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We are pleased to share that the government has accepted in full the recommendation of the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) for a teacher pay award of 4%, effective from 1st September 2025. This increase will apply to all pay points and allowances for teachers and leadership roles.
To support this, the government has announced £615 million in additional funding for 2025–26 to help schools manage overall costs, including:
Schools will be expected to fund approximately the first 1% of the pay award, with the remainder covered by the "headroom” in budgets and extra funding. To help schools estimate their grant funding, the Department for Education (DfE) has published mainstream and high needs rates alongside a calculator tool.
As part of a broader effort to improve recruitment and retention, the update also highlighted support for flexible working policies in schools. Additionally, the DfE has confirmed that the set-up of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body has commenced to support structured dialogue between employers and staff representatives on support staff pay and conditions.
These changes come at a time of economic pressure, but the DfE has reiterated that their focus remains on ensuring every child has access to high-quality teaching and the opportunity to thrive.
The DfE made a commitment to confirming the 2025/26 Teachers’ Pay Award earlier than in previous years to ensure that a draft School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) is consulted on and finalised in good time before the summer holidays. This has historically been finalised in the last week before the summer holidays, which has often raised implementation concerns for leadership teams.
We will keep you informed of any updates on the draft STPCD as they become available.
For confidential advice on workforce planning, harmonisation, pay benchmarking and HR strategies in light of the confirmed pay award, please contact us at [email protected] to speak with one of our senior team.