Summary
Cost of living
Job satisfaction
Member profile
Pay bands
Access to CPD
Teachers’ Pension Scheme
 

NASUWT campaigns for a restorative pay award for 2025/26 that is above retail prices index (RPI) inflation.

Teachers have had enough of attacks on their pay, pensions and conditions of service and there is a real need for the Government to restore pay levels with a series of above-inflation pay awards in order to rescue the profession from the recruitment and retention crisis and restore morale and motivation.

The Government must work with trade unions and other stakeholders to improve and restore the education sector as, clearly, a lot of work is needed to undo the damage of previous governments to restore the profession to 2010 levels.

With spiralling workload and pay erosion through high costs of living and energy prices, teachers are still leaving the profession in their droves and children and young people are not being given the best life chances.

While there are modest improvements across a number of measures, the overall picture continues to show a profession under severe financial pressure with high levels of worry, widespread personal cutbacks, and significant concerns about the competitiveness of teaching compared with other professions.

This latest NASUWT Teachers’ Pay Survey 2024/25, which closed on 31 January 2025, received approximately 9,000 member responses.

Summary

• The proportions of respondents who are somewhat or very worried about their current or future financial situation has fallen in 2025, down to 86.6% and 93.4% respectively. However, female respondents are more likely to report concerns about their financial situation, with 87.4% reporting concerns about their current financial situation and 94.4% about their future financial situation.
  
  Despite the small fall in numbers from last year, the figures highlight and demonstrate the impact that is still being felt by teachers due to the cost-of-living and energy crises. This sends a clear message that, despite the situation starting to improve slightly for teachers, last year’s pay rise must be the first in a series of above-inflation pay rises under this Government if it truly wants to combat the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching.

• Given that the majority of teachers are female and nearly 75% of NASUWT members are female, the figures demonstrate the financial impact being felt by most teachers who continue to report these concerns.

Cost of living

Teachers are still reporting that in the last 12 months they have had to:

• cut back on expenditure on food (59%);

• cut back on expenditure on fuel and energy (49%);

• cut back on expenditure on clothing (76%);

• cut back on expenditure on essential household items (38%);

• increase overdraft (18%), up from 17% last year;

• increase use of credit/apply for pay-day loan (29%), same as last year;

• stop saving (64%), up from 63% last year;

• use existing savings (62.3%), up from 62% last year;

• reduce contributions to charity (35%), up from 33%;

• deal with mortgage/rent arrears (4.7%), up from 4.5%;

• delay household repairs (41%);

• delay the paying of bills (9%);

• take a second job (12.1%), up from 10.8%;

• use a food bank (1.8%), up from 1.4%;

• seek charitable assistance (1.9%), up from 1.4%.

Whilst the situation has slightly improved in terms of the cost of living, probably due to last year’s pay rise of 5.5%, it seems that teachers are still cutting back on food and energy and relying more on credit, loans and second jobs than last year. It is a damning indictment on the profession that more members are reporting having to use a food bank and seek more charitable assistance than last year.

Sixty-four percent of our members report financial worries associated with the cost-of-living and energy crises, while 62% say the cost-of-living and energy crises are directly affecting their health or wellbeing, including their emotional and mental health.

Teachers cannot be expected to deliver a first-class learning experience for children and young people when their personal health and wellbeing are suffering. The Government, particularly the Department for Education (DfE), has a legal duty to safeguard the health and wellbeing of teachers.

This indicates the continued impact that the ongoing financial and economic downturn is having on teachers and how many are just about surviving to get by. If the UK is to build a world-class education service, then educators deserve to be paid at a rate that is commensurate with their skills and experience in educating children and young people. Investment in teaching is an investment in the economy.

• Among Black teachers, 7.7% reported having to use a food bank in the last 12 months compared with 6% of teachers from a mixed ethnic background. This is in stark contrast to only 1.4% of white teachers reporting having to use a food bank. Similarly, 8.2% of Black respondents had sought charitable assistance in the last 12 months compared to 1.4% of white respondents.
  
