Over 100 teachers and their supporters have gathered at St Thomas’ Square in Newport to demand a pay increase to secure better recruitment and retention of teachers.
The protest – which was organised by the National Education Union (NEU) – began at 10:30. NEU members have also picketed some schools across the Isle of Wight as part of a 1-day strike.
Further strikes are due to be held on 3 days in March: on the 2nd, 15th and 26th of next month. The strikes have led to the shutdown of many Isle of Wight schools.
Local representative of the NEU, Peter Shreeve, who was present at the Newport protest has said:
“I’ve already been outside 2 schools this morning. We’ve had an awful lot of support from the parents and grandparents of those we teach. Nobody has moaned about teachers going on strike.
“It’s not just about a pay rise. The strike and protest are about recruitment and retention of staff. Nationally, 42% of secondary school students are not being taught by a qualified maths teacher. It’s been a similar situation for 10 years now.
“Older and more senior staff are leaving the profession because they are too expensive to retain. This has led to schools losing (for example) their deputy heads.
“Education on the Isle of Wight is suffering due to the lack of teachers. 1 in 19 students have special educational plans requiring individual tuition but we just do not have the staff to do this.”
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Primary School teacher Beverly told Island Echo:
“I don’t want to be here. I’d much rather be in my classroom.
“This isn’t just about pay. It’s more about funding, and schools are not being funded properly. There isn’t enough money for staff, Special Educational Needs and other resources.
“We need to negotiate a proper pay rise. Not just for us but for all public sector workers. We’ve had a 23% cut in real terms over the past 10 years.
“In another 5 to 10 years, I don’t know how many teachers there’s going to be. 1 in 3 teachers are leaving in their 1st 5 years because of the pressure. How are we going to get people who want to become teachers?”
Katy Bell – who teaches Business Studies and Criminology at Ryde Academy – added:
My students told me on the picket line that it’s the good teachers that have come out on strike. We’re here because we care.”
Teachers should ‘Think of the Children’ and get back to work. Striking because they want more money in line with inflation isn’t a valid reason when they already get paid a healthy wage and have half a year off. Plenty of other sectors don’t get the wages or perks. Most of the T.A’s are still in school today whilst on £20-30k less
TAs won’t be there at all in September with the way everything is going. Wake up. I personally know of two TAs that were laid off at Christmas. Contracts not renewed. It was a case of heating the school or their jobs. Schools are scraping by… Why are we not funding schools? Most teachers would get paid more in a supermarket… And plenty are leaving to do so!
1 in 19 students have special educational plans
blame the parents for their lack of support before, during and after school for this – or are we just seeing the consequences of those that didn’t learn anything at school, creating more children, just like them.
Teachers want more funding for the schools but yet you want a pay rise too…. where will that extra money come from? Schools wouldnt run without T.A’s and which supermarket are you working at? Average 22k at a supermarket average 28k minimum teacher do the math Susan
‘Most teachers would get paid more in a supermarket’ But that’s simply not true, is it? Teacher’s starting salary, straight out of teacher training, is over £27k per annum. More experienced teachers can earn over £40k per annum depending on where they’re located. Factor in the holidays and it’s a pretty decent package.
Everyone likes to moan about their job, I know, but teachers really aren’t that hard done by, but, if you think you can do better working at Asda, then give it a go. You might be in for a shock, though.
Tell me the average teachers salary- they start on £30 000- and how many supermarket employees get anything comparable. Teachers are leaving the profession not because of the salary but because of the enormous amount of completely unnecessary paper work they have to do.
You’re in dreamland if you think teachers are on holiday when the schools are closed. A lot of work goes into managing so many kids with so many different skills and needs. They don’t turn up first day of term with the school time table magically printed out for them or the new course worked updated.
I never said teachers don’t work hard or have paperwork to complete between holidays but they have more than a decent wage to cover. They seem to always want more pay and now they are using this ‘inline with inflation’ B.S and government funding as a leverage to make people feel sorry for them. I’m all for standards and fairness but being greedy whilst parents lose out on a days pay to cover childcare and stay at home isn’t fair. T.A’S prop the teachers up whilst only earning half the wage
A below inflation pay rise is a pay cut.
