Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the public sector pay cap on the recruitment and retention of staff in schools.

The public sector pay cap is no longer in place and we are now adopting a more flexible approach. Research suggests that pay is not the main driver of teachers leaving the profession, and teachers tend not to leave for better paid jobs.

The average salary of classroom teachers aged between 21-30 is £27,000 compared to an average salary of £25,000 for all 21-30 year old graduates. The employer contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on behalf of the teaching staff average 16.4%, a significant benefit that should be taken into account when considering the overall remuneration available to teachers.

The remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), stated that the STRB should utilise this flexibility to target the next pay award to promote recruitment and retention.

The fundamental changes to teachers’ pay that have been introduced over the last four years, following the STRB’s recommendations, have given greater autonomy to schools to decide how to reward their staff. This increased flexibility helps schools to attract and retain the best teachers.