Teachers in England Get 3.5% Pay Rise From September

Teachers in England are getting a raise. The largest teaching union says it still isn't enough, and schools are being asked to help foot the bill.

The Department for Education confirmed Tuesday that teachers will receive a 3.5% pay increase from September, followed by 3% the year after. The government says the deal amounts to a cumulative 17% pay rise since the last general election.

Where the Money Is Coming From

The DfE is providing £1.8 billion in additional funding to support the awards, but schools will need to fund the first 1% of each rise from their existing budgets. According to the department's own technical note, schools will have around £250 million in financial "headroom" in 2026-27, rising to £750 million in 2027-28 — making the first year "considerably more challenging" financially.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the offer reflects "the immense value we place in our teachers," adding that classroom staff should not see "executive pay rise faster than their own."

📰 Read Also: England Resident Doctors Accept Pay Deal

New Curbs on Academy Trust Executive Pay

Alongside the pay award, the DfE announced tighter controls on academy trust leadership salaries. From September, trusts will need government approval for any advertised role paying more than £174,000, and executives will no longer be able to receive higher percentage pay rises than classroom teachers.

The average school teacher salary is set to rise to over £52,800 from September, and over £54,400 the following year, according to the department.

📰 Read Also: 520 Mothers, Babies Harmed in NHS Maternity Scandal

The Union's Response

The National Education Union rejected the offer outright. General Secretary Daniel Kebede said the government had been "forced" to go beyond its original position, but called the settlement "not the decisive shift needed to reverse real-terms pay cuts since 2010."

Kebede said schools are being asked to find £460 million from budgets "already at breaking point" — the equivalent, he said, of 3,900 teachers and 4,400 support staff. The NEU said it is "considering all options," including a formal strike ballot in the autumn.

📰 Read Also: Domestic Killers Face Longer Jail Terms

Why Some Say Pay Isn't the Core Problem

Jessica Featonby, who left classroom teaching to found an education technology company, said higher salaries would help recruitment but that the deeper issue is teacher wellbeing. She described working early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays well beyond paid hours during her time in the classroom.

"If I came at 8:30am and left at 3:30pm, there would be so much question around my commitment to the job," she said.

A Pattern of Partial Funding

This isn't the first time schools have been asked to absorb part of a pay rise. Teachers received a 4% award in 2025 with 1% funded through school "efficiencies," and a fully funded 5.5% rise in 2024. The NEU held eight days of strike action over pay in early 2023 before the government revised its offer to 6.5%.

An informal ballot conducted earlier this year, with a 48.6% turnout, found 90.5% of participating NEU members would be prepared to take industrial action — a signal of how this year's settlement is likely to land.

TL;DR

• Teachers in England will get a 3.5% pay rise from September, then 3% the following year

• Schools must fund the first 1% of each rise from existing budgets

• The DfE is capping academy trust executive pay and requiring approval for salaries over £174,000

• The NEU rejected the offer and is considering a formal strike ballot

• Schools face roughly £460 million in budget pressure to cover the partially funded award

Read More

• One Million Children Referred for Mental Health Care

• HMRC Warns Self Assessment Taxpayers on July Payment

• Welsh Ministers Raise Pressure on Betsi Cadwaladr