Commenting on the 2022/23 teachers’ pay award, James Zuccolo, Director for School Workforce at the Education Policy Institute, said:
“In recent years, teachers’ pay has suffered due to low wage growth comparative to the rest of the economy. Unsurprisingly, this year’s teacher pay award, an up to 8.9% increase in pay for teachers beginning their careers and a 5% increase for experienced teachers, will not reverse this decade-long decline in real terms pay. This decline has negatively impacted important efforts to enhance recruitment and retention within the profession.
“It’s clear, however, that younger teachers’ pay has suffered to a greater extent than that of more experienced teachers. Over the last decade, younger teachers’ pay penalty, against their peers in comparative occupations, has increased dramatically more than the average for the profession as a whole. Teachers outside of London under the age of 30, for instance, earn 10% less than comparative professionals their age, whilst those in their 50s earn only 3.5% less.
“Given their unwillingness to fund a more costly pay settlement, it therefore makes sense for the Government to focus the largest wage increases on younger teachers. Narrowing the pay penalties teachers face, where they are most severe, will provide support for recruitment into the profession, where it is most needed. Looking ahead, however, the Government must remain focused on improving retention rates for all teachers.”
