Dorset teachers warn education sector is 'barrelling towards catastrophe'
They've been striking once again, with a picket line at Poole High
Last updated 2nd Mar 2023
Hundreds of teachers in Dorset are on strike again today (Thursday 2nd March) in a continued dispute over pay.
There has been disruption at schools as teachers across the county have been picketing outside schools this morning.
According to the National Education Union (NEU), 200,000 of its members have chosen to take strike action to increase pressure on the government and in hopes of a pay offer that will help them cope better with the rising cost of living.
Poole High teacher, Nick Jarvis said:
“We are fighting for fully funded pay increases, so it isn’t coming out of the existing school budgets which are already under a huge amount of strain.”
His colleague, Nick Miller-Pope added:
“We need to make sure any increases in staff pay isn't taken out of school funding budgets and that teaching is an attractive industry for people to work in.”
Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, claims the government made a “serious offer” to the NEU to stop industrial action from going ahead.
Mr Miller-Pope, a member of the NEU, addressed this:
“The government are refusing to get around the table until teachers call off strike action, but that's the wrong way round.
“We're striking because we feel we haven't been listened to!”
Lucy Rile, a history and politics teacher at Poole High, echoed these thoughts:
“I’m hoping the government start taking us more seriously.
“If they want to have a world class education sector, they need to start funding it properly.”
The teachers at today’s strike told us choosing to take strike action was a “difficult decision” especially in the current climate.
Mr Jarvis said:
“I'm willing to sacrifice a day’s pay if it will help the union get the government to sit down and talk to us.”
More national walkouts are due to take place in England and Wales on the 15th and 16th of March.
All the teachers we spoke today expressed that this is the last thing they want, Ms Rile said: “It's not just a financial pain, I also feel pain for our kids.”
“I don’t want to be out here. I want to be in school teaching my class who have got exams coming up, but we've got to do this!”
Teachers don’t believe they’re being properly compensated for the hours they put in. It’s a profession that involves working beyond their paid hours.
Mr Jarvis said:
“Teaching is a very challenging job and that involves working in the evenings or sometimes working at the weekends and because of that teachers should expect a good competitive salary.”
According to some of the teachers at the strike, retention rate is low and apparently one in four teachers don’t continue teaching after their first five years.
Ms Rile noted: “Some of the most amazing people work in education, but they're leaving because they don't feel valued or paid enough to do it.”
“I think we're barrelling towards catastrophe and the government just isn't seeing it.”