(Update late March 2023)
After writing to the Education Secretary, I received the following response from the Minister for Schools:
Thank you for your letter of 9 March, addressed to the Secretary of State, on behalf of your constituents, regarding school funding and teacher pay. I am replying as the Minister for Schools.
Given the importance of maintaining control of total public spending, the additional £2 billion announced for schools in each of the next two years 2023-24 and 2024-25, demonstrates the central importance this Government attaches to schools. As the Chancellor has said, being pro-education is being pro-growth and we are prioritising helping schools through this difficult time.
School funding is £4 billion higher this year than last year; and it will rise by another £3.5 billion, on top of that, next year. Taken together, that is a 15 per cent increase in funding in two years. The Institute of Fiscal Studies have said that the additional funding announced in recent spending reviews means that core school spending per pupil is expected to grow in real terms through to 2024.
The 2023-24 national funding formula (NFF) allocations for schools promised in July 2022 will be delivered in full, and the additional funding will be allocated through the Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (MSAG). Of the £2 billion, £400 million will be allocated to local authorities’ high needs budgets, with some of that to be passed directly to special schools and alternative provision. The rest of the £2 billion will be allocated to schools through the MSAG and increasing the pupil premium.
Funding for mainstream schools is increasing by over £2.5 billion in 2023-24 through the Dedicated Schools Grant and the MSAG, equivalent to a £310 increase in funding per pupil compared to 2022-23. This takes the total funding for schools for 2023-24 to £44.3 billion.
With regard to teacher pay, the Government’s 2022/23 pay award reflects the increase teachers receive if they remain stagnant. In reality, many classroom teachers will see greater salary rises as a result of moving up the pay scale every year. This year we expect around 40 per cent of classroom teachers will receive pay rises through progression or promotion of between 8.5 per cent to 15.9 per cent. When you remove teachers who are already at the top of the pay scale, those getting pay progression make up around 60 per cent of remaining classroom teachers.
For experienced classroom teachers at the top of the pay scale, who make up about a third of classroom teachers, there is a strong pay offer with earnings of at least £43,685. Teachers in posts with additional responsibilities can also receive additional payments worth between £3,017 and £14,732.
Overall, the average classroom teacher pay of £39,500 remains significantly above the national average for full-time employees, and is within the top 40 per cent of earners. The median classroom teacher salary of £39,500 is also significantly greater than the median graduate salary of £36,000. For senior leaders, there is also a strong pay offer in place. The average primary head teacher earns £67,400, whilst the average secondary head teacher earns £94,900. These average salaries are in the top 10 per cent of full-time earners in England.
Ministers and Department officials continue to meet regularly with sector leaders and representative bodies to discuss a wide range of issues across education. We will continue doing everything possible to improve education for children and young people, and to support all staff in schools.
I recently met local representatives from the NEU. The discussion covered pay, expectations, pressures on time, and the impact of the above on teacher retention and educational quality. Following the discussion, I relayed what was discussed to the Education Secretary, who I know is working with the unions on their concerns. I hope there will be a resolution soon. Given the news about the NHS strikes I am hopeful that there will be.
More widely, I am also aware of the pressures on schools and how hard teachers in West Berkshire work. I have visited lots of the local primary and secondary schools in West Berkshire (a part of my job that I love doing) since being elected in 2019 and so have spoken to teaching staff and pupils about the budgetary pressures, recruitment, retention and overall teaching quality. That is why I was pleased with the Government’s announced £2.3bn uplift to the education budget over the next two years, although I accept that what this means for West Berkshire’s schools is still not known fully (this is something that was raised with me by the NEU representatives and that I have put to the Education Secretary).
(March 2023)