  No teacher should have to access a food bank and be struggling with food insecurity, but the Union is finding more and more teachers are doing so, as well as taking second jobs and paying for basic necessities for pupils, such as food, clothing and toiletries, out of their own pocket. The cost-of-living crisis and a long range of below-inflation pay awards have left teachers financially insecure, with more vulnerable teachers, such as those with protected characteristics, being additionally subject to pay discrimination.

• Job satisfaction is up for the second consecutive year, with a particularly large increase in job satisfaction observed among teachers aged under 25 years old, rising from 39.5% in 2024 to 55.3% in 2025. Teachers from a white ethnic background report the highest level of job satisfaction, with 44.1% of white teachers reporting they are satisfied or very satisfied currently about their job. Strikingly, this proportion is much lower among other ethnic groups, with only 30.5% of Asian teachers and 33.3% of Black teachers saying they are satisfied or very satisfied.

Job satisfaction

Forty-three percent of members report being dissatisfied/very dissatisfied with their job, up from 39% last year, with 71% seriously having considered leaving their current job in the last 12 months. This figure has been in the 70s over the last three years.

The overwhelming majority of teachers (86%) say pay was a factor and 70% have seriously considered leaving the profession altogether in the last 12 months, with 87% citing pay as the reason, down from 89% last year.

When it came to job satisfaction, in terms of ethnic group, the following data was retrieved:

• Black (33%);

• Asian (31%);

• White (44%);

• Disabled (36%);

• Non-disabled (44%).

This demonstrates that the morale and motivation in the profession is at an all-time low after 15 years of decimation of pay and conditions frameworks and therefore a much-needed series of above-RPI inflation pay rises are required to stem the flow of teachers leaving the profession.

Pay disparity within teaching and its impact on those with protected characteristics needs to be challenged and driven out. The DfE needs to produce more robust and fit-for-purpose equalities data.

Clearly, more and more teachers from ethnic minorities and those with protected characteristics, such as a disability, are being lost to the profession and this cannot be right during the worst recruitment and retention crisis the profession has seen.

Our survey further told us that 93% of Black teachers and 96% of Asian teachers considered leaving in the last 12 months, compared to 86% of white teachers.

• Following three consecutive increases in the proportion of respondents reporting they have seriously considered leaving their job, up to a high of 73.2% in 2024, this has fallen to 71% of teachers in 2025. However, primary phase teachers are more likely to report having seriously considered leaving their job compared to all other respondents at 72.5%.
  
  More and more experienced teachers are being lost due to the lack of career progression and pay.

• There has been a large rise in the proportion of teachers reporting earning over £50,000, increasing from 12.1% in 2024 to 17.6% in 2025. The increase among male teachers at 8.7% points is almost double the increase seen among female teachers at 4.4% points.

• Of teachers within state-funded schools, 62.9% reported that their school has removed performance-related pay in line with the 2024/25 STPCD changes, compared to only 45.6% of teachers within independent schools.

• Classroom teachers are less likely to report that their school has completed a review of their performance for last year (67.8%) compared to middle (77.9%) and senior managers (80.2%).

• Across England, teachers from the South West and South East are least likely to report being given access to professional development in the previous academic year at just 64.5% and 64.7% respectively. This is in contrast to the East Midlands (71.7%) and North East of England (71.6%), which saw the highest proportion of respondents. Interestingly, teachers from rural areas are significantly less likely to report having been given access to professional development (65.1%) compared to all other respondents (68.3%).

Member profile

• 61% paid on upper pay range/leadership pay range;

• 29% paid an additional TLR and 5% a temporary TLR;

• 6% paid an SEN allowance;

• 1% paid a recruitment and retention allowance;

• 60% not paid any additional allowance.

