TEACHERS may strike unless the Government increases school funding, a union leader has said.
Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the profession “can’t be expected just to sit back” while staff shortages and workload go unaddressed.
At the NUT annual conference in Cardiff, Mr Courtney warned the Government has until the Autumn Budget to increase its funding for schools or risk strike action.
He said: “We want the Government to announce they are putting significant resources in.
Mr Courtney was speaking as it was announced that seven unions would lobby Parliament on June 6 protesting at school funding cuts.
Members will be lobbying MPs to introduce a fair funding formula which they say will help every child succeed.
They also want the Government to reverse the 75 per cent cut to the local authority education services grant which supports school improvement and pupils with the greatest needs.
The demands come as a report found that almost half of young teachers expect to quit the profession within years amid a backdrop of increasing paperwork, longer hours and concerns over their mental health.
The survey of just over 3,000 staff aged 35 or lower by the NUT found 45 per cent did not envisage staying in the profession longer than five years.
Workload was the biggest concern for teachers, as well as a poor work-life balance and challenges brought about by changes to government initiatives.
More than four in every five surveyed said that administrative tasks added to the workload without benefiting children in any way.