News

Voice press release: 15 January 2008

Statement on teachers’ pay and further details

While welcoming the Government’s acceptance (15 January 2008) of the recommendations on teachers’ pay of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), the Professional Association of Teachers (Voice) has expressed concern that the proposed pay increases - although higher than expected - still fall well below the current and recent levels of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) (4.3%) and represent a pay cut in real terms.

General Secretary Philip Parkin said: "Teachers may well be disappointed with this. This is a pay cut in real terms and teachers will see it as such.

"There will be considerable disquiet that the gains made in recent years are now being reversed and that teachers’ pay will fall further behind inflation over the next three years as prices and living costs continue to rise. 

"This concern is further compounded by the recent announcement on minimum funding guarantee of 2.1% for schools for the next three years. In considering both announcements together, it would appear that the salaries of teachers will be worth less in real terms and that the ability of schools to afford even these modest increases is going to be severely tested without further cuts in resource allocation.

"Voice has supported multi-year settlements in the past, as they can provide for stability and allow schools to plan more effectively in the medium term; but they must also be flexible enough to react to the economic climate of the day and take inflationary pressures into account. The Government’s recent failure to implement the reopener clause under the terms of the last settlement has undermined teachers’ confidence in multi-year settlements."

ends

Contacts: General Secretary Philip Parkin (philipparkin@pat.org.uk), Principal Officer (Pay & Conditions) Deborah Simpson (deborahsimpson@pat.org.uk) or Communications Officer Richard Fraser in the Voice Press Office (pressoffice@pat.org.uk) on 01332 372 337.

Further details

Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls today (15 January 2008) announced that he accepts the three-year pay recommendations of the School Teachers? Review Body (STRB) for a 2.45 per cent pay rise for teachers from September 2008, with additional increases for some London teachers, and increases of 2.3 per cent per year from 2009 and 2010.

The principal recommendations the Secretary of State proposes to implement are:

• a 2.45 per cent pay rise for teachers from September 2008;
• a minimum starting salary of £25,000 for teachers in inner London and £24,000 for teachers in outer London from September 2008;
• increases in the value of the upper pay scale of 3.45 per cent in inner London and of up to 3.98 per cent in outer London from September 2008;
• increases of 2.45 per cent in the value of special educational needs allowances and teaching and learning responsibility payments; and
• a review of the current pay bands, taking into account local labour market needs.

More from DCSF

Parliamentary Statement

School Teachers’ Review Body recommendations 17th Report, 15 January 2008

Part 1 of the 17th report of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB)

Latest pay news (TeacherNet) 

Current and Recommended Pay Levels for Teachers in England and Wales (September 2007 and September 2008)  (Word)

Teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales (outside London)

Teachers in maintained schools (Inner London)

Teachers in maintained schools (Outer London)

Teachers in maintained schools (London Fringe)

Background

RIG Joint Evidence, October 2007

Current & Recommended Pay Levels for Teachers in England and Wales, September 2006 and 2007 (pdf)

pressoffice@pat.org.uk