Fifty-nine per cent of white teachers did not receive an additional allowance compared to Black (69%), Asian (67%), disabled (62%), not disabled (59%).

Again, pay disparity and discrimination is rife within education and hence introducing a bonus culture would make things worse, as pay decisions need to be made transparently and be deeply rooted in evidence, rather than being at the whim of certain persons and leaving schools open to costly legal challenges.

Pay bands

• majority of respondents (48%) earn between £40,000 and £50,000;

• 13% of respondents reported being on M6 pay range;

• 35% on UPS3;

• 62% expected to take additional leadership/management responsibilities.

Access to CPD

Sixty-two per cent of teachers were given access to CPD in 2024/25, down from 69% last year.

• Black (62%);

• Asian (55%);

• White (63%);

• Disabled (54%);

• Non-disabled (63%).

Fifty-nine per cent had discussed CPD priorities with their school.

• Black (60%);

• Asian (46%);

• White (60%);

• Disabled (49%);

• Non-disabled (60%).

Nine per cent expected to fund all/some of their CPD, down from 11% last year.

• Black (16%);

• Asian (13%);

• White (9%);

• Disabled (14%);

• Non-disabled (9%).

Our members reported a drop in access to CPD from 69% to 62% this year. NASUWT has consistently called for the Government to increase school funding so that schools are able to pay and develop teachers who will then provide children with a world-class teaching and learning experience. Young people deserve the right to be taught by the best teachers.

Furthermore, if the Government wishes to stem the tide of teachers leaving the profession, then teachers need to be paid commensurately and this includes fit-for-purpose and robust CPD. Teacher standards are linked to pay and teachers need personal development to access those higher levels of pay.

Teachers’ Pension Scheme

When asked, 93% of respondents reported that they were a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) compared to 96% in 2024/25.

The TPS is the best pension provision for teachers in that it is a defined benefit and a consumer prices index (CPI) inflation-proofed scheme that provides for family and death benefits.

The ongoing cost-of-living and energy crises have had an adverse financial impact on teachers, with many leaving the scheme. Figures show that membership of the scheme has slightly decreased, but the Union remains guarded against threats to provide alternative and more inferior pensions schemes under the guise of more take-home cash now traded off against pension in retirement.

NASUWT’s position is that all teachers should be enrolled and remain active members of the TPS and everything should be done to encourage teachers to remain in the scheme so that they can retire with dignity and not fall back on the welfare state.

Twenty-eight per cent considered opting out.

Q. If you opted out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, was this due to the cost-of-living and energy crises? (Please tick one)

When asked, 8% of respondents reported that they had opted out of the TPS due to the cost-of-living and energy crises.

Teachers leaving the scheme often rely on the state pension in retirement and this adds to the welfare state bill, so it is in the Government’s best interest to ensure all teachers remain in the TPS. If teachers were rewarded correctly, they wouldn’t have to make decisions around whether to remain in or leave the pension scheme.

The TPS is deferred pay which should not be used now to cover for what is essentially a salary shortfall in the face of higher levels of inflation, energy, food, fuel, and housing costs that are not of their making.

This is overwhelming evidence of adverse financial pressures on teachers, with many choosing to leave the TPS and use savings from pension contributions to help ease current financial burdens caused by the cost-of-living and energy crises.

Teachers are foregoing the employers’ share of pension contributions to their detriment and are leaving themselves vulnerable and reliant on the state in retirement.

Mass opt-outs is an undesirable situation in regards to pension provision for teachers, which may lead to increased administration costs and ceiling breaches that, in turn, cause volatility and increased employer and employee contributions to the scheme.

Recently, many independent schools have decided to leave the TPS and offer inferior pensions to teachers. All this volatility and turbulence, with the potential of increased costs of contributions and with employers and employees opting out, cannot be good for the future viability of the scheme.

The TPS works best when the majority of teachers and employers are part of the scheme and administrative costs are kept to a minimum for both employees and employer.