Cost of Education: Recruitment Impact and Union Threats

Cost of Education: Recruitment Impact and Union Threats

Due to inflation, schools in England face an acute crisis over retention and recruitment unless they receive a significant pay increase. The country’s largest teaching union has warned of strike action this autumn if an “inflation plus” deal is not met. New research shows that every 1% increase in pay gives a 2% boost to graduate recruitment in high-demand disciplines such as science, maths and technology. Thus, inflation plus pay deals are essential to recruit and retain quality teachers in England.

As inflation continues to rise, English schools struggle to keep up with the costs of running their institutions. Many teachers are considering leaving the profession or going on strike without a significant pay increase. This could have a devastating effect on the quality of education in England. The government must act now to ensure that teachers receive the inflation plus pay deal they deserve.

With recruitment as low as it is, every teacher must provide a quality education for England’s students. The inflation plus pay deal is essential to ensuring that the best and brightest teachers stay in the profession. The government must act now to avert a crisis in the English Cost of Education.

As the school year comes to a close, so does the recruitment window for new teachers. And with recruitment as low as it is, every teacher must provide a quality education for England’s students. The inflation plus pay deal is essential to ensuring that the best and brightest teachers stay in the profession. The government must act now to avert a crisis in English education.

According to the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the true cost of education is around £9,000 per year. This number takes into account not just salaries, but also pensions and other benefits. When compared to other developed countries, this number is significantly lower. In fact, it’s been estimated that the United Kingdom spends about £1,500 less per student than the Average Cost of Education for developed countries.

This funding shortfall has a direct impact on recruitment. In order to attract new teachers, salaries must be competitive. But with the current pay deal, salaries will actually decrease in real terms over the next four years. This is simply not sustainable.

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, has said that new teachers will receive above-inflation increases in their starting salaries over the next two years. However, this is not enough to address the crisis facing English schools. The government must do more to support teachers and ensure that they receive inflation plus pay deals. Otherwise, the quality of education in England will suffer.

Yet again, the government is failing to support English teachers adequately. Inflation plus pay deals are essential to recruitment and retention, yet the government only offers inflationary increases. This is not enough to address the acute teacher shortages facing English schools. The government must act now to ensure that teachers receive the inflation-plus pay deal they deserve. Otherwise, strike action may be necessary this autumn.

In the last strike in 2016, by the NEU’s predecessor, the National Union of Teachers, over inflation, pensions and workload, 86% of members who voted supported industrial action. Combined action this autumn could lead to the largest joint industrial action since 2011, when the NUT, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the NASUWT, and the National Association of Head Teachers all struck.

The teaching and school leaders’ unions argue that the government’s submission to the independent School Teachers Review Body (STRB) last year is obsolete after the sudden leap in the rate of inflation for the Cost of Education, with the consumer prices index last month reaching 9.1%, the highest since 2012. Without an inflation-plus pay deal, teachers will be facing real-terms pay cuts for the third year in a row face real-terms pay cuts.

The department of education said it was “disappointing” that the unions were considering strike action and pointed to the inflation-busting pay rises for new teachers. A spokesperson said: “We have always been clear that we value the contribution of our teachers and support staff, which is why we have protected the core schools budget in real terms since 2010 and increased it by £4bn since 2017.”

The government’s response to the inflation-plus pay demand has been inadequate. The education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, has said that new teachers will receive above-inflation increases in their starting salaries over the next two years. However, this is not enough to address the crisis facing English schools. The government must do more to support teachers and ensure that they receive inflation plus pay deals. Otherwise, the quality of education in England will suffer.