Education Secretary Announces Modest Pay Increase for Teachers, but Funding Shortfalls Loom In a long-awaited move, the UK government has confirmed that teacher pay will rise by 3.5% from September 2026. However, the announcement has been met with skepticism by educators and unions, who point out that the increase is not fully funded and will likely be offset by rising inflation and other costs. The modest pay bump is a far cry from the significant increases demanded by teaching unions, who argue that the profession is underpaid and undervalued. As the government struggles to address the UK's chronic teacher shortages, the decision to underfund the pay rise has raised fresh concerns about the sustainability of the education system.
Teacher pay to rise 3.5% from September 2026, but it’s not fully-funded Schools Week