Recommendation 6

The Department cannot say when it will implement its commitment to a starting salary of £30,000 for new teachers. In September 2019, the Government set out its intention that salaries for new teachers would rise to £30,000 by September 2022, in order to improve the competitiveness of teacher pay. In February 2021, it told the School Teachers’ Review Body that it had paused planned pay rises for teachers in 2021/22, and that starting salaries would not reach £30,000 by September 2022. The Department says that it will not be able to confirm until after the next Spending School Funding 7 Review when its commitment to a starting salary of £30,000 will be implemented. For several years, the Department provided separate grants to help schools cover increases in teachers’ pay costs and higher pension and national insurance costs. However, from 2021–22, it is incorporating most of this funding within the dedicated schools grant, making the funding less transparent. Recommendation: The Department should set out a timetable for meeting its commitment to a £30,000 starting salary for teachers, along with details of how this will be funded. 8 School Funding 1 The school funding system