Teachers in Wales offered 4% pay rise

Trade unions have expressed disappointment that teachers in Wales are being offered a 4% pay rise, which is in line with England but below the 4.8% recommended by an independent pay review body.

Defending the decision, Wales' Education Secretary Lynne Neagle said last year's deal was "significantly above" what was recommended then and that teachers would be receiving around 9.7% over the two years.

This compared to the "approximately 9.3%" total recommended by the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) over 2024-25 and 2025-26, she said.

Higher salaries, Neagle warned, would mean "significant" cuts elsewhere, including to elements of school budgets.

Welsh ministers are committed to a "no detriment" policy on teachers' pay, meaning the offer in Wales should be at least as generous as the one for England.

That means offering 4% was the minimum deal the Welsh government could put on the table this year.

But Neagle stressed that implementing a pay increase that was not "fully funded", meaning cuts were needed elsewhere in schools to provide the money involved, was something local councils and trade unions had said they wanted to avoid.

"I am very mindful of the possible impact that unfunded pay rises could have on teacher numbers and workload," she said in a statement.

Laura Doel, from the NAHT Cymru teaching union, said she was "concerned" by the government's offer.

"For Welsh government to say that paying teachers and school leaders what they are worth would put increased pressure on school budgets is an unfair position to put leaders in," she said.

"They shouldn't be expected to choose between providing for their learners and being paid what they are owed."

"We will consult our members on the offer but have no intention of recommending anything that seeks to coerce our members into accepting less than they deserve and that would compound the recruitment and retention crisis we face," she added.

Claire Armitstead, from the Association of School and College Leaders, called the offer "disappointing" but she said she was "pleased that funding will be put place to meet the full costs of the pay award that has been agreed, as this was vital to school budgets which are under intense strain".

Nicola Fitzpatrick, from Wales' largest teaching union NEU Cymru, said the offer was lower than that recommended by the independent pay body and she would be consulting her members.

"Whatever decision they make, NEU Cymru are clear this is still not the pay correction necessary if we are to redress historic cuts and genuinely ensure we recruit and retain the highly qualified staff we need," she said.