Hampshire headteachers will decide if schools remain open during upcoming teaching staff strikes

The National Education Union announced last month that its members had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ for strike action with 90.44 per cent in favour of participation. There are 7,984 members in Hampshire but the number of staff who will strike is unconfirmed - with additional strike days announced by the NASUWT on January 21.

NEU members could strike over seven days throughout February and March though each individual school will not be affected by more than four. Schools in Portsmouth and surrounding areas could see action on February 1 and March 2, 15 and 16.

Medina Primary School teacher and NEU executive member Helen Reeder said: ‘I’m pleased that we have passed the threshold for the postal ballot – the government does make it quite difficult for us by setting such high thresholds - but then also slightly disappointed that this is what it's come to.

‘My pay doesn’t go quite as far as it used to go, so that causes anxiety at home. It’s just come to a point where we don’t feel that we’re valued any more.

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‘When I’m noticing things becoming more and more expensive and I haven’t had a pay rise for 10 years, it's something that actually I need to stand up and have my voice heard about.’

Speaking of education secretary Gillian Keegan’s response to the proposed action, Helen added: ‘To say that we don’t think about the children - it actually makes me really angry. It's soon forgotten how we put our lives at risk and came in every single day when there was Covid, we worked every single day through all of that.

The Victory Primary School headteacher Jim Hartley said: ‘As a headteacher I have to ensure that I have a balanced view on the rights and wrongs of industrial action. Teachers have had to think very hard before making these decisions and one of the things they’ve had to think most carefully about is the impact it has on children and families.

‘We haven’t got to the point where I’ve asked staff whether they are going to be in or not, they can choose whether they tell me.

‘The expectation is we do everything we can to keep the school open. My job is to deal with the outcome and manage it as best as I can.’

In a statement, NEU joint general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said: ‘We have continually raised our concerns with successive education secretaries about teacher and support staff pay and its funding in schools and colleges, but instead of seeking to resolve the issue they have sat on their hands.

‘It is disappointing that the Government prefers to talk about yet more draconian anti-strike legislation, rather than work with us to address the causes of strike action.

‘This is not about a pay rise but correcting historic real-terms pay cuts. Teachers have lost 23 per cent in real-terms since 2010, and support staff 27 per cent over the same period.’

Guidance for schools released by the Department for Education states: ‘The decision to open, restrict attendance, or close a maintained school is for the headteacher.’

Closures will be announced on each school’s website.