Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the recent teachers' pay award on the financial sustainability of further education college budgets.

The Teachers’ Pay Grant was not awarded to further education (FE) colleges or other providers in the statutory FE sector, as the government does not currently play a role in determining pay for teachers in that sector.

FE college corporations are independent institutions, responsible for making their own decisions on pay and setting their budgets. In making these decisions and seeking the best for their students, staff and local communities, corporations have a duty to ensure the financial sustainability of the college.

However, we acknowledge that the FE sector faces cost pressures and that this can impact on staff pay, which is why we will be making the strongest case possible for increased FE funding in the upcoming Spending Review.