BESA’s Peter Doyle: 7 key predictions for education under Labour

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged to "reform the education system" if his party won power, promising a "real-world impact" involving consultation with experts and frontline staff. This could include a comprehensive Labour curriculum review to ensure that educational content meets contemporary needs.

During his speech in Manchester ahead of the general election, Starmer highlighted education as one of five "missions" but is not expected to flesh out any details until later this year. Instead, he has promised "measurable ambitions" and noted that "some of the first tangible steps" are planned. There is also speculation about a Labour teacher pay rise as part of these steps.

As a long-standing figure within the education sector, Peter Doyle has some insightful thoughts based on Labour’s proposed manifesto. Let’s take a look at what he has to say about Labour teachers' pay and other anticipated changes.

One of the significant issues facing schools under the new Labour government is the potential shortfall in funding for a proposed 5.5% pay rise for teachers. This Labour teacher pay rise, while needed, raises concerns that it might not be fully funded by the government.

Recent discussions on radio and in educational forums highlight that teachers have faced lower-than-inflation pay rises over the past few years. This persistent gap has accumulated, with teachers in Scotland earning up to £8,000 more due to inflation-matching increases. Consequently, many experienced teachers are leaving the profession or moving abroad in search of better pay, prompting questions about whether Labour will increase teacher pay adequately.

The impact of this issue extends beyond teachers. With less than 50% of school staff being teachers, there’s an urgent need to address pay increases for core staff and teaching assistants, who play a crucial role in supporting children with additional needs. The challenges in recruiting and retaining these staff members are affecting the ability of teachers to perform their roles effectively, which underscores the importance of Labour teachers’ pay policies.

If the 5.5% pay rise is not fully funded and must be absorbed by schools’ existing budgets, schools could face severe financial difficulties. Many schools are already stretched thin, managing additional responsibilities such as social services and SEND provision while navigating the effects of austerity. The risk is that schools in a ‘just-about-ok’ financial position could quickly move to a ‘definitely-not-ok’ situation.

As these discussions unfold, it is crucial for educators and policymakers to address these funding and pay issues comprehensively to ensure that the new policies have a positive and sustainable impact on schools and their staff.

Labour has not announced any increases in per-pupil funding or total school funding. They announced about £2 billion worth of investment in education, but all of this money is allocated to manifesto commitments. None of it is directed toward increasing overall school funding, which is currently lower than it was ten years ago.

While per pupil funding is roughly the same as it was a decade ago, there are fewer pupils in the system, so the total funding schools receive continues to decrease. Labour's policy on academy schools remains a key discussion point, but Labour has remained silent on these two critical metrics.

Balancing the books is particularly challenging for local authority schools. There has been some talk about changes to council tax to address these issues, but no concrete measures have been proposed yet.

Peter comments:

Peter notes that a big issue that is not being addressed at all at the moment is retention. “Recruiting 6,500 teachers is all well and good, but if you can't retain those teachers, it’s essentially worthless. There’s also an experience gap emerging. For graduates, the teaching profession isn’t as appealing anymore compared to many entry-level positions that offer less responsibility and better pay”. This underscores the critical need for a comprehensive Labour teacher pay rise to enhance retention efforts.

A lack of incentives

Previously, the benefits of teaching included slightly shorter working hours and longer holidays, but administrative demands have eroded these advantages. With the rise of remote work, the lack of flexibility in the teaching profession compared to the private sector presents significant challenges. Addressing these fundamental issues within the teaching profession is going to be very difficult, highlighting the importance of Labour teachers pay reforms.

The UK isn’t alone in facing a recruitment and retention crisis. Almost every major Western democracy, except for Canada, Finland, and Ireland, is experiencing similar challenges.

In Germany, for instance, teachers earn an average salary of around €85,000 a year, yet they still face recruitment and retention issues, which could be informative for the UK's situation if Labour will increase teacher pay effectively.

Based on Labour’s policy on academy schools, it appears that the academisation process will continue, though with less emphasis than under the Conservatives. We’re all familiar with the famous phrase, “All schools to be academies by 2030.” This wasn’t in Labour’s manifesto, and Peter doesn’t expect them to push local authority schools into trusts.

He predicts that we’ll gradually see more schools become part of academies, simply because that is the general “direction of travel” now.

Peter mentioned that Labour has already conducted an internal curriculum review, with the goal of making it "less content-focused." As a result, he notes that the direction of the curriculum changes is already set. 

“We expect to see a shift from a knowledge-based curriculum to something that’s more skills-focused,” Peter says. This emphasis on transferable, transitional skills, he notes, will allow students to apply their abilities across multiple disciplines. This aligns with the goals of the Labour curriculum review to create a more adaptable and practical educational framework.

This shift aims to better prepare young people for the world of work, more so than the previous knowledge-based curriculum.

The subject of homeschooling has been a key talking point among the major parties, with both highlighting the concerning number of children being homeschooled in the UK. Labour’s policy on academy schools and broader educational reforms may influence how homeschooling is regulated in the future.

While the exact number of homeschooled children in England is unknown, the Department for Education (DfE) collected information from local authorities about registered home-educated pupils for the first time, estimating 86,200 pupils in January 2023.

During our conversation, Peter discussed stories of unregulated or "illegal" schools being set up over the last few years, where children may not receive a standard education. As a result, a big clampdown is expected due to safeguarding concerns.

Tracking every student: Labour’s Unique Identification Number initiative

To combat and monitor homeschooling, Peter mentioned that the Labour Party aims to give each child a unique identification number (UIN). Currently, it’s difficult to track where children are within the school system. With a UIN, it becomes easier to track students through each phase of their education.

The Department for Education (DfE) has already begun work on this initiative, which has been in the pipeline for over a year. Although it’s a Labour manifesto policy, the Civil Service has already started implementing it.

BESA, the organisation Peter works for, is involved in working groups discussing data interoperability to ensure that suppliers can access information from the UIN effectively while still protecting children's private and personal information.

A key talking point for some time has been whether to extend the age at which students are required to study Maths and English. Peter notes that Labour has “left the door open” on this subject, so it’s not entirely out of the question.

However, Labour has stated that they want to emphasise maths much more in the early years rather than at post-16. The phonics initiative established by the Conservatives has been very successful, and it looks like, according to Peter, Labour wants to do the same for numeracy.

While no one knows what this will look like in practice, Peter notes that it’s about early identification. In the same way we have the phonics screening check, could there be a similar system for numeracy?

As the Labour Party begins to implement its education policies, teachers and school leaders will be at the forefront of these changes. Peter Doyle’s insights reveal significant shifts on the horizon, including a focus on a skills-based curriculum, the introduction of a unique identification number (UIN), and greater emphasis on early years mathematics.

However, challenges such as inadequate school funding and teacher retention issues remain pressing. For educators and school leaders, it’s crucial to stay informed about these developments and actively engage with policymakers to advocate for meaningful solutions, including whether Labour will increase teacher pay.

Your role in navigating these changes and voicing your needs will be key in ensuring that the new policies translate into real, positive impacts for schools and students.

If you are interested in more insights from Peter Doyle and his team at BESA, be sure to head over to https://www.besa.org.uk/.

And if you’re interested in improving operational efficiency in your school, check out our education software suite, where you can learn about our HR & payroll, financial management, curriculum and parental communication software solutions.