Local authorities have offered school support staff a flat pay rise of £1,925 from April, equating to 9.42 per cent for the lowest-paid employees.
In a letter, the National Employers for local government services - which is part of the Local Government Association - told unions and local authority chief executives that the offer was “full and final”.
The exact increase that each employee will receive under the offer will vary in percentage terms, with the highest-paid staff getting a rise of 3.88 per cent.
Unions have demanded a 12.7 per cent pay rise from April, as well as consideration of a flat increase to bring the minimum rate of pay to £15 per hour within two years.
In its letter to the unions, the National Employers rejected these demands, as well as further demands, including one for an additional day of annual leave for personal or wellbeing purposes, a homeworking allowance for staff for whom it is a requirement to work from home, and a reduction in the working week by two hours.
Pay rise for business leaders ‘unacceptable’
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, criticised the proposed pay rise on behalf of school business leaders and said it would only equate to a rise of around 4 per cent for most in those roles.
He said the pay offer would leave school business leaders “with one of the lowest pay awards across the education sector and far below inflation, meaning another real-terms pay cut”.
Mr Whiteman added: “It is completely unacceptable that some of the most experienced and senior leaders in our schools continue to be under-valued and underpaid.
“Urgent action is needed to resolve this. In the short term, this must include a significant pay increase for all teachers and leaders, including school business leaders, fully funded by the government.
“Longer term, the government must develop a national framework that defines the role of school business leader and aligns with other school leadership roles.”
Mike Short, head of local government at Unison, one of the unions representing support staff, said the offer “falls short of the joint pay claim”, but that the union’s committee would “consider it and decide on next steps”.
The £1,925 flat offer is similar to the pay deal offered for April 2022.
It also follows the Department for Education recommending that experienced teachers should receive a pay offer of 3 per cent earlier this week.
The National Employers negotiate pay on behalf of 350 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that employ around 1.5 million employees.
Most local authority schools use their pay scales and though academies have the freedom to deviate from them, most also follow the guidelines.
Councillor Sian Goding, chair of the National Employers, said: “The National Employers is acutely aware of the additional pressure this year’s offer will place on already hard-pressed council finances, as it would need to be paid for from existing budgets.
“However, they believe the offer is fair to employees, given the wider economic backdrop”.
