This week I report on publication of this year’s statutory guidance on pay and conditions for teachers in England, the Government’s rejection of calls for reinstatement of funding in the 2024/25 schools’ budget and the Education Ministers’ letter to schools about the Israel—Hamas conflict.

STPCD 2023 published
The DfE has released its statutory guidance on pay and conditions for teachers in England for this academic year. Minimum and maximum pay across the leadership, upper, and main pay ranges has been amended. The DfE has also updated its non-statutory guidance to help schools and governing bodies develop their approach to teachers’ pay.

Government rejects union calls to reinstate £370 million funding
Minister for Schools Nick Gibb has written to education unions to dismiss their calls for the £370 million in lost funding in the 2024/25 schools’ budget to be restored. On Tuesday Labour called ministers to the Commons to answer an urgent question after the DfE admitted it had inflated the 2024/25 school budget by 0.62% after miscalculating pupil numbers. A review has been commissioned into the error and schools have since been reissued with new initial budget allocations for next year.

Education ministers’ letter to schools regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict
Education ministers Gillian Keegan, Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon have written a joint letter to schools about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The letter seeks to reiterate the importance of schools and colleges offering pupils and staff a safe environment to learn and work whilst addressing difficult questions that pupils may ask. The letter also mentions the importance of tackling antisemitism and other discriminatory bullying and ensuring that it is “responded to with all due seriousness”.