Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise for all teachers and support staff.

The 2022 Autumn Statement announced significant additional core schools’ funding, increasing by £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. This additional funding will bring the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25.

The Government values the independent advice of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), and the final pay award decisions for 2023/24 will be determined in light of the STRB’s recommendations.

Pay awards must achieve a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer, not increasing the country’s debt further and being careful not to drive even higher prices in the future. Sustained higher levels of inflation would have a larger impact on real incomes in the long run than the proportionate and balanced pay increases implemented following the recommendations from the Pay Review Bodies.

The Government does not have a role in setting the pay scales for support staff. Support staff and teaching assistant terms and conditions are determined locally by employers.