On Wednesday February 1, in an unprecedented action, National Education Union members went on strike due to a successful ballot on pay and conditions. For Devon, this meant that the majority of schools were either completely closed or had restricted attendance to specific year groups only. For many, this disruption was an inconvenience and raised important questions about the support and provision for children, still recovering from learning loss during the covid years. These are good questions and no teacher or educator took the decision lightly. In fact, the majority of those who went on strike were doing so to safeguard and support your children’s education; what does this mean?

Firstly, teachers have seen the biggest erosion in pay for all public sector workers since 2010. Simply put, this means that wages for educators have not kept up with inflation and costs. On individual levels this means a much tougher time for educators. On a broader level this means that recruiting new professionals is much tougher as is keeping them within the profession. Following 4 years of degree study and a further 2 under probation, almost 1 in 8 teachers now leave after their first two years; in no small part because they can get higher salaries and more favourable conditions working in the private sector. For some subjects, such as physics, languages and computing, the Government has significantly missed its recruitment targets. This means there simply are not enough subject specialists to deliver within schools and the impact of this on learning is significant. Last year the Department for Education missed its secondary teacher recruitment target by over 40% and while 13 out of the 17 secondary subjects, plus primary, failed to meet their recruitment targets. The Education sector is in a crisis.

Secondly, the pay awards that were given this year were well below inflation, meaning that the role is even less attractive than it was last year. Added to this, the rises that were announced were not funded directly, meaning they have to come from existing budgets. Headteachers and Trusts are faced with the hugely challenging decision of asking what needs to be cut, what can be reduced, where can we find yet more efficiencies. All of this is set against the last few years of the pandemic, lockdown and the need to truly prioritise the learning and experience of the next generation. It feels to many that this is a race to the bottom and cannot continue; we are asked to deliver ever more whilst receiving far less to do so.

Finally, some will talk of the holiday entitlement that teachers have, and other aspects of the way we work. Teachers work an average of 60 hours per week (as per national statistics) When coupled with stagnant wages, this is not sustainable or attractive to new entrants into the profession. The school day is a very busy and hectic one where breaks are few and far between, and expectations of delivery and performance are very high. Almost all staff take trips at weekends and holidays or catch up on additional work in these times. We know that so many parents and individuals work incredibly hard to provide for their families, but we strongly believe conditions for teachers are unsustainable. Why else would there be so many vacancies across Devon?

We want the best for children, it is the very basis of our vocation. We want to know that we are helping each child to be their best and do their best work, and that as adults we have the same opportunities. Every person who went on strike lost a days pay to do so; not because they can afford to do so easily, but because they so believe that education is vital and deserves the funding and respect that goes with that responsibility. To so, so many of you thank you, for your kind words, for the hot drinks you dropped off at picket lines, for your cards and emails of support. It means a lot. This isn’t a strike against children and families, it is a strike for children, for families and for the future.