UNISON & Church of England Partnership to Accredit Church of England Schools

The Living Wage Foundation is pleased to announce UNISON and the Church of England have reached a landmark agreement to bring Living Wage Accreditation to all Church of England Schools.

UNISON worked in collaboration with the Living Wage Foundation to create an easy to follow implementation plan giving the Church of England's nearly 4,700 schools a clear pathway to gain Living Wage Accreditation.

The Church of England schools have already committed to pay the Living Wage, and this new implementation plan, covering both directly employed and contracted staff, provide support for Church of England schools working through the accreditation process.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, Chair of the Living Wage Commission said: "Church of England schools were set up more than 200 years ago to serve the poor and marginalized and they have always been committed to treating staff and pupils fairly. This new agreement with UNISON will reward schools with Living Wage accreditation for their commitment to treating staff fairly. It is an excellent initiative."