Thousands of North East teachers to go on strike
A march and rally has been organised in Durham against government plans to cut education funding.
Teachers across the North East are calling for education funding to be protected from proposed government cuts.
Tens of thousands of teachers in our region are expected to strike today, putting pressure on the government to change their plans.
A march and rally will take place from 11:30am in Durham Market Place tomorrow.
Then from 2pm, teachers will stage a “Meet The Teachers” event at Grey’s Monument, Newcastle, putting on fun activities for children, while giving parents and the public a chance to find out more about the reasons for the strike and the problems facing education.
Mike McDonald, Northern Regional Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“The NUT is aware that strike action can be disruptive to parents and carers and for that we wholeheartedly apologise. Equally, teachers do not take strike action lightly. The problems facing education, however, are too great to be ignored and we know many parents share our concerns.
“The strike is about the underfunding of our schools and the negative impact it is having on children’s education and teachers’ terms and conditions.
"Schools are facing the worst cuts in funding since the 1970s. The decisions which head teachers have to make are damaging to our children and young people’s education. Class sizes going up, school trips reduced, materials and resources reduced, and subjects – particularly in the arts – are being removed from the curriculum. Teaching posts are being cut or not filled when staff leave. All of this just to balance the books.
“No parent wants this for their children. No teacher wants this for their school or pupils. With political parties in turmoil since the EU referendum, it is imperative that education is put to the forefront of every election campaign. The problems schools face need addressing immediately. We must not let the education of the next generation be side lined.”
The NUT estimate the average secondary school in Durham will lose £269,600 through new government funding plans.
Primary schools are projected to be £59,911 worse off.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:
"Removing unnecessary workload for teachers is a priority for this government, and we have made this clear in our discussions. Our extensive work with you along with the wider profession, is helping to ensure that teachers can concentrate on what they do best.
"To suggest we aren’t prioritising school funding is disingenuous. The significance we place on education is demonstrated by the fact that we are investing more than any previous government in our schools. This year the schools budget will total around £40bn, an increase of around £4 billion since 2011-12, so it is now the highest it has ever been. Additionally, the schools budget has been protected in real terms going forward, at a time when other areas of spending are having to be reduced in order to control the public finances, education has rightly been protected, reflecting precisely where our priorities lie."