NEU strike days in England on 27 April and 2 May

On Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May, teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) will hold two days of strike action in schools and colleges in England as part of our campaign to win a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.

This follows a pay and funding offer from Government that was resoundingly rejected by 98% of NEU members on a 66% turnout. Other education unions held votes, too, and received similar verdicts from memberships. The education secretary Gillian Keegan was informed of the NEU’s result in writing on 3 April.

National spokespeople will be around the country on both strike dates.

27 April

• Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary, will be at a rally in Oxford. Assembly from 11.00am at Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1BX. Rally from noon, then march to Broad Street from 12.45pm.
• Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary, will attend a picket line between 8.00-8.30am at Bristol Cathedral School, College Square, Bristol BS1 5TS. This is followed by a rally in Keynsham at The Bandstand, Bath Hill, Keynsham BS31 1HL.
• Niamh Sweeney, Deputy General Secretary, will attend a rally in Dunstable. Assembly at Grove House Gardens, LU5 4GP from 11.00am.
• Rachel Curley, Deputy General Secretary, will attend a picket line between 7.30-8.00am at Kingsdown School, Hyde Road, Swindon SN2 7SH, then from 8.00-8.30am at Eldene Nursery and Primary School, Colingsmead, Kembrey Park SN3 3TQ.

2 May

• Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary, will be at a rally in Brighton. Assemble 10.30am at Old Steine BN1 1NT, march from 11.00am via Hospital to Queens Park. Rally from noon at Queens Park BN2 2GA.
• Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary, will attend a picket line from 8.30am at City & Islington College, 283-309 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7LA. He will then head to the rally in Westminster (see below).
• Niamh Sweeney, Deputy General Secretary, will attend picket lines at sixth form colleges in Cambridge: from 8am at Long Road Sixth Form College, Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PX, then from 8.30am at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 8PE.
• Amanda Brown, Deputy General Secretary, will attend a picket line in south London from 9.00am, at Dulwich Hamlet Junior School, Dulwich Village, London SE21 7AL.

A focal point for members in London on 2 May will be a march through Westminster, including a protest outside the Department for Education and culminating in a rally outside Downing Street. Speakers will include Kevin Courtney of the NEU.

11.00am, assemble at Belvedere Road SE1 (next to Jubilee Gardens and London Eye).

11.45am, march over Westminster Bridge, past Parliament and up to a protest at the Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT. Then on to Whitehall.

1.00pm, rally outside Downing Street.

Commenting on the days of action, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, said:

“Gillian Keegan is failing to address the multiple problems damaging our children's education - around teacher recruitment and retention problems, and inadequate school funding. She has been told by the profession – and a significant majority of the profession – that her pay and funding offer is not good enough.

“Her response has been to deny the way the wind is blowing. She is refusing to return to the negotiating table. It is this inaction, this silence which has left NEU teacher members in England’s schools and sixth form colleges to reluctantly take two more days of national strike action in the coming week.

“The NEU regrets any disruption to education, and has put in place measures to ensure GCSE and A-Level students have a full program on those days, but what parents know is the disruption to education on a daily basis. This is the result of government policy on pay, on workload, on funding, and its serial neglect of a recruitment and retention crisis. Pupils are now regularly taught by staff who do not specialise in the subject they are asked to teach, or by a series of different teachers for the same subject across a year. Schools are cutting subjects and facilities in order to make ends meet, reducing opportunities for young people. Support staff posts are disappearing, leading to less one-to-one time.

“Despite our efforts, this Government has shown no understanding of just how serious the situation is in our schools and colleges. The pay and funding offer has only served to unite the whole profession against the Government. That is why other education unions are moving to ballot. This coming week, NEU members are acting to make the Government see sense and improve its offer to teachers.”