On a cold Tuesday evening, the government announced a 2.8 per cent pay settlement for teachers for the 2025/26 financial year. Predictably, this sparked an uproar, with entrenched positions from both the teaching profession and unions dominating the discourse.
Daniel Kebede declared the government to be “on notice” and dismissed the settlement as “a nonsense worthy of Gavin Williamson.” Similarly, ASCL, my own union, issued a sharp critique, stating that “the pay award that she proposes will not be sufficient to reverse years of pay erosion.”
This binary, combative response has grown tiresome. While pay erosion is a pressing issue, the challenges facing our education system are multifaceted and demand a more nuanced approach. It is increasingly apparent that merely increasing pay will not resolve the broader structural problems confronting the sector.
Although acknowledging this view may be unpopular, it is a necessary conversation to have if we are to achieve meaningful reform.
Let us first acknowledge the context. The government has been in office for only five months, inheriting a dire fiscal situation shaped by years of austerity, a stagnating economy, the fallout from a global pandemic and the disastrous fiscal policies of the Truss-Kwarteng administration.
The current chancellor is tasked with navigating a fragile economy, managing spiralling public debt, and addressing widespread demands for increased funding across all sectors, including education.
Upon taking office, the secretary of state was faced with unresolved recommendations from the school teachers’ review body (STRB). For years, decisions on pay settlements had been delayed to the point of dysfunction, often announced during summer holidays—months into the fiscal year—forcing maintained schools to revise budgets already approved and implemented.
We must consider this within the broader economic reality
In contrast, the bold 5.5- per cent, fully-funded settlement for 2024/25 marked a significant and timely intervention, offering teachers a substantial uplift and giving schools much-needed clarity.
While the 2.8 per cent proposal for 2025/26 falls short of many expectations, we must consider it within the broader economic reality. Over the past two years, the teaching profession has seen significant salary increases. To expect such growth to continue unabated in today’s financial climate is neither realistic nor fiscally sustainable.
That aside, of the £2.3 billion announced in the budget, £1.3 billion was set aside to be put into the funding formula next year, when these changes take effect. Once we receive these figures from our local authorities, we will then see how much of the 2.8% increase is covered by this fresh injection of funding.
As a headteacher of ten years, I recognise the tangible benefits of receiving pay award information well in advance. Having this clarity in December represents a significant improvement, allowing schools to plan budgets, forecast expenditures, and make critical recruitment decisions with far greater confidence than in previous years.
However, the relentless focus on pay risks eclipsing far more critical and pressing challenges facing the sector.
Many school leaders will attest to the urgent need for reform in areas such as Ofsted’s accountability framework, the ever-expanding curriculum, excessive exam pressures, and the increasing burden of responsibilities that often blur the lines between education and social care.
It is the cumulative weight of these issues, rather than pay alone, that is grinding schools to a halt and extinguishing the passion that drew so many of us to this profession in the first place.
The rhetoric around pay, while important, has become formulaic and predictable—a default rallying cry that feels both rehearsed and, at times, superficial. In stark contrast, there is often a muted response from unions and policymakers alike on some of these broader systemic issues.
These are the challenges that, in my experience, are driving talented colleagues out of the profession. They erode not only the morale of our workforce but also the very fabric of what makes schools vibrant, inspiring places for both students and staff.
It is imperative that we shift the conversation. Funding is undoubtedly a critical factor, but we must recognise that it is not the sole solution.
Addressing the root causes of the crisis in education requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach — one that encompasses structural reform, a reimagining of accountability measures, and a renewed focus on the well-being of both students and staff.
The time for a narrow, adversarial focus on pay disputes needs to shift. We must demand a broader and more meaningful dialogue about the future of education. Our schools, our students, and our profession deserve no less.
Let us not settle for short-term victories that leave the larger battles unaddressed. The stakes are too high, and the opportunity for transformative change is too great to squander.
