The Welsh Government published the Independent
Welsh Pay Review Body’s 7th Report and the
written response to it, on Wednesday 13 July, some three months after the report was sent to the Minister. This delay is frustrating, particularly as the IWPRB’s 4.25% recommendation has not been upheld. That said, there has been a change in Government from Labour to Plaid Cymru but this response, arriving just before the summer holidays, has given school leaders little time to assimilate.
The new Cabinet Minister, Anna Brychan, states that, for September 2026, she is proposing to consult on a 3.5% increase to all pay ranges and allowance points for classroom teachers and school leaders, with a 5% to the minimum of the unqualified teacher pay range. Whilst this is to be fully funded, ASCL Cymru remains concerned that schools will still be short-changed because of the anachronistic funding formulae applied by each of the 22 local authorities and leading to an average
20.5% top-slicing compared to
9% for maintained schools in England.
Furthermore, Wales has not implemented a multi-year pay deal for teachers like England, instead handling pay awards annually. This has led to further criticism from unions for delaying and under-matching independent recommendations
With their 7th Remit report, we are pleased that the IWPRB has again recognised that teacher pay must be significantly improved to support recruitment and retention. There were four further recommendations which include:
- a strategic review of the structure of teacher and leaders’ pay and conditions in Wales, including working hours and workload as well as a focus on the Welsh-Speaking workforce
- an evaluation of the impact of the incentives scheme for teacher recruitment and retention
- research into teacher and leaders’ pay comparisons with other leading professions
- changes to the STPC(W)D to ensure that Equalities legislation is monitored by schools and local authorities
STPC(W)D update
The STPC(W)D 2026 was supposed to be ready for the start of the academic year but the delays identified above have resulted in a further consultation and statutory ascent period and an expected publication late October/ early November.
Protecting leaders’ holidays and weekends
We are pleased that there will be clarity around the expectations on working hours and working time for school leaders, including headteachers. With leaders not protected by the 1265 hour directed time limit, this change will confirm that they should only be expected to work at weekends in exceptional circumstances, such as urgent or unforeseen issues that cannot wait until the normal working week. Local authorities have already been written to by the previous Minister, Lynne Neagle, to ensure they work with headteachers to ensure that emergency and safeguarding duties are shared fairly and do not place an excessive burden on any one leader during weekends or school holidays.
We believe that this measure alone will not be sufficient to tackle our serious concerns regarding the workload and wellbeing of our over 1,000 members. Our
recent survey (June 2026) paints a bleak picture and solutions lie more widespread than holiday and weekend protection.
ALNCo assimilation onto the school leadership pay range
ASCL Cymru is also pleased to support the STPC(W)D provision for Additional Learning Needs Coordinators (ALNCos) to move from standard teacher pay scales to the leadership group pay scale from September. There is also retrospective backpay to 1 September 2025. This better reflects the strategic and inclusive leadership demands of such a crucial role as more children with ALN and complex needs are educated in mainstream settings. Direct funding to schools has been made in the form of a dedicated grant although this is managed by local authorities and concerns around excessive top-slicing mean that schools will only see around 80% of this additional money.
IWPRB 8th Remit
Whilst we wait for the finalisation of the 7th Remit and the publication of the STPC(W)D 2026-27, the consultation process has begun for the 8th Remit, with a letter dated 6 August, from the Cabinet Minister to the IWPRB, asking the independent pay body to respond to these two questions:
- What adjustments should be made to salary and allowance ranges for classroom teachers, unqualified teachers and school leaders from September 2027 to ensure the profession in Wales is appropriately rewarded and able to attract and retain high-quality practitioners?
- Options for changes which could be made to the STPC(W)D including Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time allocation, to improve workload and well-being, with full details of the practical implications and costs.
The consultation timescale is 14 September to 6 November and the period for supplementary and oral evidence is from 7 – 18 December. The final date for the IWPRB to publish their report is 31 March 2027.
NB Please remember that the pay uplifts recommended remain provisional until the pay award consultation and Pay Order are finalised. Therefore, employers should not finalise changes to their pay policy until after the Pay Order has been laid and the final STPC(W)D has been published.