More strikes planned as teachers reject pay offer

Teachers in England will strike on two days during the summer term, after members of the UK's largest education union rejected a government pay offer.

The results of their ballot found that 98% of NEU members were in favour of turning the deal down.

Strike action will take place on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May but the National Education Union says exam classes will not be interrupted.

The government previously said it was "a fair and reasonable offer".

Speaking at the NEU conference in Harrogate, Joint General Secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said the offer was "unacceptable", "is not fully funded" and it did not deal with the shortage of teachers in schools.

In a ballot over the government's pay offer, 191,319 NEU members voted to reject the deal with a 66% turnout.

Teachers were offered a £1,000 one-off payment this year, and a 4.3% rise next year. Starting salaries would also rise to £30,000 from September.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said if the deal was rejected, the £1,000 payment for this year would be lost and the decision will now be passed back to the pay-review body.

It previously recommended a 3% rise from September 2023.

Mary Bousted confirmed plans to support GCSE and A-level students during the upcoming strike days and she said they have been speaking to head teachers to make sure they are in class for exam preparations.

The union is calling on ministers to "reopen negotiations" on pay.