NEU members’ strike action forced the Government to improve its 2023-24 pay offer to teachers by 3 per cent, to 6.5 per cent, and commit an extra £900 million to properly fund the teacher pay offer and protect support staff jobs.

In July, NEU members voted overwhelmingly to accept the offer.

Over the coming year, the NEU will continue to campaign for a properly funded correction in teacher pay to reverse the real-terms cuts imposed since 2010 and for further improvements in education funding to restore the percentage of GDP devoted to education to at least the 5 per cent OECD average.

This work starts with a focus on pay implementation from the very start of the autumn term.

Our imperative this term must be to ensure that the national pay award is implemented in full at every school so that every teacher receives their cost-of-living rise and all eligible teachers receive pay progression.

Act now to win on pay in your workplace

Organise a meeting of members to discuss securing the implementation of the national pay awards won through our strike action. Use this opportunity to discuss any other pay issues at your school including pay progression, pay portability and payment for additional responsibilities.

1. Collectively identify pay issues and utilise our model letter. Use NEU Activate to let your branch know what the issues are at your school.
2. Raise issues with your head/chair or governors as appropriate.
3. Bring members back together to discuss your head’s response. Update NEU Activate with any outstanding issues (we will send you regular emails and texts with a link to your Activate action).
4. Collectively decide your next steps together e.g. send a letter to your governors or ask your branch for support or for a ballot.
5. If you need any further support, contact your branch secretary.

This autumn term focus on pay implementation is part of our NEU bargaining calendar – a framework for NEU reps and members to help develop workplace presence and win. Each term, school groups are encouraged to raise the same issues at the same time to give members a feeling of collective strength and so employers and heads see a coordinated, national union.

In the winter/spring term we will focus on flexible working and in the summer term on directed time.

Tackling workload associated with in-school accountability measures will be year-round work. Look out for the publication of updated NEU resources to help you tackle workload just ahead of October half-term.

Right now, let’s focus on making sure your hard-won pay rise is fully implemented and properly funded by every school.

Thank you for being involved in this critical work.

Yours sincerely