The 2026 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) brings many significant changes, more than we have seen in many years says Louise Hatswell. Here, she highlights what this means for schools.

More than a pay award

The return of the multi-year pay award 

The first of these is the introduction of multi-year pay awards, with a 3.5% increase for September 2026 and 3% for September 2027. Taking a trip back in time, the last time we saw these was in 2008, covering the following three academic years. So, it is highly likely that some leaders and teachers won’t have had any experience of them. Times were very different then, and the pay awards were embedded within a relatively generous three-year funding settlement, without any expectation for schools to absorb a percentage of the award.

What does the pay settlement mean for teachers and leaders? 

A multi-year settlement does bring some certainty for school budgets in relation to staffing costs, and for teachers and leaders on what their pay awards will look like. It also means that employers will need to be ready to implement the 2027 pay award in time for September payroll. This is a shift from the drawn-out process that has become the norm, with pay awards often not finalised until late in the autumn term and back pay not reaching staff until December or January.

HR leads should ensure that processes are updated and liaise with payroll providers in good time to make this change, and any necessary approvals from governor or trustee pay committees can be included at relevant scheduled meetings.
ASCL expects pay policies to be explicit that national pay awards will be implemented in full, and where this is the case, it negates the need for additional approval and enables pay awards to be implemented more swiftly.

The introduction of non-consolidated payments 

Something that is completely new from September is the introduction of non-consolidated payments.
These have been available via the Green Book for support staff but have previously not been permitted for teachers and leaders under the STPCD.
These are described as non-consolidated recognition awards and are intended to recognise exceptional contribution or achievement.
Schools have discretion to make the awards as cash payments, vouchers or a non-monetary award. Any awards should be ‘modest’.
Although no parameters are set out for these payments in the STPCD, it’s worth noting that the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) suggested that there should be a modest cap, giving an example of £100 or equivalent value.

The practicalities behind the payment 

Schools wishing to introduce these awards need to follow the guidance set out in the STPCD, which covers the need for clear criteria, a modest limit, transparency and how award nominations are made.
This needs to be done in consultation with recognised trade unions before any policy changes are implemented.

The payments must only be used to recognise contributions that are not already recognised through existing reward mechanisms, such as Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payments, and should not be used to bring performance-related pay in through the back door.

Protecting leaders’ time and wellbeing 

Among the most welcome proposed changes are measures aimed at better protecting the time and wellbeing of school leaders. 
These changes are long overdue, and something that ASCL has been calling for, for several years now.

Historically, working time provisions of the STPCD have not applied to members of the leadership group or lead practitioners paid on the leadership pay range.
In practice, this meant that leaders’ time has been less well protected, with many working substantial additional hours during evenings, weekends and school holidays.

The recommendations made by the STRB and accepted by the Secretary of State signal a growing recognition of the need to protect the work–life balance of school leaders. While leadership roles inevitably carry significant responsibility and often require flexibility, the changes reinforce the principle that leaders should not be expected to be routinely available outside the normal working week or throughout school holiday periods.

They point towards a stronger expectation for employers to actively take steps to manage leadership workload, ensure responsibilities are shared appropriately, and create opportunities for leaders to be able to switch off and take meaningful breaks from work. They also emphasise the importance of ensuring that periods of rest, holiday time, and statutory breaks are respected wherever possible. And this should be the norm, not the exception.

These changes represent a welcome shift towards a healthier and more sustainable approach to school leadership, recognising that constant availability should not be regarded as an inherent feature of leadership roles.

So, employers need to ensure not only that contracts and policies reflect these changes, but that their practice does too.

Louise Hatswell
ASCL Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay
@louise.hatswell.bsky.social

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