Isle of Wight NEU teachers April/May strike over pay and funding

The government offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year.

In the ballot, 98 per cent of National Education Union (NEU) teacher members who responded voted to turn down the deal.

• Read more: Will your child’s secondary school be open during the upcoming teacher strikes?

Vix Lowthion, teacher, Peter Shreeve, assistant district secretary, and Claire Rennie, IOW NEU president, outside the Island Sixth form centre in Newport this morning (Image: Peter Shreeve)

They are calling for funded pay rises for teachers as schools find themselves footing the bill from their already dwindling resources.

Due to the upcoming exams, Island NEU teacher members were given the option to go into schools to help year 11 and 13 students with their exam preparation during both strike days.

Picketers at Sandown Bay CE School this morning (Image: Peter Shreeve)

Peter Shreeve, assistant district secretary of the NEU, said: “Teachers care. The public cares. Students care. That’s the consistent message we heard outside one Newport school this morning.          

“One mother passing on the way taking her younger children to primary school stopped to chat. 

“She said: We support teachers and this action. My children’s school is marvellous. They are so supportive, but we see how hard they are working to cover shortages. Keep going."

Island teachers at Piccadilly Circus as part of the NEU strike action in London on March 15. (Image: Isle of Wight County Press)

Claire Rennie, IOW NEU president, said: "Today, teachers and schools are 'striking a balance' between supporting vulnerable students, children of critical workers and students facing exams.

“Teachers are keeping schools funding and teacher pay issues firmly at Gillian Keegan's and Rishi Sunak's doorsteps. 

“The lack of willingness to talk and come up with a fair fully funded offer by the current government is deplorable.

“Sadly, on the Island, Bob Seely MP is complicit in vilifying teachers at the expense of our children and young people. 

“Currently, our school leadership teams and those in governance are having to budget and plan based on the worse case funding scenario and work out where to make further cuts.

“This will directly impact on staffing and resources for our Island schools and children from September. Rishi, Gillian, Bob .... over to you. We are not going away.”

Teachers will hit picket lines again on May 2, and should negotiations continue to be unsuccessful, there will likely be another three-day strike in late June/early July.