Starting salaries for teachers could rise to £30,000 under new government plans
3 min read
Starting salaries for teachers could rise to £30,000 in the next four years under new plans unveiled by the Government.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the policy was part of the biggest reform to pay in the sector for a generation.
He said the move would make teaching among the most competitive professions in the graduate labour market.
It would see salaries for new teachers rise by £6,000 by 2022-23, as the current minimum in England and Wales, excluding London, is currently £23,720.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to spend an extra £14billion on primary and secondary schools over the next three years.
Mr Williamson said: "Teachers truly are the lifeblood of a school and I have been instantly impressed by the dedication, commitment and hard work that I have seen from those at the front of our classrooms.
"I want the best talent to be drawn to the teaching profession and for schools to compete with the biggest employers in the labour market and recruit the brightest and the best into teaching.
"Teachers should be in no doubt that this Government fully backs them in every stage of their career, starting with rewarding starting salaries, and giving them the powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying and continue to drive up school standards right across the country.”
The move was welcomed by the National Education Union, but said more needs to be done to keep teachers in the profession.
Dr Mary Bousted, its joint general secretary, said: "The proposed increase to teachers' starting salaries is fundamentally necessary if the Government is going to get enough graduates wanting to become teachers.
"Teacher training targets have been missed for six years in a row, and this announcement may go some way to making teaching more attractive.
"But schools need experienced, as well as beginner teachers. What is the Government proposing for those who remain in the profession, taking on more responsibilities as they gain experience?
"This is a key issue. England has one of the worst teacher retention rates in the OECD with almost half of teachers leaving within 10 years - taking with them vast amounts of knowledge and experience.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said: "After sitting at the Cabinet table agreeing to years of real terms pay cuts for teachers, Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson have finally admitted that austerity has failed our schools.
"But even now, teachers will have to wait years for the promised pay rise, and there is every chance that if there is a disastrous no-deal Brexit this will be yet another promise that isn’t kept."
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