Teachers take strike action in Leamington and Warwick to campaign for 'fair pay and proper funding'

Teachers in Leamington and Warwick have taken strike action this morning.

The Warwickshire branch of the National Education Union (NEU) held a picket line outside Myton School and then a rally at Dale Street Methodist church.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, gave a speech at the rally asking the Government ‘to take its head out of the sand’ over funding for schools nationally.

Hundreds of people attended the rally and filled the church hall.

They included teachers, parents, children and representatives of other unions.

Meanwhile, some primary and secondary schools across Warwickshire have closed either certain years or entirely for the day.

The NEU has said the strike action “is not about a pay rise but about correcting historic real-terms pay cuts”.

Emma Rose district secretary for the Warwickshire NEU said: “Reduced budgets in Warwickshire schools are leading to a serious crisis in educational provision for Warwickshire’s children with larger class sizes, less money to meet the needs of children with SEND, dilapidated buildings and fewer recources, all leading to severely reduced educational opportunities for our children.”

The Government says it is still committed to a "fair and sustainable pay deal", adding that it has has already agreed to provide an extra £2 billion in school funding, "which will take real-terms spending on schools to its highest level in history".

To view Mr Courtney’s speech, which was broadcast via Facebook Live on The Courier’s Facebook Page, visit https://bit.ly/3RpJ1q0