Edgware Associates’ Post

Proposals for a 5% increase in the minimum rates of pay for Educators and Managers look set to progresses to the next stage. Once approved by the Labour Court these rates go the Minister for sign off. The 3 year experience requirement for graduate lead educators and managers is also being removed. Incremental steps toward professional recognition and status, but a lot more required to attract and retain educators and managers.

Positive steps in the right direction

The Department for Education (DfE) has taken a step forward in easing the burden on teachers by adding an annex to the statutory guidance School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. This move was negotiated by teaching unions as part of the teacher’s pay deal to end industrial action in July 2023. The tasks are part of a commitment by the government to reduce teacher workload as part of their workload taskforce. This is a positive step in the right direction towards supporting our teachers. Read more about this update in the 3-minute read below. 👇 #education #teacherpay #teacherworkload #DfE

INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATE 📣 Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down the 2024/25 Federal Budget in which he acknowledged a commitment to fund educator wage increases but deferred any decision on the amount of funding to be allocated until after Fair Work Commission processes that are currently ongoing are completed. Some key ECEC relevant highlights from the 2024/25 Federal Budget are: ⭐ The Government will invest $30.0 million over two years from 2024–25 in IT and payment services to deliver on its commitment to provide funding towards a wage increase for the Early Childhood Education and Care sector.  ⭐ The Government will provide $98.4 million in 2024–25 to help child care services increase their capacity to support inclusion of children with additional needs ⭐$427.4 million over four years from 2024–25 to establish a new Commonwealth Prac Payment of $319.5 per week from 1 July 2025 Read the full summary and ECEC budget highlights on The Sector - Early Education News below.

CELA’s CEO Michele Carnegie was with the Prime Minister, Minister Clare and Minister Aly for the historic 15% pay increase announcement. Last week, we were in Canberra to talk about the importance of making this historic commitment work for our member services, so they can access the government funded wages subsidy without impacting service’s quality, sustainability or viability. We have been raising the voices of community managed and small providers to MPs and senators. It’s clear that the Federal Government understands the crucial role that our members play in a quality affordable early education system. We could not have achieved this result without these champions for early childhood education within Federal Parliament. They have all taken the time to listen to their communities and helped make this a priority for this term of government. We are now focused on finalising the multi-employer agreement as soon as possible so the full benefits of this investment can start flowing to families, educators and services. The best way for our members to find out more and access the benefits of these reforms is through CELA. We’ve worked at every step of the multi-employer bargaining negotiations and subsequent process announced by Federal Government. If you are seeking clear and current information on how to make this work for your service and staff, sign up here: hashtag #ozearlyed

The €307m funding shortfall identified by Government in May 2022 has been exacerbated by a failure to provide sufficient funds for national pay awards agreed by Government. Almost all of the extra €100m provided over the last two years under Funding the Future has been eroded by an under-funding of pay awards, leaving universities materially short of funds to pay existing staff.   In the Pre-Budget Submission the IUA is calling for: 🔴A €92m supplementary budget in 2024 to cover the costs of existing staff; 🔴A further €171m in Budget 2025 to continue covering existing staff costs; 🔴At least €120m additional Funding the Future allocation. This would still leave almost one-third of the €307m funding gap after three successive budget. ➡ Read submission: https://lnkd.in/eZ_VPhj8 Patrick O'Donovan TD Fine Gael Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Jim Miley Orla Feely University College Dublin Linda Doyle Trinity College Dublin Daire Keogh Dublin City University John O'Halloran University College Cork University of Galway Maynooth University University of Limerick Technological University Dublin

👩🏫 Feeling the pinch or just hanging in there? As we approach the end of July, the uncertainty surrounding teacher pay for 2024 continues. Many teachers are heading into their summer break without clarity on what their salaries will be next year. This has left school leaders scrambling to set budgets based on estimates. The government, however, assures us that an announcement is imminent. The process typically involves the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) making recommendations after consultations and evidence submissions. Ideally, a decision should be made by July, but delays have thrown schools into budgetary chaos. Current rumours suggest a 5.5% pay rise might be in the offing, though this exceeds what many schools have budgeted for. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Chancellor Rachel Reeves promise a decision by the end of the month. Meanwhile, schools and teachers remain in limbo. 🌟 Let's hope for a swift resolution that recognises the vital role our educators play. What are your thoughts on the delay? Comment below or visit us at www.stepintoteaching.co.uk for more insights. #TeacherPay #Education #SchoolBudget

School teachers and leaders are set to receive a fully funded 5.5% pay award, recognising their significant impact on children's futures. The government has accepted the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in full, ensuring that schools will benefit from nearly £1.2 billion in additional funding to cover the costs. This funding will fully support the pay award for teachers and support staff in the financial year 2024 to 2025 at a national level. This investment not only secures fair compensation for educators but also represents a crucial milestone in the government's commitment to recruit 6,500 new teachers. Learn more about this above-inflation pay award for teachers here: [https://lnkd.in/eT4NurC3] #Teachers #Education #Funding #PayAward #Recruitment

Teachers and leaders will soon receive a fully funded 5.5% pay increase, reflecting their invaluable contribution to students’ futures. The School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations have been accepted in full, and schools will get nearly £1.2 billion in additional funding to support this pay award for the 2024-2025 financial year. This investment supports the government's goal of recruiting 6,500 new teachers and acknowledges the crucial role educators play in shaping young lives. Starting September, the average teacher salary will increase by over £2,500, reaching a median of over £49,000. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also announced further steps to ease teachers' workload and enhance flexible working. These measures include removing the performance-related pay system and allowing planning time to be done at home. This is a significant step forward in recognising and valuing the dedicated work of our educators. Read more here: https://buff.ly/4fsC1nV #EducationNews #TeacherPay #EducationFunding #TeacherSupport #BamberEducation

With almost half of multi-academy trusts in England now in deficit, and Labour proposing a tax on private school fees, redundancies within the education sector may become an unfortunate reality. While never a pleasant topic, it’s certainly one that requires careful consideration and expert guidance. To help schools understand their obligations and ensure compliance, our HR and Employment Law experts have compiled a checklist outlining six key things schools should think about before embarking upon a redundancy process, including: 👉 Do you have a clear rationale for needing to make redundancies? 👉 Have you got a plan for consulting with your employees? 👉 Have you made employees aware of any alternative vacancies? Download your free copy here to make sure you’ve considered everything: https://ow.ly/kJlu50SAuR8 ▶️ For more sector-specific advice on conducting a fair redundancy process, including how to minimise risk and avoid claims, check out our recent webinar, Managing Redundancies in Education – now available on demand: https://ow.ly/9Jq350SAuLw #schools #schoolleaders #education #redundancy #redundancyadvice