Teachers’ strike to close Brighton and Hove schools

A strike will close schools across Brighton and Hove on Tuesday 5 July when teachers walk out over pay and conditions.

Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) will hold the one-day strike after voting by more than nine to one in favour of industrial action.

The NUT is concerned about teachers’ terms and conditions, including workloads, as more schools become academies.

The union also wants increased education funding from the government to help tackle a crisis in the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Acting general secretary Kevin Courtney 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, with the Institute of Fiscal Studies predicting that the biggest real-terms cuts to per-pupil funding in a generation are on the way.”

The NUT polled those working in local authority maintained schools, sending out about 210,000 ballot papers to members.

The number in favour of strike action, 47,218, accounted for 91.7 per cent, with 4,285 against, although turnout was just 24.5 per cent.

The Department for Education urged teachers not to strike, saying fewer than one in four NUT members backed the strike and said that it was committed to talks about pay.