Teaching unions in England have expressed optimism that further school strikes can be avoided following a 5.5% pay increase offer from the government, effective September.

The government will allocate an additional £1.2bn to fund this raise.

The National Education Union (NEU) described the offer as a 'welcome step in the right direction,' though further efforts will be necessary to address long-standing pay issues resulting from real-term wage decreases since 2010.

Experienced teachers have seen an 11% real-term pay reduction over this period.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports that teacher pay is 6% lower in real terms than 14 years ago.

The independent pay review body supports the 5.5% pay rise, citing teacher shortages in almost all secondary school subjects.

The £1.2bn funding aims to bridge the gap beyond the 3% increase that most schools had already budgeted.

The new pay offer may be subject to a formal union ballot in September, though more strikes are now considered unlikely.

The proposed salary hike is part of a broader government strategy to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has indicated that some cuts, such as scrapping the Advanced British Standard qualification, will fund the pay increase.

Furthermore, private school fees will face a 20% VAT from January 2025, with Labour planning to use the revenue to hire 6,500 new teachers.