TEACHERS in the NEU took strike action on Wednesday and again today as the battle over pay continues to rumble on.

Striking is of course a last resort and teachers, like all workers, do not take the decision to strike lightly. 

There is no “good time” to strike, and this is a particularly difficult time of year to be out of the classroom for members in primary schools, but what other choice do we have?

Recruitment figures for September are way below the government’s targets, 40,000 experienced teachers left education last academic year and teaching vacancies are at a record high. It’s hardly surprising given that Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan continues to show complete disregard for the profession and morale among the profession is at an all-time low.

The government knows full well that they hold the key to ending the strikes; all four teaching unions are willing to negotiate. The leaked School Teachers Review Body (STRB) report would be a sensible starting point and yet still it has not even been published let alone have we had any hint of discussion with unions.

It’s laughable that last year the DfE refused to entertain the idea of awarding a pay rise that went beyond the STRB recommendations and yet this year after the figure of a 6.5 per cent raise for teachers was leaked, Rishi Sunak has hinted that they can ignore this year’s STRB report.

This is typical of a Conservative government that thinks it can heed recommendations only when it suits them.

So yes, there is much anger within the profession, but also much disappointment that the government can continue to undermine an entire profession showing how little they value the future of students and this country’s education system.

This goes beyond fighting for a decent pay rise for educators; one of the key demands from educators who are taking strike action is the lack of funding for the paltry pay rises offered so far. 

Since the Conservatives have been in power, school funding has fallen and budgets have been pushed to breaking point. The NEU has been campaigning for increased funding, but year after year the funding for schools and colleges falls way short. 

Class sizes continue to increase, the number of qualified teachers and support staff in classes continues to fall and those who remain in the classroom are expected to provide a quality education on a shoestring. 

And it’s not just classroom budgets which are stretched, provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities  (SEND), Early Years, Alternative Provision and Post-16 education are all at breaking point. In addition, mental health services across the country have been so severely underfunded that there is now a mental health crisis in education and a severe lack of resources within schools to meet the needs of pupils.

That’s why NEU members are taking strike action this week and it is also why all four teacher unions and support staff unions are currently balloting their members for further strike action in the autumn term. Anger among educators is palpable.

If the government continues to refuse to negotiate on pay and funding, then there will be no choice but for escalation and further disruption to schools and pupils.

Keegan can so easily settle this dispute, as educators we are not asking for a lot. Fund our education system properly and pay educators fairly, so that we can give pupils the education that they rightly deserve.

Lucy Coleman is an NEU rep in Oxfordshire.