NEU members rallied in London on Wednesday
Children and parents face more disruption on Friday, as teachers in England go on strike once more.
The walkout will be the seventh national strike day by members of the National Education Union (NEU) in schools in England. The sixth was Wednesday. Before that, the 2 May strike day affected more schools than ever.
While Friday is the seventh national strike day, it is actually the eighth day of disruption for schools in England because of previous action at regional level.
NEU members from sixth-form colleges are also taking part.
Some teachers, in Northern Ireland and Wales, are also taking action short of a strike.
When are teachers striking next?
The NEU is striking again on Friday, 7 July.
The union is also re-balloting its members to seek continued support for strike action in the autumn term.
Members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the NASUWT are also being re-balloted in England, after neither union reached the required threshold to hold strikes earlier in the year.
NASUWT members in 56 sixth-form colleges in England have voted in favour of strike action and action short of strike.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has said it will ballot members on national strike action in England for the first time in its history. Voting is currently open and ends on 31 July.
Any action taken by the ASCL, NASUWT or NAHT would take place in the autumn term and would be co-ordinated with the NEU, which could lead to full school closures.
The Department for Education said further strike action would cause “real damage” to pupils’ learning.
No further strike action is scheduled in Wales or Northern Ireland, and the dispute has been resolved in Scotland.
Will my child’s school close?
In England, schools should open if possible, the government says.
Teachers do not have to declare in advance if they intend to strike, and there are no rules about when parents must be told about school closures.
Head teachers take a decision on whether to shut schools. Some parents may only be told about a closure on the morning of industrial action, once staff numbers are known.
There are no minimum staffing rules. Head teachers can use agency staff or volunteers, who do not have to follow the curriculum.
Schools may offer remote education, but this is not compulsory.
WATCH: What do the teachers’ strikes mean for parents in England?
Can parents take time off, and what else do you need to know?
In England, you can ask for leave to care for “family and dependants”, including emergency childcare.
Your employer must not refuse a reasonable request, but you may not be paid. Alternatively you may be able to take holiday or unpaid parental leave.
Schools have been asked to prioritise vulnerable pupils and key workers’ children. They are also asked to try to prevent, or reduce, any disruption to exams and other formal assessments.
The NEU has issued guidance which says it will support arrangements for head teachers to “provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed” on strike days so students who are taking exams can attend school.
Why are teachers striking? What do they want?
NEU teachers are striking because they want an above-inflation pay increase, plus extra money to ensure any pay rises do not come from schools’ existing budgets.
Most state school teachers in England had a 5% pay rise for the year 2022-23.
After intensive talks, the government offered an additional one-off payment of £1,000. It also increased the offer for most teachers next year to 4.3%, with starting salaries reaching £30,000.
The Department for Education described it as a “fair and reasonable offer”, and said schools would receive an extra £2.3bn over the next two years.
But all four unions involved in the dispute rejected the offer.
The government has said, on average, across England the offer is fully funded. It has been told by the Office for Statistics Regulation that it should make it clearer that this refers to the national picture rather than at an individual school level.
The NEU argues most schools would have to make cuts elsewhere to afford it – and therefore the pay offer is not fully funded.
The unions’ rejection means one-off £1,000 cash payment is now off the table.
Next year’s pay has been considered by the independent pay review body and is being looked at by government. The NEU is calling on the government to publish the recommendations. The Department for Education says it will publish its response “in the usual way”.
Teachers’ salaries in England fell by an average of 11% between 2010 and 2022, after taking inflation into account, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says. Unions claim pay has fallen by as much as 23% in that time.
Three teachers explain why they are taking industrial action
Many teachers were offered a 3.2% pay rise for 2021-22 and 2022-23.
But they have asked for a pay increase of 6% for 2021-22, and a rise of inflation plus 2% for 2022-23.
The NAHT, the NASUWT, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the Ulster Teachers’ Union and the NEU took part in the most recent strike, which saw most schools close.
Members of the NASUWT union who work in further education colleges and school leaders from the NAHT joined the strikes for the first time in the current dispute.
It is the first time in its 125-year history that NAHT members have taken strike action over pay.
Teachers in Northern Ireland have also been taking action short of a strike since October 2022, which includes refusing to provide lunchtime supervision or to attend meetings held outside working hours.
Teachers from the NEU have agreed on an increased pay offer of 8% for 2022-23 (a 6.5% increase in annual pay, plus a one-off payment of 1.5%) – and a 5% increase in annual pay for 2023-24.
The NAHT in Wales has rejected the offer. The union says funding arrangements remain a major concern for school leaders. Talks continue.
Since 1 February, NAHT members have also been taking action short of a strike.
The dispute has ended in Scotland as unions have accepted a 7% rise for 2022-23, backdated to April. They have also accepted a 5% rise in April 2023, and a 2% rise in January 2024.
How much do teachers get paid?
Classroom teachers were paid an average of £38,982 in the 2021-22 school year in England, £39,009 in Wales and £40,026 in Scotland. Northern Ireland did not provide a figure.
The average head teacher salary in England for the same period was £74,095, and £57,117 for other senior leaders.
Experts advise ministers about teacher pay, based on factors such as vacancy rates and subject shortages.
As with all public spending, money allocated in England is awarded proportionately to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Employers also contribute 23.68% to teacher pensions. Nurses, by comparison, receive 14.38%.
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