A Hampshire education boss has welcomed pay rises for teachers but warned that increases must be back by more money for schools.

Cabinet member for education on Hampshire County Council, Cllr Steve Forster said that "everything" that helps to attract more teachers is welcome after pay rises were confirmed by the government.

Teachers are due to get a 5.5 per cent fully-funded rise in pay as of September, meaning that starting salaries outside of London will reach £31,650.

The Hampshire education boss has warned however that adequate funding must also be given to schools to avoid further financial woes.

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Cllr Forster said: “Like all local authorities, we are seeing recruitment and retention challenges in Hampshire. However, Hampshire schools have undertaken their main round of recruitment for the autumn term, and unfilled positions continue to be advertised.

“Of course, we welcome anything that can be done to attract more staff into teaching roles but staff pay is only one of many factors impacting recruitment and retention, and needs to be considered alongside the other considerable challenges facing teaching staff, including workload.

“Any increases in pay must also be backed by adequate funding to ensure that this does not add to the already significant budgetary pressures facing schools both locally and nationally.”

The government also announced plans to impose VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent on private school fees from January 1, 2025 and said the tax would apply to all payments made starting from July 29 this year for the January term.

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While some leading schools in Hampshire like Winchester College and St Swithun’s charge around £50,000 a year, the average across the UK is about £15,000 per term.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank previously calculated that the policy would raise about £1.6bn per year.

Cllr Forster added that the measure will increase the number of applications for state schools in Hampshire and, as a result, extra funding.

Cllr Forster said: “The introduction of a VAT charge for private schools may lead to an increased number of applications for state-funded school places within Hampshire. Should this be the case, the Local Authority would do all it can to ensure places are available in line with our statutory duties.

“It should be noted that, as government funding for individual schools is primarily based on pupil numbers, any increases in pupils would therefore result in increased funding to help schools meet extra demand.”