The Government is to blame for the school strikes not the teachers, a Southend high school headteacher insists.

A total of 98 per cent of National Education Union teacher members, who responded in a consultative ballot, voted to turn down the deal.

The NEU, which had urged its members to reject the “insulting” offer, plans to hold two further days of teacher strikes on April 27 and May 2.

Southend High School for Boys headteacher and former National Education Union president, Robin Bevan said: “Every year, for ten years, the pay settlement for experienced teachers has been below inflation.

“The value of teacher salaries has been systematically eroded by inflation, for a decade, with devastating impact.

“The Government’s latest offer was another ‘real terms cut’ for long-serving classroom teachers.”

Dr Bevan also claimed the Department for Education “admitted that a high proportion of schools would have insufficient funds to meet the new payments”.

He added: “The additional pay could only have been funded by taking resources away from pupils in the classroom.”

Dr Bevan said the offer was “obviously unacceptable, not only to teachers but also to parents and families hoping for well-resourced local schools”.

He added: “From the outset, schools have simply been seeking a fair settlement that is fully funded. 

“Once again, the lack of vision and leadership in Westminster is dispiriting as we have to wait, even longer, for a straightforward problem to be solved as it has in Scotland and Wales.”

Dr Bevan said he believed strike action could be avoided if the Government stepped in. 
“The possibility of further strike action looms but could readily be averted with intelligent engagement from Government,” he added. 

In an attack on political leaders in Westminster, Dr Bevan pointed the blame for disruption at ministers.

He added: “Responsibility for the disruption in schools belongs entirely with the Government. 

“Teachers are taking a public stand - as a last resort - on pay and funding, for the future of our schools and in the long-term interests of all pupils in our classrooms.”

Last month, hundreds of south Essex teachers headed to Cambridge to take part in a national protest after going on strike over pay and school funding. 

Eastwood mum-of-three, Kimberley O’Connell, 48, said: “I fully support the strikes and I find it ridiculous that their wages have been frozen for so long.

“It seems everyone else is getting a rise and the teachers did such great work through the Covid pandemic.

“I say good luck to them and I hope they get what they want. 

“We should be respecting our teachers and they should be able to make ends meet.”

On Twitter in an Echo poll, 47 per cent of readers supported the strikes while 53 per cent were against the action.

Speaking of the ballot of NEU members, Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: “This resounding rejection of the Government’s offer should leave Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal. 

“The offer shows an astounding lack of judgment and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system.”