Striking Teachers Protest In Guildford High Street to Increase Pay

Published on: 2 Feb, 2023
Updated on: 2 Feb, 2023

By Hugh Coakley

Striking Surrey teachers from the National Education Union (NEU) gathered in a good-natured protest at Holy Trinity in Guildford High Street yesterday (February 1) and were joined by pupils supporting their action. The teachers said they wanted a “fully-funded pay rise” which didn’t come out of the schools budget.

Teachers from George Abbot School said any pay rise should be “fully funded” and not out of the current schools budget.

Teachers from George Abbot School said they would rather be teaching than on strike.

One teacher said: “It’s not money in our pockets but money for the schools. We want a fully-funded pay rise so it doesn’t come out of the schools budget and affect what the school can provide.

“We are losing a day’s pay and we are sorry for others that have to as well but it is important that we put in long term investment into education”.

Around 100 striking teachers and pupils from Surrey schools gathered in Guildford High Street (February 1).

National Education Union representative Dan Warrington, a full-time teacher at King’s College Guildford in Park Barn, said: “Teachers’ pay has lost 23 per cent in real terms since 2010. The last pay rise in 2022 was below inflation and completely unfunded. It comes out of schools budgets and affects students.

NEU representative Dan Warrington, teacher Sarah Warrington and their six year old son, Michael.

“We have a crisis in recruitment and retention so tens of thousands of pupils don’t get access to specialist teachers, particularly in maths, computing, science and languages. Last year, only three subjects recruited to target.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says the government 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”.