Thread by @mcash

TEACHER #PAYRISE - a short thread
1) It is a good thing, overall.
Teachers desperately need a payrise, and in real terms we are still behind where we were a decade ago. It's a step in the right direction and we want more of it!

2) It's a response to strength...
It's no coincidence that our biggest payrise in 15 years comes just after we organised mass resistance to the government's plans for schools.

3) ...but it's also a bribe
In September we will go back to full classrooms with totally inadequate protections in place. The government hopes that this payrise will stop us fighting back.
It won't.

4) It's must come from existing budgets...
The government has not allocated new money to pay for the payrise. Schools will have to fund it from their existing budgets. This happened in 2018 too.

5)...but school funding is up.
But unlike 2018, most school budgets are not being cut - they're increasing (albeit still below 2015 levels).

So while there is no new money specifically allocated to fund this pay rise, there is new money.

6) The rise is very uneven
New teachers will get 5.5% while experienced teachers on upper and leadership payscales will get 2.75%.

Support staff not part of this announcement at all. The last we heard, they were only getting 2%.

7) The govt's vision
Higher starting salaries but a flatter pay structure means one thing: a short-term profession. They want young people to work very long hours for a few years before quitting. They're removing the incentive for teachers to stay.

7) The govt's vision (cont)
The poor payrise for support staff suggests a style of teaching which does not need many adults in the room. This means more teacher-led activities (instead of pupil-led or group work) and less tailored support for individual children (including SEN)

Conclusion
The payrise is good and should be welcomed. It's evidence of our collective strength. But it's also a sign of threats to come - threats which we must be prepared to challenge.