Teachers in Northampton strike against cuts to pay and education IN PICTURES

Teachers have been out in force across Northampton today as they strike over pay and lack of funding for education.

They join thousands of National Education Union (NEU) teacher members striking across England and Wales on Wednesday, February 1 after nine out of 10 members voted for strike action back in January.

Teachers want a 12 percent pay rise but the Government has only offered to pay five percent out of schools’ existing budgets.

The NEU argues that teachers' pay has fallen by 23 percent since 2010 due to inflation and this will lead to reduced staff and increased class sizes, which are already at a 20-year high.

Chronicle & Echo visited picket lines at Weston Favell Academy and Malcolm Arnold Academy to ask union representatives about why they are speaking out. At each picket line, passing cars sounded their horns in support to the delight of union members who cheered in response.

NEU workplace representative, Rachel Hall, says that she decided to become a teacher at the age of 12 and she is now “terrified” there is not going to be a future for her career.

Rachel, 32, said: “The way the Government has completely disregarded any asks for people to be treated fairly in this job role, the way that we have been vilified by people who claim that we don’t care about the children, it's heartbreaking. We are here because we care about the children, you don’t get into this profession if you don’t.”

Rachel, who was striking at Weston Favell Academy, told this newspaper that her school has classrooms with no staff, long-term cover teachers teaching core subjects and children who have slipped through the net because they do not have the same teacher day-to-day, who they feel safe to talk to.

Rachel continued: “I have a little girl, she is 18 months old and I am so scared about what her future in education will look like if there aren't decent passionate people who are there because they are there for the right reasons not because it was an easy thing to get into in an agency.

“She deserves better and our kids deserve better and we, as teachers, deserve better.”

NEU representative and interim assistant principal at Eastfield Academy, Keleigh Moore, was striking at Malcolm Arnold Academy with around 25 other local teaching staff.

She told this newspaper that staff morale is low and the Government’s proposed pay rise will take away from the children as well as schools’ ability to employ fully qualified staff.

Keleigh said: “Please understand that today is about education and not childcare. If you want the best education for your child, then you’ll support us in wanting the budget that is appropriate to support staff to do the job they can do with the resources and the right amount of staff in schools so please get behind us.”

The day’s strikes culminated in a huge rally at the Working Men’s Club in Sheep Street at midday, where teachers were joined in solidarity by striking university lecturers and rail workers.