Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to increase funding to schools in order to allow them to cover the one per cent shortfall in the planned 3.5 per cent increased pay award for teachers.

In July the Department announced that it was accepting the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendation in full for a 2.75% uplift to the minima and maxima of all pay ranges and allowances.

In recognition of the difference between this award and the 2% the Department has assessed schools can afford on average nationally, it is providing an additional £105 million of funding for schools this year. This is on top of the £321 million the Department is already providing this year through the Teachers’ Pay Grant to cover the ongoing cost of the 2018 pay award.