Isle of Wight teachers are likely to join thousands across the country in strike action in the coming weeks. 

That is the view of an Isle of Wight teaching union official ahead of the 5pm announcement of the result of a strike ballot by the National Education Union (NEU).

The NEU, along with other teaching unions, has balloted over industrial action to begin at the end of the month, following a statutory two-week notice period. 

Peter Shreeve, assistant district secretary for the Isle of Wight branch of the NEU, said the indicative ballot some months ago suggested members here would vote to strike.

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He said: “They do so with a heavy heart in the face of sustained issues around teacher pay and teacher recruitment and retention.

"Real terms pay cuts over the last 12 years have accompanied increasing workload over many years.

"They are also concerned that the present pay rise is not fully funded by central government, creating extra unnecessary pressure on many school budgets."

Mr Shreeve said the lack of teacher capacity was well documented.

"These real terms pay cuts over more than a decade is one of the reasons why we do not have enough teachers.

"This year alone 41 per cent more trainee secondary teachers are needed," he added.