The Secretary of State for Education has signalled that pay for teachers in England should be capped at 2% next year.

Damian Hinds, in evidence to the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), said that 2% would be in line with projected inflation and affordable within schools budgets, set to rise 2.5% next year.

The joint teaching unions have told the STRB they want 5% across the board, and the body must consider all the evidence it receives before making recommendations to the Government in May.

National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) General Secretary Paul Whiteman said a pay rise of 5% was “vital if we are to plug the leaky pipeline of teacher recruitment and retention in England”.

He said: “Following years of caps damaging to public sector pay, it is disgraceful for the Government to impose another one, this time of 2%.”

Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) General Secretary Geoff Barton said: “It is extremely disappointing that the Government has said a 2% increase was affordable from school budgets when this was absolutely not the case.

“School funding per pupil has fallen by 8% in real terms over the past eight years, including cuts of more than 20% to school sixth-form funding.

“To say that schools can now afford yet another unfunded cost pressure not only adds insult to injury but places educational standards at risk.”

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