Teacher strike this week could be 'first of many to come', says NEU
Teachers in Peterborough, Stamford and Rutland will head back to the pickets on Thursday 27th April
Last updated 24th Apr 2023
Teachers across Peterborough, Stamford and Rutland are going back on strike this Thursday (27th April), but plans for more industrial action are in the works.
That's according to Peterborough NEU Branch Secretary, Charlotte Davis, who's from Rutland - she says teachers will head to the pickets for as long as the need to ensure a fair pay deal can be reached:
'Having spoken to lots of members, they are quite frankly disgusted by the offer that was made by the Government recently. We're striking about not just pay, but about pay increases being fully funded. Funding is a real issue in schools.'
'Schools are absolutely on their knees. They're struggling to pay the most basic things at the moment, and in the middle of that we've got a recruitment and retention crisis in staffing, and those that are losing out generally, are our more vulnerable learners.'
Minimum disruption to year 11s and 13s
The NEU, whose members are also planning to strike on Tuesday 2nd May, says schools generally across the country will be affected, but there'll be minimum disruption to year 11s and 13s ahead of the busy exam period.
Charlotte added: 'It's not just about pay, even though it is an issue because we are struggling to keep staff, it's the fact that any pay which is being offered is not being fully funded by the Government. That's just going to make things worse in schools, we're going to have smaller budgets with fewer staff.'
'We will ballot again if we need to, because we care about our pupils and our students. We are worried about the impact our ever-stretched budgets and the shocking number of people leaving the profession is having.'
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We have made a fair and reasonable teacher pay offer to the unions, which recognises teachers' hard work and commitment.
"Next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history - per pupil, in real terms.
"We know schools are facing increased costs like energy and staffing, and are providing an extra £2 billion in each of the next two years to cover those costs. As a result, school funding is set to rise faster than forecast inflation in both 2023/24 and 2024/25."