Teachers go on strike after ‘offensive’ wage proposal rejected

School strikes will continue in the summer term after teachers voted to reject the government’s wage offer.

The National Education Union (NEU) said 98 per cent of members who voted on the deal said “no” to a £1,000 one-off bonus this year and a 4.3 per cent pay rise next year.

Of the 195,500 members who voted, equal to 66 percent of members, 191,000 rejected the deal.

The union is preparing for two days of strike action in England on April 27 and May 2, weeks before the start of GCSE and A Level exams.

Members will also vote on further strike action at the NEU conference in Harrogate.

Kevin Courney, NEU general secretary, said: “Today we are notifying Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education.”

He warned the government that the union has support for future strikes.

The NEU executive has agreed to seek “local agreements” with school principals to protect year 11 and 13 exam preparation.

However, it did not rule out a malfunction.

During the last two days of national union action in March, striking teachers closed most schools for some or all year groups.

GCSE and A students who miss classes during summer strikes are not expected to receive special attention from examination boards.

Guidance from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents the UK’s eight largest examination boards, does not provide for industrial action.

A JCQ spokesperson said: “As every year, schools and colleges have prepared contingency plans to ensure exams and assessments are delivered effectively during periods of significant disruption.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said the wage offer is “a fair and reasonable offer”.

She also said the government has gone “as far as we can” with negotiations.

Mr Courtney urged parents to “put pressure on MPs” to get them to step in to get Ms Keegan to step in and give teachers a better deal.

“We are not going away…our campaign is not going away,” he said.