Teachers and school leaders will receive a 6.5% pay increase over the next two years as part of a wider package designed to strengthen recruitment, retention and investment across
education.
School teachers and leaders will benefit from a new multi-year pay settlement after the Education Secretary accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body's recommendations in full today (1 July 2026).
The agreement delivers a 3.5% pay rise from September 2026, followed by a 3% increase from September 2027, taking the cumulative rise in teacher pay to 17% since the general election.
To support the award, the government will invest an additional £1.8 billion in schools over the next two years, helping schools meet the cost of higher salaries for teachers and support staff. Schools will continue to be expected to fund the first 1% of each annual pay award through efficiency savings and improved value for money.
Further education providers will also receive additional support, with £485 million allocated over two years to help colleges recruit and retain high-quality teachers while continuing to deliver vocational, academic and technical education.
Alongside the investment, the government will introduce tighter controls on academy trust executive pay. From September, academy trusts will be required to seek government approval before advertising executive positions with salaries exceeding £174,000. Annual pay increases for senior executives will also be aligned with those awarded to classroom teachers, ensuring leadership salaries do not rise faster than the wider school workforce.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
"Our brilliant school and college teachers go above and beyond every day, and I'm determined that dedication is not just recognised, but rewarded.
This multi-year deal, backed by significant additional investment, reflects the value we place on our teachers while providing schools and colleges with greater certainty over pay and budgets.
It is also right that classroom teachers should not see executive salaries rising faster than their own. These new safeguards will help ensure public money is directed where it has the greatest impact—in our classrooms."
The latest settlement means the average school teacher salary will exceed £52,800 from September 2026, rising to more than £54,400 from September 2027. Since the current government took office, average teacher pay will have increased by almost £7,900 over four years.
The announcement comes as recruitment and retention continue to improve across the education sector. Since 2024, more than 4,500 additional teachers have joined secondary schools, special schools and colleges, representing over 70% of the government's target to recruit 6,500 new teachers. Teacher retention has also strengthened, while applications to initial teacher training have risen by 13% this year, reaching the highest level since the pandemic.
The government says its Maximising Value for Pupils programme is helping schools make better use of their budgets by securing savings on services such as energy, recruitment and banking. Schools have already reported significant financial gains through the initiative.
The wider education strategy also forms part of the government's efforts to reduce child poverty. Ministers say removing the two-child benefit limit will support more than 1.5 million children across Great Britain, with an estimated 450,000 children lifted out of poverty, helping reduce pressures on families and schools alike.
