Teachers in England will hit the picket lines for two further days of strike action in July, with Isle of Wight teachers expected to be among those taking part.

The ongoing dispute is centred around a fully funded teacher pay increase and fears surrounding the lack of school funding affecting resources for Island students.

Two days of action are scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, and Friday, July 7, with the National Education Union (NEU) saying it is ‘within Gillian Keegan’s [Secretary of State for Education] grasp for this action to be halted’.

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: “Time and again, the NEU, alongside its sister unions, have called for the education secretary to get around the negotiation table to settle this dispute for a fully funded teacher pay increase.

Isle of Wight County Press: Isle of Wight teachers outside Downing Street during the national demonstration in London on March 15Isle of Wight teachers outside Downing Street during the national demonstration in London on March 15 (Image: Isle of Wight County Press)

“Unlike her counterparts in Scotland and Wales, where the pay disputes have been settled, this education secretary has wilfully turned her back on teachers in England.

“No one wants to take strike action, but when faced with an education secretary who clearly has no interest in settling this dispute, teachers are left with no option."