Britain’s largest teaching union will ballot members for strikes next year over pay and funding.
The Left-wing National Education Union (NEU) is in outrage after last week’s Budget contained no big money pledges for schools.
The union says the current 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers over the next three years is ‘below inflation’.
It also says the rise is ‘unfunded’, meaning it would have to be paid for by schools making other cutbacks and redundancies.
On Saturday, union leaders resolved to hold an indicative ballot, to see if there is appetite among members for a strike.
If this is successful, a full ballot will be held – with any walkouts likely to be in autumn next year.
If the union’s half a million members strike, schools will close – leaving parents having to find last-minute childcare.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary, said: ‘This week’s budget failed to address the existential crisis our schools are facing.
‘Cold classrooms, leaking roofs, broken toilets. Staff leaving and never replaced. Workload soaring as a result. We cannot endure any more cuts to education.
‘We will not stand by as this Government continues to underfund our schools and drive education into the ground.
‘As a union we are prepared to take whatever action is necessary to save our schools.’
The only education funding in Wednesday’s Budget was £5 million for libraries in secondary schools and £18 million for playgrounds.
There was also an outcry over special needs responsibility being transferred to central Government, although ministers have insisted it will not eat into the schools budget.
Last month, the Government suggested that teachers should get a 6.5 per cent pay rise spread between 2026 and 2029.
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘Despite deeply challenging choices about public spending, mainstream school funding will rise again next year, receiving almost £51 billion.
‘We have already made pay awards worth almost 10 per cent over two years, and our recent proposals mean teacher pay would rise by almost 17 per cent across this parliament, equating to a significant real terms increase over the five years.’
