Teachers 'regret' disruptive strikes, union boss says, as tens of thousands walk out on Thursday in pay dispute
27 April 2023, 10:44 | Updated: 27 April 2023, 12:36
The head of a teachers' union has said they "regret" going on strike ahead of students' exams.
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Tens of thousands of teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) are estimated to walk out of schools and sixth form colleges across England, with another day of action scheduled for Tuesday.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC, Kevin Courtney said that the union had put measures in place to ensure that A level and GCSE classes could go ahead despite the strikes action.
"We're putting dispensations in place to ensure that our GCSE and A-level classes are having revision today, they're getting ready for those exams, because we recognise the point that you're making," he said.
"We always regret the disruption that our action is causing. The disruption not just to education, but also to parents' home and working lives. Our point is there is a wider disruption.
Joint NEU General Secretary Kevin Courtney responds to an A-level student
"If your physics class is not taught for half of the lessons, if your math class doesn't have a math teacher.
"I was sharing this on a demonstration in London recently, a primary class where the teacher had left at Christmas and by the 15th of March still no replacement for that teacher in place. That is disruption every day."
The "majority of schools" are expected to either restrict access to pupils or fully close as a result of the strikes, the NEU has said.
Read more: April teacher strikes 2023: What are the dates after pay deal was rejected?
Many secondary schools in England are expected to prioritise Year 11 and Year 13 students during the strikes as GCSE and A-level exams are weeks away.
The NEU has issued guidance which says it will support arrangements during the strikes that "provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed" so GCSE and A-level students can attend school for revision activities or exam practice.
On the provision for exam-year students during the walkouts, Mr Courtney said: "There's lots of places where arrangements are being made. In some places it's members teaching, in others it is teachers setting work for the children on those days."
The NEU is planning a total of five days of teacher walkouts during the summer term - with three of the dates yet to be announced - after members overwhelmingly voted to turn down the Government's pay offer.
Four education unions - the NEU, the NASUWT teaching union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) - have rejected the pay offer.
The decision on teachers' pay in England for next year has been passed to the independent pay review body, the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB).
Mr Courtney has called on ministers to engage with the unions on pay now and come up with a deal for teachers rather than waiting for the STRB.
He said: "The Secretary of State is currently just abdicating her responsibilities, washing her hands of it and saying it's just up to the STRB.
"That doesn't resolve the issue. It doesn't attempt to avoid our strikes this term and I think it's unlikely to resolve the issue with the other unions as well."
Schools in England could face further walkouts in the autumn as the NEU will re-ballot its teacher members on further industrial action later this year.
Teachers in England represented by the NASUWT union will be re-balloted on strike action, and the ASCL is due to hold a formal ballot for national strike action in England for the first time in its history. The NAHT is expected to announce whether they will re-ballot their members over possible action at the union's annual conference in Telford on Friday.
A Department for Education spokesperson told LBC: “Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers recognising their hard work and commitment.
“Thanks to the further £2 billion pounds we are investing in our schools, next year, school funding will be at its highest level in history.”
