Commenting on the publication of the IWPRB Report 2025’s recommendation to uplift teacher pay by 4.8%, and the government’s announcement that they will offer teachers a 4% pay increase, Matt Wrack, Acting General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:

“NASUWT Cymru will need to talk our members. The decision to fully fund pay will be welcome, although we will need to assess what this means in reality in schools. Considering the scale of the recruitment and retention crisis for teachers in Wales, it is alarming that the government is refusing to fully implement the findings of the IWPRB, which has recommended an increase of 4.8%.

“The pay of Welsh teachers has declined in real terms by almost 15% since 2010, and honouring the IWPRB’s recommendation would have gone much further towards the pay restoration that is long overdue for teachers in Wales.”
 
Neil Butler, National Official for Wales, said:
 
“NASUWT Cymru has long campaigned for a single pay scale for teachers. The government’s commitment to implement this element of the Strategic Review from September is a victory for teachers in Wales but it shouldn't come at the price of failing to meet the IWPRB’s pay recommendation. 
 
“It is unprecedented for the government to offer a pay award below the recommendation of the IWPRB.
 
“We also face an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis for teachers in Wales, with recruitment declining since 2014 and dropping sharply in the last two years. Starting salaries for teachers continue to compare poorly to other graduate professions.
 
“Nothing less than full pay restoration, action to reduce teachers’ workloads, and a robust response on poor learner behaviour can hope to reverse this emergency in teacher recruitment.”