Thousands of schools are closed on Tuesday after 92% of the National Union of Teachers members voted in favour of industrial action.
Speaking on the on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the union’s acting general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said the decision to strike came after government funding cuts.
Courtney said the education secretary Nicky Morgan had failed to acknowledge the real-terms cut in funding, and the union wanted guaranteed terms and conditions on increased money for schools. It also wanted resumed negotiations on teacher contracts to allow workloads to be addressed.
Morgan has said: “The schools budget is the highest it has ever been this year at £40bn; it has gone up by £4bn since 2011/12. We have a programme of talks with the unions. That continues.”
However, Courtney argues: “Nicky Morgan doesn’t acknowledge the reality. She wrote to me on Saturday saying the school budget is going to be protected in real terms, which isn’t true. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says [there is an] 8% cut [per pupil]. That’s why class sizes are going up.”
In a statement, Courtney added: “Schools are facing the worst cuts in funding since the 1970s ... 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.”
Are you striking today? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us why you are walking out and what message you want to send.
