Striking Shropshire teacher considering hardship fund help

Rory Hickford also joined colleagues on the picket line in Shropshire in February

A teacher taking part in strike action in Shropshire says he has considered applying for a hardship grant because he is struggling to pay bills.

Rory Hickford, of Shrewsbury, said his monthly outgoings almost matched his salary and he had already opted out of a pension to be able to afford things.

Hundreds of teachers are walking out on Wednesday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The government has said "inflation-busting pay rises" were unrealistic.

Rather, it is proposing a 3% pay rise for most teachers in 2023-24, as part of below-inflation pay recommendations for millions of public sector workers.

Members of the National Education Union are holding regional strikes on Wednesday in the West Midlands, East Midlands and east of England areas.

Three other regions will follow on Thursday, ahead of a national strike across England and Wales on 15 and 16 March.

Mr Hickford, of Meole Brace, who currently teaches art and photography at Shrewsbury Academy, said he had started teaching three years ago earning about £25,000, which rose through national pay rises to almost £32,000 in December.

'Bad luck'

The father-of-two's monthly outgoings covering rent for his family's flat in Shrewsbury, childcare, food, running a car and a loan to pay for his car reached about £1,900, just under his take-home salary of £1,975, he said.

After his car broke down, he said he had needed a loan to replace it and had waived his pension to help pay that and afford other things such as childcare.

"A bit of bad luck and things can really snowball," he said.

Regional strikes on 1 and 2 March are due to be followed by national strikes on 15 and 16 March

His wife, who is self-employed and runs a custom art business on Etsy, contributes, but the family also struggled after she was put in the wrong tax bracket after the pandemic, which made it difficult to build up savings, he said.

Teachers' jobs have become increasingly stressful, he said, with marking, planning, gathering and tracking grade data and risk assessments, as well as helping and counselling students adding to long hours.

'Sold games consoles'

Applying to organisations or charities for a hardship grant is something, he said, he had been forced to consider.

"I don't want to and I've tried to find other options. I've sold all my camping stuff and games consoles - you have to prioritise and do what you can," he said.

"I know I am not doing as bad as some, I do realise that. I am in full-time employment, I'm in a certain position, but it's not very easy for teachers at the moment."

Teachers need a fully funded-pay rise, he said, as the cost of living increase and salaries did not match the rise and it was difficult to make his salary last all month.

• When are strikes and what are teachers paid?

• Teacher strikes: What parents need to know

• Who is striking when and what pay do they want?

Teacher salaries in England fell by an average of 11% between 2010 and 2022, after taking rising prices into account, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says.

Most state-school teachers in England and Wales had a 5% rise in 2022, paid for through existing school budgets.

With many budgets already tight, Mr Hickford called for extra government funding to protect schools' finances.

"There will be redundancies and cuts on niche subjects like food, photography, textiles, dance," he said.

"There are already only three teaching assistants in my school after the last round of redundancies.

"It's a profession that needs to change. I don't regret teaching, but if someone set out the pros and cons of exactly everything, I may have changed my mind."

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says the government has already agreed to provide an extra £2bn in school funding, "which will take real-terms spending on schools to its highest level in history".

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]