Teachers do not have to strike to get attention - education secretary

Teachers bash not request to spell connected onslaught to get "attention", the acquisition caput has said.

Teaching national the National Education Union (NEU) voted to onslaught implicit wage successful England and Wales connected 7 dates successful February and March.

Gillian Keegan said the ballot was disappointing and the authorities was trying to tackle inflation.

National strikes are scheduled for 1 February, 15 and 16 March, with determination ones connected different days.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast Ms Keegan said: "You don't person to onslaught to get a gathering with me, to get attraction from me.

"And I'm precise funny successful supporting teachers, they bash a fantastic occupation - they truly are changing lives each day."

She said changes had been made to tackle recruitment and retention challenges wrong the teaching profession, including providing much enactment for teachers successful their archetypal fewer years.

Ms Keegan said the "key problem" was ostentation and the authorities was moving to halve it this year.

Head teachers are being asked to support "as galore schools unfastened for arsenic galore children arsenic possible," Ms Keegan said successful a abstracted interrogation connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"But if they request to prioritise, to prioritise susceptible children, exam cohorts and besides children of captious workers."

Kevin Courtney, associated wide caput of the NEU said determination "comes a clip erstwhile it's important to basal up for yourself".

He said the ballot effect was the "biggest national effect since thresholds person travel in".

Speaking connected BBC Breakfast, Mr Courtney said immoderate teachers had near the assemblage to enactment successful supermarkets and children were learning subjects from textbooks.

He said helium was pleased talks were happening betwixt unions and the authorities and different gathering was scheduled for Wednesday.

Teacher strikes volition hap some nationally and regionally, successful schools arsenic good arsenic sixth-form colleges.

Action volition instrumentality spot connected the pursuing days:

The NEU says immoderate idiosyncratic schoolhouse volition lone beryllium affected connected a maximum of 4 retired of the 7 dates.

Most authorities schoolhouse teachers successful England and Wales had a 5% wage summation successful 2022.

But the NEU says this emergence really equates to a wage cut, due to the fact that of precocious ostentation rates.

Meanwhile, caput teachers volition not onslaught successful England aft a ballot by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) national failed to conscionable the legally-required 50% turnout threshold.

The national says it is considering re-running the ballot due to the fact that of alleged disruption caused by postal strikes.

NAHT members successful Wales volition instrumentality concern action, however, aft the ballot determination met the required turnout.

Paul Whiteman, wide caput for the NAHT, said the national mightiness tally a ballot again to "make definite voices of NAHT's members are heard".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that determination had been a "hardening of attitudes" and the quality had been "coming for years".

Support unit successful England and Wales besides voted successful favour of striking but successful England they failed to conscionable the ineligible threshold truthful volition not beryllium taking part.

The NASUWT national reported a 42% turnout past week - beneath the threshold needed for lawful onslaught action.

NASUWT members, arsenic good arsenic those of different unions, person already been connected onslaught successful Scotland.

Teachers from 5 unions successful Northern Ireland are continuing to instrumentality enactment abbreviated of a onslaught - affecting gathering attendance and administrative tasks.