Teachers consider dropping strike plans after extra £500m for pay
Schools in England get £500m from pension fund revaluation to cover pay rises, prompting the NEU to consider calling off its strike ballot.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Schools in England are to receive around £500 million in unexpected funding to help cover an increase in teachers' pay for this school year. The money comes from a revaluation of the local government pension fund, which found that employers are going to have to contribute less than expected. Rather than clawing the money back into central funds, the government is allowing schools to keep it to plug the gap on pay.
The teachers' pay increase this year in England is 3.5%. Schools had already received some extra money but had been told they would have to fill a shortfall of around 1%, which head teachers described as very challenging. The largest education union, the National Education Union (NEU), is due to begin balloting teachers next month over possible strike action in the new year.
Daniel Kebede, leader of the NEU, said the extra funding was "very welcome" given that schools had been "running on empty", and that the union would consider whether to call off its strike ballot next week. Independent economists at the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that, by next year, with this additional funding schools would be around £1.6 billion better off in England than they were expecting this summer.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| The extra funding came from a revaluation of the local government pension fund, which found employer contributions would be lower than expected. | |
| The IFS reported schools in England would be around £1.6 billion better off by next year due to the additional funding. | |
| The NEU leader said the union would consider whether to call off its strike ballot. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC framed the funding as a late development that could stave off industrial action, stressing the source of the money and the union's cautious response. It also included a broader fiscal context by citing the Institute for Fiscal Studies' estimate of the impact on school budgets, giving the report a neutral, explanatory tone.
- “Schools in England are to receive around 500 million pounds in unexpected funding to help cover an increase in teachers pay for this school year”
- “Today Daniel Kebede the leader of the National Education Union said it was very welcome that the schools have been running on empty They would consider whether to call off their strike ballot next week.”
- “Well, the independent economists at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Said that by next year with all this additional funding schools would be around 1.6 billion pounds better off in England than they were expecting this summer”
Broadcast Timeline
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