Pay & Conditions

The latest news and analysis on teacher pay and school staff working conditions, including pay rise negotiations, pay scales, pensions and more

Thursday

19th Mar 2026

6.5% teacher pay rise ‘risks reversing’ recruitment gains
Teachers will need at least a 7 per cent increase over three years to keep pace with other professions, says National Foundation for Educational Research
7% teacher pay rise needed to stay competitive, think tank says

Saturday

14th Mar 2026

What is the salary for a teacher in Scotland?
Scottish teachers secured a three-stage pay deal taking them up to the 2026-27 academic year – here Tes details their exact salary rises, as well as those for school leaders, music instructors and educational psychologists
How much are teachers paid in Scotland?

Friday

13th Mar 2026

Risk of unfunded pay rise ‘derailing’ reforms, ASCL boss warns
Pepe Di’Iasio also tells ministers that SEND reforms will need more investment to succeed
Unfunded pay award could ‘derail’ white paper, warns ASCL chief

Tuesday

10th Mar 2026

DfE estimates of schools’ costs ‘disingenuous’
Leaders say the government’s claim that schools can afford teacher pay rises ignores their growing costs, including the prospect of energy price hikes due to the Middle East conflict
DfE cost forecasts are 'disingenuous', leaders warn
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Thursday

5th Mar 2026

School support staff leaving in record numbers
Annual rate of support staff leaving is now the highest since current records began in 2011-12, according to the NFER research
Record numbers of school support staff leave the sector

Tuesday

3rd Mar 2026

2.7% teacher pay rise affordable over next two years, says DfE
Teachers’ union leader calls government projections ‘ludicrous’ and ‘insulting’
Only 2.7% teacher pay rise affordable over two years, DfE modelling shows

Saturday

28th Feb 2026

Teacher strike ballot opens over pay and workload
NEU union launches indicative strike ballot, as general secretary Daniel Kebede warns ‘schools are running on empty’
The NEU is launching an indicative strike ballot over pay, workload and school funding.

Friday

27th Feb 2026

1 in 5 school support staff thinking of leaving sector
Dissatisfaction with pay is the most common reason why support staff are considering walking away, according to evidence submitted to new pay award body
More than 1 in 5 support staff are considering leaving sector, research shows.

Wednesday

25th Feb 2026

3 in 5 people see teaching as ‘unappealing’
Just 6 per cent of respondents view teaching as a ‘very appealing’ job, YouGov survey suggests
Teaching not appealing

Friday

20th Feb 2026

Full maternity pay to double for teachers and school leaders
Teachers’ maternity pay offer will rise to eight weeks, in line with NHS staff – but it will still be significantly below that of some public sector workers
Full maternity pay to double for teachers and school leaders

Friday

13th Feb 2026

Revealed: What CEOs are paid at the biggest MATs
Tes’ annual review of the salaries of chief executives at the largest multi-academy trusts reveals that a quarter of them had a bigger percentage pay rise than teachers
Man looking at coin
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Thursday

12th Feb 2026

‘Outlier’ CEO pay flattens after DfE crackdown
But leaders’ pay still varies hugely at trusts told to justify their pay decisions – from £25 per pupil to £331, Tes analysis reveals
Deflated hot air balloons
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