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Written question asked by Joe Robertson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 March 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Further Education: Pay

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of pay disparities between mainland further education colleges and those in island communities on staff recruitment and retention.

Answer

The department is taking actions to strengthen the recruitment and retention in further education (FE) colleges across the country, including coastal and island communities, as outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.

Across the spending review period we will provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/2029. This will support colleges to recruit and retain excellent teachers. Delivery of this funding is weighted to account for levels of disadvantage.

Our national recruitment campaign promotes careers in FE, and retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax are offered for early career teachers, with higher payments for providers with a higher proportion of disadvantaged learners. Bursaries of up to £31,000 are available for teacher training. With reference to pay, FE colleges, rather than the government, are responsible for setting pay.

The department will continue to monitor workforce recruitment and retention trends through the FE Workforce Data Collection.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
116066
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Further education Pay Recruitment Labour turnover Islands
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk