Thousands of teachers have once again taken to the picket line for another strike day. Following previous action last month, staff are walking out today, Thursday, April 27, and again on Tuesday, May 2.
It comes after they rejected the government's latest pay offer, which would give leaders and teachers a one-off payment of £1,000 this year and an average pay rise of 4.5% in 2023 to 2024.
While the NEU says the offer is much too low, the refusal to accept it largely centres on how the increase would be funded.
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Schools are expected to fund 4% of the rise from their own budgets, with the government providing the additional 0.5%. Heads, teachers and unions, say it's a 'wholly inadequate offer', which will result in schools having to make cuts in a bid to make ends meet.
Darren Morgan is head of Kings Road Primary School in Stretford, Trafford, where half of the classes will be closed during the strike. Despite the previous protests having little impact, he says staff are more determined than ever to fight for a better deal.
"I have seen an increase in teachers taking industrial action as a result of the government’s latest pay offer," he said.
"The main issue for school leaders is the lack of investment into school budgets to fund the 4.5% pay offer - the government has offered to support the increase to the tune of 0.5%.
"For me, and many schools, that has tipped us into a deficit budget. I object to the offer on the grounds that schools will have to make support staff redundant in order to address their now deficit budgets."
As the name suggests, those support staff are there to support teaching in schools, including teaching assistants, site staff and office staff. And Mr Morgan, who has been a headteacher for 13 years and a senior leader for more than two decades, says their role is key.
"They are completely fundamental to the running of the school," he said. "TAs support pupils, run intervention and booster groups. They support teachers, they are completely vital - and undervalued."
Clare Walls, a teacher at Kings Road Primary, has previously explained why the action is necessary, saying it's 'seldom just about personal pay'.
"Most teachers that I know are not striking for their own personal gain; in fact, it is more about the impact that the current circumstances are having on their pupils," she said.
"Funding for schools is pitifully inadequate and there is no sign of improvement."
Peter Middleman, the National Education Union's north west regional secretary, warns that 'this dispute is not going away', with the NEU and other teaching unions already planning further strike action for the autumn term.
He said: “In rejecting the government's wholly inadequate offer in such overwhelming numbers last month, teachers have sent Gillian Keegan an unmistakably clear message.
"Her petulant response has been to walk away from any further discussion, which represents a slap-in-the-face to the profession and a gratuitous insult to parents who are still strongly behind the campaign for better school funding and a resolution to the recruitment and retention crisis for the sector.
"This dispute is not going away, and soon after this round of industrial action we’ll be balloting members again – as the law requires – to refresh the mandate for further strikes after the summer break and up until Christmas.
"It may be that Ms Keegan has been unable, rather than unwilling, to persuade the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the seriousness of the financial crisis facing schools but either way, with all four teaching unions now in dispute on the same terms, time is running out to avoid a serious escalation with all the additional disruption that would bring to learning and to the wider economy.”
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has described the decision to hold today's strike as 'extremely disappointing'.
“After costing children almost a week of time in the classroom and with exams fast approaching, it is extremely disappointing that the NEU have called more strike action," she said.
The government says that an average pay rise of 4% is now judged to be affordable for schools and the 0.5% will be funded 'in addition to the record funding already planned for school budgets'.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment.
“Thanks to the further £2 billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.”
Is your child off school during today's strike? Are you in support of the action? Let us know in the comments.
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