To receive and consider the recommendations of the Cabinet (Minute 362(c)) as an amendment to the following Notice of Motion submitted previously to the Council by Councillor Hannaford and referred thereto in accordance with Standing Order 8(2), namely:
Council notes that:
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted in overwhelming numbers to take strike action for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
Teachers across England have been offered a 5 per cent pay rise, which represents a 7 per cent real terms cut to their pay when compared to the very high rates of inflation.
One in four teachers leave the profession within two years of qualification: a third within five. Nearly one third of the teachers who qualified in the last decade are no longer teaching.
Children are losing out because there are not enough teachers. One in eight maths lessons is taught by a teacher not qualified in the subject.
The Government missed its target for recruitment of new secondary school teachers by 41 per cent this year and by 11 per cent for primary school teachers.
There has been a fall of 23 per cent in trainee teacher recruitment in 2022 compared with the year before.
Teachers are leaving the profession because of a mix of excessive workload and poor pay. A teacher who started working in 2010 and made normal progress up the pay scale has lost over £64,000 in real terms.
Teachers in England top the OECD league table for working time outside lessons. In addition to their teaching timetable, primary teachers spend nearly 32 hours and secondary teachers nearly 33 hours working in addition to their teaching every week. This means working weeks of 55-60 hours are commonplace in staff rooms all over the nation.
Secondary class sizes are at their highest for 40 years. Primary class sizes are now at their highest for 22 years.
According to a survey sent out by the Department for Education (DfE) to all schools and trusts in England in May 2022 regarding gas and electricity contracts, the average quote given on renewal for gas has increased from £0.03 per kWh to £0.09 kWh for gas; and from £0.16 per kWh to £0.32 per kWh for electricity. These substantial cost increases are placing significant pressure on school budgets.
This Council also notes that:
Our teachers do not want to go on strike – they want to be in properly resourced classrooms with enough support staff, teaching and supporting our amazing children and young people in the way they deserve.
Teachers in Devon are doing their best for our children.
However, the proportion of reception age children achieving a good level of development, the proportion of Y1 children achieving expected level in phonics; and KS2 children achieving expected standard in reading, writing and maths are all ongoing concerns.
In recent years there have been substantial ongoing increases in the numbers of children in Devon requiring additional support in school due to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or significant anxiety and mental health difficulties which act as a barrier to accessing their education.
Staff and budgets can only stretch so far. Looking at the entire picture, is not difficult to see that faced with escalating running costs and unfunded pay rises heads will have no choice but to make cuts in areas which directly impact children such as additional support for those with SEND and other needs.
These growing cost pressures are borne out by projections for Devon County Council which show that without making compensatory cuts primary schools maintained by the local authority will struggle to balance their budgets in 2023/24, if no further funding is forthcoming.
It is short-sighted for the Government to expect schools to make savings which impact on children when it simply creates system pressures elsewhere such as increased demand for EHCPs and places at specialist schools and alternative provision.
This Council resolves:
To support the campaign for the Westminster Government to provide a fully funded, above-inflation pay rises for all teachers and support staff.
To write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor to call for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
To resist the Government’s ongoing cuts to school budgets and call for more funding to be invested in education.
Having had regard to the aforementioned, any factual briefing/position statement on the matter set out in Report (LDS/23/7) and other suggestions or alternatives considered at that meeting the Cabinet subsequently resolved:
that the Council continues its positive work with the F40 national campaign and its ongoing engagement with Government to ensure:
Equitable funding is provided by central Government to all Devon schools to allow them to maintain and deliver a high-quality education, to enable them to safeguard all children and young people, and meet the full cost of any pay awards to support the recruitment and retention of a strong and dedicated school workforce in the County.
Decision:
‘that the Council continues its positive work with the F40 national campaign and its ongoing engagement with Government to ensure:
funding is provided by central Government to all Devon schools to allow them to maintain and deliver a high-quality education, to enable them to safeguard all children and young people, and meet the full cost of any pay awards to support the recruitment and retention of a strong and dedicated school workforce in the County.
