Thousands of teachers across Stoke are on strike today (1 February) in response to a lack of government-funded pay rises, falling standards and increasing workloads. 

Teachers part of the National Education Union (NEU) voted in favour of strike action with a 90% majority when the ballot was open from 28 October 2022 until 13 January 2023. 

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, 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. 

"The average 5% pay rise for teachers this year is some 7% behind inflation. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, that is an unsustainable situation.

"We regret having to take strike action, and are willing to enter into negotiations at any time, any place, but this situation cannot go on."

Painsley Catholic College, Station Road, Cheadle (Google).

Around 20 teachers from Painsley Catholic College, Cheadle, formed a picket line outside the school this morning as part of their strike action. 

Jonathan Horleston-Wilkes, NEU Representative at Painsley, spoke about the "crazy recruitment and retention crisis" in schools and explained that he is seeing more and more teachers leave the profession. 

He put this down to increasing pressure on teachers as they are forced to cover more classes on subjects they are not experts in, due to missing staff, and ever increasing class sizes. 

Adam Reynolds has been a Computer Science teacher at Painsley for the past six years. 

Teachers waved posters and placards outside the school (Sarah Garner).

He said: "One of the big reasons for strike action is pay, teachers on average have lost 10% since 2010 and in the cost of living, wages are still not going up. 

"Another big reason is standards in the industry are dropping. One out of every five teachers leave within their first five years and that's down to increasing pressure and workload. 

"You accept the workload as a teacher because it's part of the job but we need the support to do that job and be most effective. 

"We do this because we care deeply about the children and when you hear about a teacher that's not an accurate description of the job anymore - we do so much more than that."

Teachers at Painsley Catholic College are calling for government-funded pay rises to enable them to continue to do their job without compromising the school's resources. 

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