NEU Teachers strike in ongoing dispute over pay

A picket line is being held outside The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water

Teachers at schools across the West Country are holding strike action as part of an ongoing protest over pay and conditions.

About 200,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU) are walking out across three days of industrial action.

The walkouts mean a number of schools across the region are closed.

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said the government has made a 'serious offer' to the NEU and is disappointed the strikes are going ahead.

Teachers on strike outside Sarum Academy in Salisbury

NEU members from across the region are due to hold a protest march around central Bristol later as well as a rally at College Green from 12:00 GMT.

The NEU said members do not want to go on strike but that a 5% pay rise last year amounts to a real terms cut in teachers' pay. They are calling for for above-inflation increases and to ensure pay rises do not come from existing budgets.

The government is proposing a 3% pay rise for most teachers in 2023/24 - but the NEU says this is not enough and falls way below the current 10% rate of inflation.

Strike action is taking place at schools in Bristol including Willow Park Primary School

The NEU says the strikes are not only about pay, they are about securing more funding and resources for schools, and for more to be done to train and retain teachers.

Sarah Murphy, NEU district secretary for Gloucestershire, said high numbers of teachers are leaving the profession.

"The government has failed to reach its teacher training target for secondary school teachers by 40%.

"Class sizes are going to be increasing and it's not acceptable that within two years of training a quarter of teachers leave the profession and within five years of training a third have left," she added.

There were some very young faces on the picket line at The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water

The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water was closed to Years 7 and 8 with headteacher Will Morgan saying they had prioritised year groups set to take exams while having fewer teachers available.

He said he understood both teachers' reasons for striking, and that some parents would be unhappy that their child was not able to attend school.

"Those who are negative think it's only about teachers trying to get more pay and better conditions but in the vast majority of cases it's about funding for schools generally.

"Over the last 12-13 years it's been withering and withering and that's resulted in where we are with workload crises and recruitment and retention becoming increasingly difficult.

"Unless it becomes a more attractive job we're not going to get the right people teaching pupils of the future," added Mr Morgan.

The headteacher said that he hoped unions and the government would hold talks to avoid further strikes planned for 15 and 16 March which are set to be on a larger scale.

Strikes are also being held across Somerset schools including in Burnham-on-Sea

Tom Bolton from the NEU in Bristol said the current pay offer was a real-terms paycut due to inflation.

"Our argument is cutting through and we've had unanimous support from people.

"We've got about 70 picket lines at schools across Bristol and lots of support from parents as we're making the point that this is not just about pay, it's about funding," he added.

National Education Union members on the picket line in Bristol

St Laurence School in Bradford-on-Avon is closed to most pupils today and deputy head Chris Dutton is among the staff members on strike.

He said: "Today's strike is having an impact on me personally because I'm losing a day's pay but I recognise we've got to fight this because enough is enough for people working state education up and down the country.

"Schools are underfunded desperately and aren't able to provide the basic infrastructure and support staff appropriately and actually recruit and retain teachers.

"If you want to recruit and keep the best in teaching there's got to be a pay package that rewards and recognises the profession."

The government said the NEU had refused its "serious offer" and that the strikes were causing "disruption" for pupils.

"Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic," said the education Secretary.