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Lynne Neagle MS, Cabinet Secretary for Education

First published:
13 January 2025
Last updated:

My focus is on boosting standards in our schools and colleges. 

The continued commitment of our workforce is central to achieving this. This is why we gave teachers a very deserved 5.5% pay rise last year, meaning that the starting salary for a new teacher is £32,433.

I recognise the scale of the various challenges across education in Wales. We need to focus on getting our existing programme of reforms right – on the Curriculum for Wales, on improving additional learning needs support and on school improvement. 

Along with countries across the world, we see issues in recruitment and retention, and concerns around the wellbeing of teachers, school leaders and support staff. 

Increasing workload pressures are a theme I hear repeatedly in my engagement with the profession. This is impacting on time and opportunity both to participate in professional learning and to undertake relevant planning and administrative tasks. 

Society’s expectations of what we expect from our schools has changed. The cost-of-living crisis, increasing complex health needs of learners, and changes in society’s expectations of what schools should do, all have an impact. Pressures on wider public services mean children need greater levels of support to be ready to engage with learning. 

Leaders and practitioners highlight that this has changed the experience and nature of teaching, and the role of a teacher. Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants are spending more time addressing these issues, which has a knock-on effect on teaching and learning. 

This is beginning to impact on the attractiveness of teaching as a profession. All staff – leaders, teaching professionals, support staff - play a critical role in the life of the school and the progress of children and young people. It is critical to get the balance right in terms of workload, experience, as well as pay and conditions. 

I am announcing today that I have begun discussions with the sector to develop a strategic education workforce plan, for schools and early years settings in the first instance. This will embed our vision and values for leaders, teachers and support staff for the future recognising that there are a range of important roles across the school workforce. 

We will set out a strategic way forward working in partnership with local authorities / governors as employers, union partners and school staff, parents / carers, and learners. This strategic plan will ensure we are focusing clearly on delivery and improvement for our education workforce. 

I intend to focus on developing this plan transparently with our partners and will provide an update to the Senedd in due course.