuts.

“The government needs to admit that many schools are facing a staffing crisis and publish and respond to the recommendations of the independent School Teachers Review Body on pay for the next academic year without further delay.

“We also need to see action from the government to tackle unsustainable workload and high-stakes inspections and the impact these have on the wellbeing of school leaders - but it’s vital this is combined with a much better, properly funded offer on pay.

“While other measures like flexible working and improved professional development should be part of any plan to boost recruitment and retention, without action on pay, workload, inspection and wellbeing, efforts to tackle the problem are likely to fall well short "