The Department’s influence on teacher pay differs across schools and colleges. For secondary schools, the Department sets teacher pay ranges based on advice from a pay review body. Local-authority- maintained schools must apply these ranges, whilst academies set their own pay although many follow the Department’s guidance.64 We asked the Department how it would ensure schools can afford the pay awards, particularly given the 17% combined pay increase over the last three pay awards, the wider financial pressures faced by schools and the need to find, for example, efficiencies through improving procurement policies or energy contracts.65 The Department told us that it funds pay awards 57 Qq 34, 36; C&AG’s Report, para 2.26 58 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.3, 2.5 59 ITN0006 60 Teacher pay: everything you need to know about the 2025 pay award – The Education Hub 61 Q 8 62 C&AG’s Report, para 2.4 63 ITN0005, ITN0008, ITN0021 64 C&AG’s Report, para 2.6 65 Q 60; ITN0021 18 at an aggregate level, as part of schools’ wider funding package for pay and other areas of spend, but it has also assumed schools will make 1% efficiency savings in 2025–26 to afford pay rises.66 Colleges do not have a pay review body, setting their own salaries from the funding received.67