Minutes:
Pursuant to County Council Minute 214 of 25 May 2025 relating to the Notice of Motion set out below as previously submitted and formally moved and seconded by Councillor Hannaford that:
Council notes that:
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted in overwhelming numbers to take strike action for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
Teachers across England have been offered a 5 per cent pay rise, which represents a 7 per cent real terms cut to their pay when compared to the very high rates of inflation.
One in four teachers leave the profession within two years of qualification: a third within five. Nearly one third of the teachers who qualified in the last decade are no longer teaching.
Children are losing out because there are not enough teachers. One in eight maths lessons is taught by a teacher not qualified in the subject.
The Government missed its target for recruitment of new secondary school teachers by 41 per cent this year and by 11 per cent for primary school teachers.
There has been a fall of 23 per cent in trainee teacher recruitment in 2022 compared with the year before.
Teachers are leaving the profession because of a mix of excessive workload and poor pay. A teacher who started working in 2010 and made normal progress up the pay scale has lost over £64,000 in real terms.
Teachers in England top the OECD league table for working time outside lessons. In addition to their teaching timetable, primary teachers spend nearly 32 hours and secondary teachers nearly 33 hours working in addition to their teaching every week. This means working weeks of 55-60 hours are commonplace in staff rooms all over the nation.
Secondary class sizes are at their highest for 40 years. Primary class sizes are now at their highest for 22 years.
According to a survey sent out by the Department for Education (DfE) to all schools and trusts in England in May 2022 regarding gas and electricity contracts, the average quote given on renewal for gas has increased from £0.03 per kWh to £0.09 kWh for gas; and from £0.16 per kWh to £0.32 per kWh for electricity. These substantial cost increases are placing significant pressure on school budgets.
This Council also notes that:
Our teachers do not want to go on strike – they want to be in properly resourced classrooms with enough support staff, teaching and supporting our amazing children and young people in the way they deserve.
Teachers in Devon are doing their best for our children.
However, the proportion of reception age children achieving a good level of development, the proportion of Y1 children achieving expected level in phonics; and KS2 children achieving expected standard in reading, writing and maths are all ongoing concerns.
In recent years there have been substantial ongoing increases in the numbers of children in Devon requiring additional support in school due to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or significant anxiety and mental health difficulties which act as a barrier to accessing their education.
Staff and budgets can only stretch so far. Looking at the entire picture, is not difficult to see that faced with escalating running costs and unfunded pay rises heads will have no choice but to make cuts in areas which directly impact children such as additional support for those with SEND and other needs.
These growing cost pressures are borne out by projections for Devon County Council which show that without making compensatory cuts primary schools maintained by the local authority will struggle to balance their budgets in 2023/24, if no further funding is forthcoming.
It is short-sighted for the Government to expect schools to make savings which impact on children when it simply creates system pressures elsewhere such as increased demand for EHCPs and places at specialist schools and alternative provision.
This Council resolves:
To support the campaign for the Westminster Government to provide a fully funded, above-inflation pay rises for all teachers and support staff.
To write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor to call for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
To resist the Government’s ongoing cuts to school budgets and call for more funding to be invested in education.
and having had regard to the advice of the Cabinet set out in Minute 362(c) of 12 July 2023:
Councillor Hart MOVED and Councillor McInnes SECONDED that the Cabinet’s advice be accepted, and that Notice of Motion be amended to read as follows;
that the Council continues its positive work with the F40 national campaign and its ongoing engagement with Government to ensure:
Equitable funding is provided by central Government to all Devon schools to allow them to maintain and deliver a high-quality education, to enable them to safeguard all children and young people, and meet the full cost of any pay awards to support the recruitment and retention of a strong and dedicated school workforce in the County.
Councillor Whitton MOVED and it was duly SECONDED that the word ‘equitable’ be removed from the motion. The Leader accepted the suggested change, as below.
that the Council continues its positive work with the F40 national campaign and its ongoing engagement with Government to ensure:
funding is provided by central Government to all Devon schools to allow them to maintain and deliver a high-quality education, to enable them to safeguard all children and young people, and meet the full cost of any pay awards to support the recruitment and retention of a strong and dedicated school workforce in the County.
The revised amendment in the name of Councillor Hart was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED and subsequently thereafter also CARRIED as the substantive motion.