A day-long strike is underway in England and Wales over a wage dispute.
It is the first of seven planned days of industrial action being organized by the National Education Union (NEU) following a member vote.
The union estimates that around 23,000 schools will be affected by the strike.
Participating teachers have told the BBC why they feel this is necessary.
Alisha Kakar, who has been a chemistry teacher at a school in Leicestershire for the past three years, said she stands out because she feels education “can’t go on like this”.
While NEU members are leaving because of the pay, Alisha is also concerned about the workload and the pressures she and her co-workers are under.
She said it all became too much for some – and they chose to walk away.
“I would say on an average week I work up to 60 hours,” she said. “I invest these hours because I want the best for my students.”
She said she spends at least six hours a day in the classroom on her feet, making corrections and preparing for class.
She also said she often had to comfort other teachers when they were feeling stressed.
“They’re going to be really upset about something that happened or they’re just going to feel pent up on emotion and they’re going to cry,” she said.
“It’s really sad to see how the job could affect my friends and work colleagues and how upset and exhausted they are about it.”
“It’s really sad and disappointing to see education shut down like this.
“It’s also very sad to see older colleagues who have so much experience, so much knowledge to pass on, being pushed out of the job.”
For Ian Walters, taking part in strike action will put into practice the theory he taught his politics students.
“My school leavers were curious about my own position,” said Ian, who has been teaching in Derbyshire for 19 years.
“I’ve been incredibly reluctant to say whether or not I’ll act, but it was a really good opportunity for some of these students to see some of the theory we talked about in the classroom put into practice .”
His big concern is that people don’t want to work in schools, not only teachers but also support staff like teaching assistants (TAs).
“Our support staff has been absolutely depleted,” he said.
“They are our lowest-paid members and take jobs in supermarkets and hospitality because they earn more and have a better work-life balance.”
In the past, Ian said you can expect up to 50 applicants for a teaching position at a school, but now you’ve been “lucky” to get one or two.
“Parents will be aware of how frequently they receive emails and newsletters from the school about staff leaving and changing schools,” he said.
“I hope that the parents will think about why there is such a high staff turnover.”
The result, according to Ian, is an ever-increasing workload.
“The last thing we want to do is cause any inconvenience to the kids we teach,” he said.
“But the reality is, if we don’t take a stand now, these cuts will just continue.”
Houda Benhamouda works at a secondary school in Nottinghamshire.
As a mathematics and economics teacher, it is not surprising that her thoughts revolve around financing.
She believes that the current collective agreement is not sufficient for either teachers or students.
“This raise is not funded, it’s coming from the school budget,” Houda said.
“That comes from the resources your children would have to use.
“What we are asking for now is funding. It’s not just about the raise, it’s about funding the schools.”
Houda, who worked as a teacher for 18 years and previously went on strike over pensions, said she understood the disruption it would cause.
But their growing concern is that the loss of so many experienced teachers could result in a two-tier education system.
“I know some parents who go the private tutoring route,” she said.
“Disadvantaged children do not have this opportunity. You only have us.
“If we are not there because the government decides to continue these cuts and we continue to lose qualified and experienced teachers, what will happen to these children?”
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “It is very disappointing that the NEU is continuing with strike action. These strikes will have a major impact on children’s education, especially after the disruptions of the past two years, and create great uncertainty for parents.
“With ongoing talks on a range of issues including future pay, workload, behavior and attitude and retention, it is clear that strikes will not be used as a last resort.
“I made it clear today that unions don’t have to go on strike to meet with me. I also reiterated my call for union leaders to ask their members to let school leaders know if they intend to go on strike to help schools minimize the impact on children.
“I will continue to do everything I can to protect children’s education.”
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram. Submit your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.
Add Comment