The government has agreed to fully fund a forthcoming pay increase for teachers in England, marking a U-turn after earlier proposals suggested schools would need to contribute to the costs. This decision has been welcomed by the National Education Union (NEU), the UK's largest education union.
The pay offer includes a 3.5% increase for teachers from this month, with an additional 3% set to be implemented from next September. Previously, there were concerns that schools would have to find almost a third of the wage increases from their existing budgets.
Lucy Powell, the Education Secretary, confirmed the full funding in a letter to Daniel Kebede, the NEU general secretary, on Wednesday. The funding will come from savings generated by recent revaluations of the local government pension scheme.
Mr Kebede described the move as a "significant" step, estimating it would provide an additional £500m of funding for schools this year. He stated that the government now "accepts the reality that any teacher pay award must be fully funded."
The NEU's national executive is yet to decide on the planned national ballot for strike action, which was scheduled for next month. Ms Powell asked the NEU to reconsider its proposed ballot given the "material change to the affordability position."