Council against teacher pay freeze

Freezing teacher pay will likely make it harder for schools to recruit and retain staff, according Warwickshire County Council, which has voiced its opposition to government plans.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that teacher pay will be frozen for 2021/22 except for those earning less than £24,000 who will see a slight annual increase of £250.

As part of a national consultation on teacher pay and conditions last month, the county council has expressed its opposition to the pay freeze, though it does welcome the pay rise for the lowest earners.

Warwickshire Schools had budgeted for a 2 per cent rise in teachers’ pay from September 2021, but the pay freeze means there will only be a 0.004 per cent rise in the county’s payroll for teachers (accounting for the modest increase for low earners).

The county council’s consultation response has involved input from schools, however the authority has voiced concern over the exercise being run during the school summer holidays, which has limited engagement with schools.

Cllr Jeff Morgan said: “We believe that applying the public sector pay pause (except for a relatively small number of lower paid unqualified teachers (UQTs), is likely to increase existing recruitment and retention difficulties for all qualified teachers and leaders across the whole school system.”