Schools

School support staff unions accept £1,925 pay deal

Pay deal will cost schools around £1bn, leaving budgets 'tight'

Pay deal will cost schools around £1bn, leaving budgets 'tight'

Unions representing school support staff across England have accepted a pay rise worth at least £1,925, putting to bed a long-running dispute.

Unison and the GMB confirmed this week they had backed the offer from councils, worth 3.88 per cent for the highest earners and 9.42 per cent for those at the bottom of the pay scale.

The pay rise will be backdated to April.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the pay deal works out as an 8 per cent average rise for support staff.

The Department for Education said earlier this year that every 1 percentage point increase in support staff pay would cost schools £130 million, which suggests this year’s deal will cost just over £1 billion.

The IfS factored such a rise into its recent school funding analysis, which concluded that school funding would grow by 8 per cent in cash terms in 2023–24, while costs including support staff pay rises would increase by 7.2 per cent.

“This is clearly a large rise in cash terms, but is only just above the overall growth in costs. The picture in 2023–24 therefore remains tight for schools,” warned report author Luke Sibieta.

Both unions had balloted members for strike action over the pay offer, and said they had won ballots in some schools across England. But both decided not to call strikes.

GMB national officer Sharon Wilde said the “message was clear – while members are angry and strike mandates were achieved in hundreds of workplaces, the majority are struggling financially and need the money paid into pay packets now”.

UNISON head of local government Mike Short added pay rise would be “suitably adjusted for part-time and term-time workers. The priority now is to get the money into everyone’s pay packets.”

‘New framework’ needed for business leaders

The deal automatically applies to support staff employed by councils. Academy trusts don’t have to honour the deal, but in practice many do so.

Staff covered by the deal include teaching assistants, caretakers and caterers, but also school business leaders.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said while the confirmation of the award would “provide schools with some additional clarity, it will likely further exacerbate the funding pressures that so many face”.

Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman

He also said that it leaves school business leaders, who will likely be at the top of pay scales, “facing one of the lowest pay awards across the sector.

“This further underscores the need for a new national pay framework for these senior roles, which better recognises the expertise and experience they hold, and which is aligned to the pay of other senior leaders in schools.”

The IfS also warned that the timing of pay announcements and agreements needed to be improved. The original offer was made in February.

Support staff salaries “have often been agreed part way through the year in which they are meant to be paid”, Sibieta warned.

“This has real consequences for schools. It creates huge amounts of uncertainty and concern about what they can afford.”

Last year’s pay award was also agreed in November.

Sibieta added the process for agreeing support staff pay “needs to be brought forward significantly, which would require better coordination between central government, local government and relevant trade unions”.

Latest education roles from

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Romero Catholic Academy Trust

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Ormiston Academies Trust

Principal & Chief Executive

Principal & Chief Executive

Truro & Penwith College

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

London & South East Education Group

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Building Character, Increasing Engagement and Growing Leaders: A Whole School Approach

Research increasingly shows that character education is just as important as academic achievement in shaping pupils’ long-term success. Studies...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Educators launch national AI framework to guide schools and colleges

More than 250 schools and colleges across the UK have already enrolled in AiEd Certified, a new certification framework...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Politics, Schools

Reform government would ‘root out teachers brainwashing kids’ says MP Lee Anderson

Reform UK members tell party conference of need to crack down on 'brainwashing' teachers and stop schools 'becoming indoctrination...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Schools

Farage: ‘Let’s start teaching trades and services at school’

Reform leader also says he ‘will not stand for kids’ minds being poisoned in schools with a twisted interpretation...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Schools

Staff want compensation after summer cyber-attack

Schools warned incident could increase risk of phishing, fraud and identity theft for impacted employees

John Dickens
Schools

Lockdown: The schools forced to take emergency measures

Union calls for 'comprehensive' guidance as leaders warn of communications difficulties during incidents

Jack Dyson

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *