Welsh Teacher Pay Review – update

Our Head of Education Policy Martin Hodge provides an update on meetings with the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body.

This week, Helen and I met with the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body to discuss our written evidence and call for improvements to teacher pay and conditions.

We are asking for a 7% pay award for teachers that is fully funded with new money from Welsh Government. This is calculated as a 3.5% award to cover RPI inflation, plus a 3.5% award to continue the restoration of teacher pay. We have been clear that any pay award should not come at the expense of school budgets, nor put support staff roles at risk.

In addition to pay we have also asked for some improvements to teacher conditions.

• Increase planning and marking time to 20% from 10%.
• The right to disconnect and not respond to messages in evenings and at weekends.
• End the division between the main pay scale and the upper pay scale as we believe this is used to put a ceiling on pay and risks discriminating against part-time and female teachers.
• People who take on sole responsibility for a task should be paid for it in full, even if they only work part-time.
• Introduce support for teacher training through the student loans system.
• Provide quality staff development that supports classroom teachers, and improves teaching and learning, rather than just meeting school policy matters.