The education secretary has told headteachers it is “critical” that the pay dispute with teachers is solved, in an email plea for their support sent last night.
Setting out how the government will fund its new offer, Gillian Keegan said that she wanted to provide an update on the outcome of “intensive” discussion with unions, and set out detail of how the offer is funded, in the email sent to school leaders and seen by Tes.
She added that she knew they cared “deeply” about pupils whether they had engaged in industrial action or not.
Earlier this week, the government proposed new funding for a £1,000 non-consolidated payment for 2022-23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for 2023-24.
But heads have expressed concerns about how schools will cover the proposed pay rise for teachers next year, after the Department for Education said a pay rise of 4 per cent was judged to be affordable within existing budgets, with only the remainder being funded directly.
In a blog post published this week, the DfE said it would provide schools with further funding of around £620 million in 2023-24, including a grant of £530 million for the one-off payment.
In the email sent yesterday evening, Ms Keegan said the government would provide an extra £150 million to schools in 2024-25 to “cover the ongoing costs” of the proposed award.
She added that she understood it had been a “challenging time” for school leaders who have “worked hard to ensure children and young people are at the centre of everything [they] do”.
“Young people have suffered more disruption to their education than any generation that’s gone before, and it’s the vital work of teachers that is helping them to get back on track.
“The last thing I want to see is anything that would risk undoing that progress, which is why it is critical that we solve this trade dispute.
“Whether you have engaged in industrial action in recent months or not, I know all of you care deeply about your pupils and giving them the best possible support, particularly for those who are anxiously approaching exams,” she added.
“I firmly believe this is a fair offer that addresses the concerns raised by teachers and leaders through their representatives.”
The NEU teaching union has recommended its members reject the proposals, while school leaders’ union the NAHT has called the pay offer “inadequate” and said it is “clear that industrial action will be necessary”. It also plans to ballot its members if they reject the offer.
The NASUWT teaching union also said members should reject the government’s offer as it “falls short of what the union has demanded from the government, both for pay restoration and on non-pay improvements”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, dismissed Ms Keegan’s email as “propaganda”.
“Keegan suggests the IFS comes to the same conclusion as the government that there is enough funding on the table to cover the pay offer next year. But the IFS analysis is a lot more cautious than that and says it is tight and some schools probably cannot afford any more, such as special schools.
“She also fails to mention the other point made by the IFS that - even with the new pay offer - teacher salaries in England in 2023 would still be 13 per cent lower than in 2010 for experienced and senior teachers, which is most of them.
“Her letter isn’t a frank account of the situation, it is propaganda.”
Last night, Ms Keegan told Sky News that the offer “is funded and I do want teachers to have it”.
She said: “I really care about this and the reason I know all the facts and figures is because I want to be fair. I want to know, are we funding schools enough...are we paying teachers enough.”
