Worthing teachers strike for fairer pay and funding – video and pictures from today's rally

Local National Education Union (NEU) teacher members working in schools and sixth-form colleges joined the national industrial action this morning.

A rally was held outside the Guildbourne Centre, followed by a march around the town, with teachers calling for improvements to the education system and better pay.

Dave Hartley, head of computer science at Steyning Grammar School, described an education system on its knees.

He said: “I’m striking for education, not for pay. I don’t think many people in society, or even parents, are aware how broken the system is.

“There are more teachers leaving education that joining. We had a job advert for a computer science teacher open for more than a year, and we couldn’t recruit.

“People have to look very carefully before they take up teaching, because they might not be able to afford to do the job.

“I came into teaching seven years ago and I have had my eyes opened. I cannot believe this has gone on so long. It’s on its knees.”

His Steyning colleague Debs McKail, from the science department, agreed. She said many students had had five different subject teachers, and the struggle to recruit led to a struggle to get cover teachers.

“Before Christmas, we were four members of staff short, and we couldn’t even get staff to cover.

“It’s hard to get supply teachers, and students are being taught be people who aren’t specialists in subjects.

“I’m not striking for pay, I’m striking to draw attention to this.”

Staff from Durrington High School said they were there not only to call for better pay and conditions for themselves, but also their colleagues who could not afford to take part because they were already struggling to put food on the table for their families.

History teacher George Eastment said: “My frustration is at the government, not the school. The school tries its best, but the funds are not there.

“It’s not great for us, and it’s not great for the kids either. We have classes being covered by teachers who aren’t specialists and there’s less and less TAs. It’s actually upsetting.

“We work so many hours on top of the school day – I’ve had to go part-time just so I can see my kids.

“We’re seeing talented teachers leave the profession because they can get better jobs with better pay. The five per cent pay rise is actually a real-terms pay cut.”

Maria Fawcett, regional secretary for the National Education Union, said: “The Government cannot expect strikes to be averted unless it brings forward concrete proposals for increasing pay.

“Experienced teachers have seen a 23 per cent real-terms pay cut since 2010. Given the current cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation, this is clearly an unsustainable situation for our members.

“As well as allowing the profession to haemorrhage talent, the Government has missed its own targets for recruitment by an enormous margin and has done so for many years. Any sensible Government would by now have started to ask themselves why.

“Our members are taking a stand today for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise, because the profession cannot go on like this. Parents know the consequences of persistent underfunding, both for their school/college and for their child. This strike should not be necessary, and we regret the disruption caused to parents and pupils, but our aims are in the interests of everyone in the education community.”

Friends Rufus Bourner and Ophelia Grantham are in year five at Chesswood Junior School in Worthing. The nine year olds joined the rally and march to support their teachers, as well as Rufus’s mum, who is a year-six teacher at his school.

They said: “We want teachers to have more pay because they are important to children’s futures.”

As well as supporting their class teacher Miss Stanley, they heaped praise on their music teacher Miss Cossins, adding: “Without them, we wouldn’t want to go to school.”

HAVE YOU READ? School strikes in Sussex: When are the strikes, which schools will close and why are they taking place?

Colleagues Tim Little and Ben Sanders work as computer science teachers at BHASVIC Sixth Form College in Brighton.

Tim said in his 12 years as a teacher, he had seen the general degradation of the industry, compelling him to take part in the action because he had to do something about it.

Ben said: “We both teach in a STEM subject, and I’m quite fed up of people asking why I’m a teacher and if I have made a terrible decision with my life.”

Tim added: “I had a career in industry for 20 years before this, which paid much better, so I didn’t go into teaching for high pay.

“But as time has gone on it’s just got worse and worse. We’re not able to recruit, even in subjects where there used to be 15 applicants, now there might be none.

“The stress and pressure of everything being cut – it’s at the point where enough is enough.

“It makes you feel you are less able to do the job you are trying to do.”

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