Anger as pay rises force schools to let teachers go

SCHOOLS have been forced to make teachers and support staff redundant because they do not have enough money for the bumper pay rises awarded by the Government.

- By Jonathan Walker

And the problem will get worse this year because they face a shortfall of hundreds of millions of pounds after the official pay review cies in their schools.” It followed Labour’s decision just weeks after its general election victory last July to give teachers a 5.5% pay rise, coming into force in September 2024.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson pledged the increase would be “fully funded”, meaning that school budgets would rise.

But a technical note published by the Department for Education has revealed costs rose more than funding in 2024-25.