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17 April 2026

Unions write to AOC to justify 5 per cent national pay claim

Trade unions have written to the Association of Colleges to spell out exactly why they have resubmitted a claim for a raise of five per cent for the next academic year. They originally made the request at a meeting at the start of May, but the AoC said it would not consider a claim while […]

AoC boss expresses regret over 1 per cent pay offer

The Association of Colleges has expressed regret for offering staff a one-per-cent payrise – and has come in for heavy criticism from the unions for its trouble. “We wish we were in a position to make a better recommendation today, but current funding levels for colleges do not allow us to do so,” claimed AoC […]

£35k-a-year private school seeks £3.50-an-hour apprentice

A private school with annual fees of £35,000 has been branded “a disgrace” by one of the UK’s largest trade unions for offering a rate of just £3.50 an hour for an apprentice to tend its grounds. Cheltenham College, an independent coeducational boarding school in Gloucestershire, advertised for an ‘apprentice groundsperson’ on the gov.uk ‘Find […]