Education did not feature in the Spring Statement on Wednesday (March 26) and no extra funding for schools was announced – much to the anger of education trade unions.
However, after the chancellor’s appearance in the House of Commons, the Office for Budget Responsibility increased its forecast of average earnings growth for 2025/26 from 3% to 3.7%.
This development led Jack Worth, the National Foundation for Educational Research's school workforce lead, to call on the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to consider recommending a pay increase of at least 3.7% this September.
He said: "Teacher recruitment and retention remains in a critical state and without urgent action, achievement of the government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers will be in peril.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here