Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
Paragraph: 51
Low pay for support staff is hindering recruitment and retention in vital roles.
Conclusion
We welcome the most recent pay agreement for support staff; however, we have heard persistent concerns that low pay is resulting in difficulty recruiting and retaining staff in these vital roles which help both teachers and pupils and provide essential support to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Government Response Summary
The government stated its approach to schools funding already considers support staff wage growth and its impact on school budgets, which is factored into funding decisions, referencing technical notes and the Core Schools Budget Grant.
Paragraph Reference:
51
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Department’s approach to schools funding and costs already takes account of wage growth for support staff and its impact on school budgets. This is factored into the department’s decisions on funding. The department’s analysis provided in the Schools’ Costs Technical Note7 (SCTN) shows the impact of support staff pay increases on school budgets and this is factored into the Department’s overall decision-making about how schools’ overall costs are to be managed. The SCTN considers the impact of support staff pay rises on school budgets in the preceding year and forecasts the impact of pay increases for support staff and teachers in the next financial year, alongside an estimate for the ‘headroom’ available for pay awards for both workforces. The Core Schools Budget Grant (CSBG) made in 2024, which is providing schools with almost £1.1 billion in 2024-25, took account of the impact of the employer offer that was made at the time of the announcement of the CSBG, as part of the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services process that most support staff are currently employed on. This offer was then accepted which meant that the support staff pay increase for 2024 was fully funded at a national level.