England Grants Teachers 3.5% Raise and Caps £174,000 Academy Pay
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 1
England Grants Teachers 3.5% Raise and Caps £174,000 Academy Pay
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 1
Summary
Teachers in England will get a 3.5% pay rise from September and 3% the following year, with the government adding £1.8 billion but requiring schools to cover the first 1% of each increase.
Academy trusts will need government approval for jobs paying more than £174,000 from September, and executives will be barred from receiving bigger pay rises than classroom teachers.
The National Education Union rejected the package and said it was considering all options, including an autumn strike ballot, arguing the partially funded deal would still force cuts in school budgets.
School leaders' groups broadly welcomed the awards but warned many schools would struggle to absorb costs from existing budgets, especially in the first year despite DfE estimates of £250 million already available.
The settlement follows years of pay disputes and strikes: teachers received 5.5% in 2024 and 4% in 2025, while UK inflation stood at 2.8% in May and is expected to rise.