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A slap in the face doesn’t begin to describe it: Teachers voice fury over pay snub

Recruitment & Retention Pay and conditions Government policy Trade unions
"A slap in the face doesn’t begin to describe it.” Furious teachers and school leaders have blasted the government’s plans for a pay freeze and questioned the credibility of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

Tuesday (September 14) saw the deadline for responses to the STRB’s 31st report (STRB, 2021), which set out recommendations for the 2021/22 pay award.

However, there is anger after the theoretically independent STRB was constrained by an incredibly strict remit from education secretary Gavin Williamson (DfE, 2020).

Mr Williamson effectively ordered the STRB not to consider or recommend any pay uplifts for 2021/22 for the majority of teachers.

In fact, the only area he permitted the STRB to look at was uplifts for those earning less than £24,000. This applies to around 6,000 teachers on the unqualified teacher pay range. Accordingly, the STRB has recommended a consolidated award of £250 to these teachers earning less than £24,000 (£25,194 in the Fringe, £27,419 in Outer London, £28,681 in Inner London).

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