National Education Union

Can your school afford to fund a multi-year pay award without making cuts to staff, resources, or both? If the limit on directed hours is removed, do you realistically have the capacity to staff enrichment activities at the end of an already long working day? We believe the answer to both of these questions is no. That is why we are launching an indicative strike ballot on 28 February.

A new year should bring hope but our schools are running on empty. A real-terms pay cut. No funding. Damaging cuts to staff, subjects & support. Enough is enough. Indicative ballot opens 28 Feb. #SaveEducation

Vibrant picket at The Arthur Terry School in Birmingham this morning. NEU members at 20 schools accross the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership Trust in the West Midlands are on strike today in opposition to cuts to staffing. The ATLP admitted that no internal financial audit was carried out during the last financial year. Trusts must have independent internal scrutiny to check that financial controls are working properly, risks are being managed, money is being used appropriately and policies and procedures are being followed. The Trust spent £1.8m on four executives. Here we have a top slice of 24%. They now want to cut 10% of staff. No.

This weekend I’ve been in Calais with @NEUnion members, supporting refugees. Everyone in this photo has school on Monday, yet despite the pressures of working in education, they have given up their weekend to offer practical solidarity to those most in need. In this time of monsters - Trump, Farage, and the widespread demonisation of the vulnerable - I cannot express how proud I am of these activists. Refugees are not responsible for the problems in our society; they are being scapegoated for political failure and economic inequality they did not create. I first came to Calais over a decade ago. Britain and the EU’s record on how refugees were treated was poor even then. But there was “the Jungle”: a place with makeshift schools, places of worship, and a sense of community. Now refugees are driven underground by the authorities, have their tents destroyed, and face daily harassment. Many of the refugees we met were school-age teenagers. They have travelled across countries and continents in search of safety and a better life. The rhetoric from those in power and public life should shame us all.

Catching up on @bbclaurak Completely aligned with @KemiBadenoch on a social media ban for under 16s. Its time big tech is regulated like tobacco giants. The evidence is clear - social media is robbing children of their childhoods. Sign our open letter: share.google/h2ypNJWODiJQT61…

Congratulations to Andrea Egan on her election as Unison General Secretary, I really look forward to working with you in the fight for better funding for education and for a better deal for educators.

Yesterday at the Education Select Committee, I was asked about behaviour in schools. The truth? Behaviour challenges are rising because schools are having to act like a fourth emergency service - with ever reducing resources. What’s needed: • sustained investment in support staff and services • a more flexible curriculum • and let’s use falling pupil numbers to reduce class sizes Schools can’t keep doing more with less.

It is almost as if the government is deliberately picking a fight with the teaching profession. Schools are already facing the worst funding settlement since George Osborne left the Treasury. Education is running on empty. Our staff and children deserve better than yet more cuts.

Proud to stand with members on the picket line at @ValleyLAcademy today, as they take their second day of strike action against the imposition of virtual teachers by @StarAcademies. Our children, our communities, and our staff deserve better. We’ve already lived through the pandemic, and we know exactly what happens when online learning replaces real, in-person teaching. Virtual learning simply cannot match the relationships, the responsiveness, and the day-to-day support that come from having a qualified teacher physically in the classroom. Imposing virtual teachers now, after everything we learned, ignores those realities. This strike is about safeguarding quality education and standing up for what every child deserves: a real teacher, in a real classroom, building real relationships. #NoVirtualTeachers Our Children Deserve Better @NEUnion

Well done Australia for banning social media for under-16s. Billionaire tech bros are harvesting children’s attention for profit at the expense of their mental health and wellbeing. Join our campaign and urge the UK government to follow suit: bigtechlittlevictims.org/

**What is 1265?** The number 1,265 refers to the maximum number of directed hours a full-time teacher in England can be required to work in an academic year. **Why is it important?** Teaching has very few workload protections. The 1,265-hour limit is a contractual safeguard that prevents schools from demanding unlimited additional work. Anything beyond this limit requires separate agreement and additional pay. **What did the government say about 1265 in their evidence to the pay review body?** In its 2025 submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), the government asked for a review of the 1,265-hour limit on directed time. Bridget Phillipson specifically asked the STRB to examine the benefits and challenges of changing this regulation. **What else does the Education Secretary want to do?** She has proposed a new core enrichment entitlement for every pupil in England - ensuring that activities such as sport, the arts, and outdoor experiences become a guaranteed part of education rather than optional extras. **The key question** As teachers, is it realistic to remove the 1,265-hour limit and expect staff to deliver additional enrichment activities on top of their existing teaching workload? **Our view** Education is running on empty. Young people deserve enrichment, but teachers cannot simply absorb more duties. What we need is funding, funding, funding - more staff, smaller class sizes, and genuine investment in education. Class sizes of 20, 20% PPA, 20% pay increase over the course of the parliament. #20IsTheMagicNumber #SaveEducation