There are new plans which would represent the biggest sustained uplift for teachers' wages in England and Wales since 2005, rising to £26,000.
The Mirror reports that the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has today outlined plans to increase entry level salaries from September 2020, with those in inner and outer London seeing earnings rise to £30,000 and £32,000 respectively.
Experienced teachers, heads and school leaders would see an above inflation pay increase of 2.5 per cent to their pay under the changes, with early career teachers' salaries increasing by up to 6.7 per cent, the announcement said.
The proposals have now been forwarded to the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) - and, if effective, would mark a leap in the Government's pledge to increase teachers' starting salaries to £30,000 by September 2022.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "We want to make teaching attractive to the most talented graduates by recognising the prestige that we as a society place on the profession.
"We have set out proposals to significantly raise starting salaries for new teachers to £26,000 next year, rising to £30,000 by September 2022, alongside above-inflation pay increases for senior teachers and school leaders. These mark the biggest reform to teacher pay in a generation.
Mr Williamson said the proposed changes could stop more than 1,000 teachers from quitting the profession over the next academic year.
However teaching unions have called for similar increases across the entire teaching workforce which has seen a real terms cut in pay over the last decade.
While the plans will see new teachers start on £26,000, up from £24,373, experienced teachers and school leaders will benefit from a rise of just 2.5 per cent this year.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the increase proposed will barely cover inflation under current forecasts.
He said: "The government should know from teachers’ reaction to previous differentiated pay increases that this announcement will create widespread dismay.
"With teacher retention problems worsening, this is a devastating message for experienced and dedicated teachers.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers added: "The government’s ambition to raise starting salaries to £30,000, whilst welcome, would be a mistake without also addressing the decade-long real terms reduction to the salaries of leaders."
The STRB will now consider the Department’s proposals and respond with their recommendations later in the year.
For the latest news in and around Bristol, visit and bookmark Bristol Live's homepage.
You can follow us on Twitter here and on Facebook here and here.
You can also join our traffic and travel, crime and parenting Facebook groups.
