Teachers’ strike: NUT announce walk-out from schools on 5 July

Teachers marching through London during a one day walkout over pay and conditions in 2008 (Getty)

Teachers across England will strike on 5 July after members of the National Union of Teachers voted by more than nine to one in favour of industrial action.

The last national teachers strike, in July 2014, over teachers' pay, pensions and working conditions were highly disruptive to both parents and children, as around a fifth of schools across England and Wales were forced to close.

NUT said the decision to strike was a response to funding concerns along with continuing issues over conditions for teachers.

The union is demanding an increase in funding for schools and education, and want to see guaranteed terms and conditions in all types of schools.

It also wants to resume negotiations on contracts that will allow teacher workloads to be addressed.

Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: “The NUT is not taking action lightly.

“In light of the huge funding cuts to schools, worsening terms and conditions, and unmanageable and exhausting workloads, teachers cannot be expected to go on without significant change.

“The effects on children's education are also real and damaging.

“As a result of school funding cuts, class sizes in primary and secondary schools are increasing, subject choices are being cut, and children are getting less individual attention as teachers and support staff are made redundant or not replaced when they leave."

“There is worse to come,” Mr Courtney added, “with the Institute of Fiscal Studies predicting that the biggest real-terms cuts to per-pupil funding in a generation are on the way.”