‘Our children are being let down’ – says NEU officer as Derbyshire teachers set to strike again

Following the historic action on Wednesday, February 1, teachers in the National Education Union (NEU) in Derbyshire will strike again on Wednesday March 1, as a part of the regional action throughout the East Midlands.

Nick Raine, Senior Regional Officer for the National Education Union in the East Midlands, said: “Teachers in Derbyshire care passionately about their schools and the pupils they teach. After over a decade of pay cuts and decimated school budgets, they feel they have a duty to stand up for teachers, pupils and education and demand that our schools are properly funded.

"Our children are being let down by a government that is unwilling to invest in their future and is presiding over a crisis in teacher retention as class sizes rise to a twenty year high. We’ve been delighted by the support we’ve had from parents, communities, councillors and MPs across the county. We’ve seen some wonderful vocal support for the strike on our picket lines and through messages to our union.

“No teacher takes strike action lightly but our members feel they have been given no choice. As the government and Secretary of State refuse to negotiate or discuss fairer funding, our members are standing up for pupils to demand they get the funding they deserve. This is a strike to not only improve teacher retention, but to secure a better future for children across Derbyshire”

Wednesday, February 1 saw the largest teacher strike in a generation with a record number of pickets and thousands of teachers marching at record-attended rallies in Derby and Chesterfield. Several Derbyshire classrooms were closed.

Since then, thousands of teachers have signed up to join the union and an even greater number of schools across Derbyshire could close or partially close with a record number of teachers joining the strike.

The National Education Union wants a fully funded pay rise which doesn’t cut into existing school budgets. At present, schools across Derbyshire face a reduction in their budgets as class sizes are already at a 20 year high.

The National Education Union has announced further nationwide action on Wednesday March 15 and Thursday March 16, 2023.