THE PRICE of school meals in Pembrokeshire is to rise after senior councillors heard their current costs can no longer be sustained without financial losses to the authority.

At the March meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members were asked to back increases to the price of paid school meals in primary and secondary schools from September 1.

A report for members said prices “have remained unchanged for seven years and can no longer be sustained due to rising operational and staffing costs”.

It said the School Meals Service is experiencing significant financial pressure as a result of food price inflation and National Living Wage increases, rising to £12.21 per hour, adding: “While the service currently maintains an overall surplus, recent analysis shows that the secondary school catering service will enter a deficit in 2026/27 without a price adjustment.”

For primary schools, the service provides approximately 6,500 meals per day across 53 schools, adding: “The unit cost of producing a paid for primary school meal now exceeds the costs of production (this include ingredients and additional overheads). This misalignment has created a structural deficit for each meal served.

“As we are managing to a total cost recovery model rather than a static unit price, the £3.40 Universal Primary Free School Meals rate is the most reliable proxy for current production costs for a primary pupil meal.”

Members were recommended to increase paid meals by 20p and adult meals by 49p.

For secondary schools, the service provides 3,500 meals daily across eight secondary schools, where a cafeteria style- model is used.

The report said: “Meal prices have been frozen since 2019. Despite efficiency measures such as supply chain reviews and menu consolidation, food inflation and wage increases now exceed what can be absorbed operationally. It is no longer possible to provide a high quality, nutritionally balanced two- course meal within the current pricing structure.”

As part of a proposed service saving of £200,000 for this financial year it was recommended to increase the price of individual menu items by some 11 per cent.

It added: “Despite maintaining static meal prices for seven years, the Council’s proposed rates remain competitive when compared with neighbouring authorities. Recent benchmarking shows widespread variation, with many councils planning further price increases before September 2026.”

Members backed recommendations that the price of a paid primary school meal increases from £2.55 to £2.75, with adult meals rising from £3.51 to £4.

They also backed increasing the price of individual secondary school meal menu items by 11 per cent, subject to targeted increases rather than a blanket rise.

LEVEL 1 teaching assistants in Wales will be moved to level 2 roles from September 2026.

This move will benefit up to 3,350 current level one teaching assistants, who will receive a pay rise of up to £1,350.

Teaching assistants play a vital role in supporting teaching and learning in our schools and settings. Working with local authorities and unions, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle has today (March 18) confirmed that the Welsh Government will fund the salary increase for level 1 teaching assistants to move to level 2, subject to local consultation*. Future teaching assistant roles will also be recruited at a minimum of level two.

Alongside increased pay, the move will ensure consistent teaching assistant role descriptions and will support improved recruitment and retention.

The announcement comes on the same day the Strategic Education Workforce Plan for Schools is published. The plan outlines a shared vision of developing a confident, resilient, and well‑supported education profession, responding directly to feedback from practitioners, unions, local authorities, Estyn, the Education Workforce Council (EWC) and other key partners.

To support the current and future workforce, the plan sets out a range of actions for Welsh Government and partners to take forward under five themes, which are –

• Ensuring quality of teaching and learning
• Addressing workload issues
• Responding to new challenges for the school workforce and ensuring access to support through a specialist and pastoral workforce
• Ensuring that teaching, supporting teaching an educational leadership are attractive career pathways
• Ensuring effective use of data and evidence to inform workforce planning
• The well-being of staff is addressed under each theme and is central within the plan.

Actions outlined within the plan include a commitment to establish career-long national professional learning pathways for teachers, leaders and teaching assistants working closely with Dysgu. The initial teacher education incentives and pathways into teaching will also be reviewed to support recruitment of future teachers.

There’s also a commitment to understand alternative models for supporting teachers with time away from the classroom, and to support the appropriate use of generative artificial intelligence in learning and to reduce workload.

The plan also recognises new challenges the school workforce is facing in supporting learners outside of their day-to-day teaching duties. This includes strengthening multi-agency collaboration to support the school workforce to respond to wider societal changes. It also commits to investing and supporting non-teaching pastoral roles including Family Engagement Officers and the work of Community Focused Schools Managers.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, said: “Today is a milestone day for education with the plan outlining key commitments that will benefit the sector in many ways in the short and long term.

“The plan has been developed in collaboration with the sector and will support our leaders, teachers, and support staff now and in the future. Equipping them with the skills they need to meet the needs of learners, with wellbeing support for the staff at the heart of the plan.

“I am also pleased to announce the uplift for level 1 teaching assistants today, this is the first step towards the long-term goal of pursuing fairer pay and conditions for all teaching assistants.”

Councillor Lis Burnett, WLGA Spokesperson for Education, said: “Teaching assistants are at the heart of our schools, building trusted relationships with pupils and providing the day-to-day support that helps children feel confident and ready to learn. We welcome this funding from Welsh Government to support the move from level 1 to level 2 roles, recognising the important contribution they make. It’s vital this sits alongside ongoing work to ensure fair and equitable conditions across the whole workforce, so staff feel properly valued and supported in the role they play in children’s lives.”

Union warns disparity is ‘grossly unfair’ as new analysis shows male school leaders earning thousands more on average

THE GENDER pay gap between male and female secondary school headteachers in Wales has increased tenfold in just one year, according to new analysis.

Research by NAHT Cymru found that male heads were paid an average of £4,507 more than their female counterparts in secondary schools in 2024/25. This marks a sharp rise from the £447 difference recorded in 2023/24. In 2019/20 the gap stood at £1,887.

The school leaders’ union analysed workforce data to examine the gender pay gap for the first time across different leadership roles.

Among primary school headteachers, the average gap was £739 in favour of men, while special school heads saw a difference of £846. Both figures have fallen since peaking in 2019/20, when the gaps reached £1,128 and £6,390 respectively.

In other leadership roles including acting, deputy and assistant headteachers, the gap also widened in some sectors. In secondary schools it rose from £1,633 to £1,771. Primary schools recorded a six-year high of £516, while special schools saw the gap reach £3,785.

The disparities come despite the existence of a national pay framework for school leaders.

Women make up 74% of the teaching workforce in Wales, but their representation falls to 62% among headteachers and 68% in other leadership positions.

Among classroom teachers, the pattern differs. In primary schools, female teachers were paid on average £1,058 more than men in 2024/25, up from £881 the previous year. In secondary schools the gap in favour of women stood at £160. However, male teachers in primary special schools earned on average £891 more than their female colleagues, up from £832 in 2023/24.

Laura Doel, national secretary of NAHT Cymru, said the findings raised serious concerns.

“It cannot be fair or right that women who progress into senior leadership roles are paid less on average than men,” she said.

“While it is possible the enormous gap this year among secondary heads has been skewed by a small number of outliers, it remains clear that this is a really significant issue across all types of school.

“It is grossly unfair for the women affected. Even a relatively small gap can accumulate into a very large difference in overall earnings over the course of a career, with major implications for salaries and pension entitlements.

“It is also bad for schools and pupils. If women feel they are not being fairly compensated for the enormous responsibility and workload that leadership brings, they may leave the profession altogether. Schools can ill afford to lose talented female leaders at a time when many are already facing recruitment and retention difficulties.

“We are not seeing anything like enough sustained improvement in tackling this issue, which is why we are calling on the Welsh Government to act now.”

NAHT Cymru is urging the Welsh Government to review the equality implications of the current pay system and introduce measures to support more women into leadership roles.

The union is also calling for mentoring and leadership development programmes, greater funded support for flexible working, and a national policy on funded parental leave and adoption across the profession.