Tell that to all the private sector workers who have had to accept below inflation pay rises!
They should also unionise and request better from their employers
Most are, but they realise business outgoings are spiralling out of control and to ensure job security they accept higher than previous years, but nowhere near the level of inflation as that is unaffordable. There has to be a compromise.
Whilst the teachers do deserve more money as they do a great job, should their unions not be compensating the parents of the children affected? After all, if you take your children out of school in term time you will be fined. Natural justice suggests teachers unions keeping children out of school should also!
Weren’t thinking of the children when they stuck them masks and refused to teach them hiding at home doing the minimum. Sweeden never shut town and no problem.
Most teachers I know can’t stand children.
Not sure about a pay rise if thats the standard of spelling they teach at Ryde !!!
Good on you, peace and blessings be upon you in you’re fight
So if you dare to criticise your post gets deleted … very democratic … no free speech here
Many of my posts never get approved. It makes me feel sad. Descenting voices are not welcome here. Sheep only please.
Their playground, their rules. Go start your own news site if you don’t like it.
Teachers already get too much holidays. Increase pay at the decrease of staff holidays and that will be fair.
Ah. Bob. You think that children’s holidays are the same as teachers’ holidays. They’re not. We work into holidays too, planning, preparing resources and rooms. We also work at the weekend.
But never mind. You’ve been fed a line, regrettably.
Do you understand the other motivation for these strikes? As in: the underfunding of schools for 13 years?
Hi, just checking if the Labour Government overfunded or underfunded when they were in power? Just a thought.
You’re in dreamland if you think teachers are on holiday when the schools are closed.
Why are children being made to get to school 15 minutes earlier to make up for schooling they missed during the Lockdown which caused them to fall behind and now they are missing whole days because of striking. Makes no sense.
Go back to the normal timetable.
My personal opinion is Teachers, Nurses, Train Drivers etc, etc, they already get a good wage.
We will all pay extra TAX if these people keep wanting more money.
If you give money to Teaches etc etc etc then we will have to pay for it in our TAXES
And this includes your pensions !!!
Tax the wealthy much more rigorously and abolish the privilege of private education.
Hi, I presume Labour really do believe that all the Non-Doms will be staying in the uk to fund their new taxes. Don’t think so. So who will pay? you and me I am afraid.
Totally agree.. you tax the ultra wealthy and they will just leave the UK…
You hear the same mantra, Its not just about pay, well it bloody well is isn’t it? Would Teachers take a 5% increase if the schools also got a 5% increase? Don’t think so. Teaching is a hard job but the benefits are really pretty good and not one of them had any threat of losing their jobs during the Pandemic. So we are not all the same. We are all going through tough times but any economics Teacher will confirm Inflation goes DOWN as well as up so if it goes down will they all take a reduction? No. What we are teaching the next generation is if there is a problem you don’t like just go on strike.
You may want to retake your economics course, inflation going down is still more inflation. You are talking about deflation, if that happens the country has far more important things to worry about.
Give teachers some credit,but I think these days kids could leave school at 14, start apprenticeship or collage ect ,part time work ect,pay tax and insurance at 18 and let oldies retire at 60
Don’t join the discussion because whoever is approving does not seem to like any critique of the teachers striking. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t make us wrong or you right.
The school’s moan about the kid’s education if we take them out of school to go on holiday during term time and parents get fined for it
So is it okay for the teachers to go on strike and harm the education of the kid’s I don’t see the teachers get fined for that
Get back to work you lazy basterds.
In a recently published survey of teaching in developed countries, teachers in England came second from bottom of the table of hours worked (24th out of 25) and seventh in the table of salaries paid. In the same survey the UK came fifth for investment in education at 4.1% of GDP up to university level.
Are these the same Bohemian teachers who are now teaching our children the art of Wokism.