The DfE submitted its Evidence to the STRB: 2026 pay award for teachers and leaders on 28 October. In
summary:
Pay Award (Paragraph 137)
The government proposes a 6.5% pay award spread over 2026/27, 2027/28, and 2028/29, with higher weighting
in the latter years. “This approach aims to ease affordability pressures in 2026/27 following significant uplifts
in 2024/25 and 2025/26, and to allow schools more time to plan operational and staffing changes”.
Affordability (Paragraph 151)
The Schools Costs Technical Note (SCTN) is expected in early 2026. The government’s current analysis is that
‘the overall pattern suggests that affordability will be limited across the spending review period, and
especially in 2026/27, when affordability will be tightly constrained’.
Other matters
In its evidence the DfE supports
– allowing maintained schools the option to offer non-consolidated payments, to provide parity with
academies,
– reducing the period of salary safeguarding (currently 3 years).
The DfE has not made any particular recommendation in terms of a review of working hours but will consider
any recommendations the STRB may make.
What’s next?
The Unions have unsurprisingly reacted negatively to the Government’s recommendation on pay. It is of
course only a recommendation at this stage – no decisions are made until the STRB has reported back. Oral
evidence will take place in December and the final STRB report submitted to Government in early March. The
DfE’s decision will then hopefully be available early in the Summer Term. We will provide further updates as
they become available.
