The 3.5% increase, recommended by the School Teachers Review Body (STRB), applies from 1 September 2026.
The pay award applies to all maintained schools. Academies can choose to follow it.
The 2026/27 pay award for school support staff has also been agreed. Read details on this in our other article.
The pay award will be funded by government funds and savings from pension revaluations
The government will provide schools with £700 million in additional funding in 2026/27 to help cover the cost of the pay award, alongside funding previously allocated in the 2025 spending review.
The remaining amount will come from savings from reduced Local Government Pension Scheme employer contributions.
Read more in the DfE's blog post, and see details of the teachers' pay scales for 2026/27 on the NEU's website.
Get advice on how to budget for expenditure on staffing in our other article.
From September 2027, teachers' and leaders' pay is expected