Every day as educators we try to do our best for your children. To give them a good education and make school a warm and welcoming community, where staff know and understand them and you. Where we give them continuity and stability, with enough specialist teachers, who know their subjects. And the proper resources to help them learn and grow.

But we are struggling to do that right now.

In July, the Government offered most teachers a pay rise of just 5 per cent – with inflation soaring, that adds up to a 7 per cent pay cut. The 5 per cent offered isn’t fully funded – that means Government expects schools to pay for it out of their already dwindling budget.

Because our pay is not keeping up with the cost of living, teachers and support staff are leaving for jobs with comparable salaries but without the stress and workload generated by targets and paperwork that exist in schools right now. One in three teachers leave education within five years. And last September, almost a third fewer trainees began teacher training than are needed.

Schools have too many vacancies. Heads tell us of vital subjects – maths, science, computing, languages – with unfilled posts and existing staff delivering lessons outside their subject every single day.

We don’t want to be on strike.

We’d rather be in the classroom, getting on with what we do best – teaching and supporting your children.

But we can’t stand by and see our colleagues experience hardship with yet another real-terms pay cut.

And we can’t stand back and watch the exodus from teaching and the resulting decline in the quality of education for your children.

Our action for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise isn’t just about making sure that teachers and support staff make ends meet. It’s about the future of education.

This Government is failing children and young people and those who teach and support them. And, like our NHS staff, we are being forced into taking action for our members, our pupils and their future.

Please take this pledge in solidarity with our members taking industrial action -

As an elected local councillor I stand in solidarity with all National Education Union (NEU) members taking industrial action over the government-imposed pay cut. I pledge to do everything in my power to:

• Campaign for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise for all teachers and support staff.
• Use my voice to stand up for our local schools and those taking action for our children and the future of education.

Thank you in advance for your support.