School leaders’ union NAHT today (Monday 4th March)
calls for a ‘double digit’ pay uplift, to begin to restore the
real terms value of teacher and school leader salaries and to
improve the competitiveness of teaching as a career.
The call comes as NAHT publishes its annual evidence to the
School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). Although NAHT submitted its
evidence on time to the STRB on 21st March, it
withheld publication because the government had, once again,
missed the Review Body’s deadline.
NAHT’s submission also includes brand new analysis of previously
hidden teaching staff vacancy data, which shows the increasing
number of schools with staff vacancies.
- Teaching staff vacancies have more than
doubled between 2020 and 2022, from 1,098 to 2,334. The
overall vacancy rate for England is at its highest for
over a decade.
NAHT’s analysis finds that:
-
One in seven schools in England reported at
least one vacancy or temporary post in the latest census.
- This is particularly severe at secondary, with one in
four schools reporting a vacancy or temporary post.
- In Outer London more than half of secondary
schools reported a vacancy.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT,
said: “These figures show the real-life impact of the
government’s neglect of teaching staff over the last decade. For
every school that is missing a permanent member of staff, that is
a teacher not present for children in the way that is so vitally
needed.
“For secondary, that could mean not having a specialist subject
teacher during exam years. For primary, it means not having a
permanent dedicated class teacher to establish an educational
bond and get to know pupils and their progress.
“The fact is that the teacher vacancy rate is higher now than it
has been for over a decade, with a sharp increase over the past
year especially. It could not be clearer that teachers and school
leaders are reacting to eroded salaries and the cost-of-living
crisis – as well as increasing workload, pressure and lack of
wellbeing – and are leaving the profession.
“We cannot afford to let this continue. Education is already in
the grip of a recruitment and retention crisis – the more people
leave, the worse that gets. The government needs to send a clear
signal to the workforce that change is coming – that starts with
an urgent double digit pay uplift.”
NAHT’s full analysis of teaching staff vacancies can be found on
pages 49-52 of its STRB submission. Its pay demands are laid out
on pages 5-6. Read the full submission here: NAHT response to STRB 34th
remit.pdf
