Need-to-know: DfE announces teacher pay award and changes to TLR payments

School teachers and leaders will receive a partially funded 4% pay award.

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on 23 May 2025
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 51602

The 4% pay increase, recommended by the independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) will apply from 1 September 2025.

Allowance ranges, for teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments and special educational needs (SEN) allowances, will also increase by 4%.

The pay award applies to all maintained schools. Academies can choose to follow it.

The pay award will be partially funded through a new grant

DfE funding will cover around 75% of the cost of the pay award (around 3% of the 4% increase). Schools are expected to cover around 25% (around 1% of the 4% increase) through 'improved productivity and smarter spending'.

Mainstream schools will receive the additional funding through the new schools budget support grant (SBSG) in autumn 2025. This will cover the period from September 2025 to March 2026.

Allocations will be