New NFER analysis reveals that a teacher pay increase of 6.5 per cent in 2023/24, as reportedly recommended by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), is unlikely to make a significant overall difference to long-term teacher supply on its own.
The research suggests a new long-term strategy is required to improve recruitment and retention, based on continually improving the competitiveness of teacher pay, well-targeted financial incentives, alongside action to improve the non-financial attractiveness of teaching.
The study, funded by the Gatsby Foundation, also suggests that if pay awards in 2024/25 and beyond merely match the anticipated growth in average earnings in the wider labour market then they are unlikely to significantly address the pressing recruitment and retention challenges.
Jack Worth, School Workforce Lead at NFER and co-author of the report, said: “The evidence on teacher recruitment and retention makes a clear and compelling case for the need for a new long-term strategy on teacher pay and financial incentives to address the intense teacher supply challenge.
