Confederation of School Trusts Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: “Trust leaders will be pleased the Government has accepted the STRB’s pay recommendations, with pay rises for teachers that sit above inflation – teaching is a rewarding but challenging profession that deserves to be well paid.
“Rising core costs are constraining the ability of schools and trusts to fund pay awards. It will be an enormous challenge for some schools to find the money to meet the government’s expectations on a range of issues. Budgets are already stretched and the Department for Education is adding under-funded new commitments on enrichment, breakfast clubs, technology, and more. We support many of these, but the government needs to be realistic about what can be delivered with the funding it is providing.
“Education has the potential to transform lives and stimulate the economy for the long-term, but that needs proper investment in teachers, leaders, buildings, and resources.”
Trust leaders also cautioned that the government has yet to publish details of key funding arrangements for the new academic year. The Department for Education recently extended the deadline for school trusts to submit their 2026/7 budget proposals until 24 September – almost a month after they are supposed to start.
