The National Education Union will support efforts to ensure year 11 and 13 students do not miss out on crucial exam preparation lessons during the upcoming strike action.

The NEU has published guidance to ensure its members can support arrangements “that provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed to allow year 11/13 to attend school for supervised revision activities or exam practice” (NEU, 2023).

The union has announced two days of further strike action on April 27 and May 2 following its members’ overwhelming rejection of the government’s offer on pay.

It comes as the Association of School and College Leaders announced this week it would be formally balloting its members for strike action for the first time in its history.

Following intensive negotiations before Easter, the Department for Education (DfE) offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment this academic year and a 4.5% average pay rise from September 2023 (4.3% for most teachers and 7.1% for new teachers). For more on the pay offer, see our report here.

The NEU put the offer to its members and 98% voted to reject it (based on a turn-out of 66%). This equates to more than 191,000 of the 300,000 members who were eligible to vote.

A statement 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 judgement and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system.”

The NEU’s guidance to members warns that no teacher taking strike action can be forced to work: “If arrangements are agreed, then the NEU would request our members participate where needed but they cannot be compelled.”

It also warns that the dispensation, if agreed, only applies to years 11 and 13: “This increased staffing should not be used to widen school opening to other year groups that the school would otherwise be closed to.”

It adds: “This dispensation to minimise disruption to year 11 and year 13 exam preparation is to be negotiated by NEU reps and headteachers as equal partners in making arrangements that work for each school.”

The DfE pay offer has also been rejected by the ASCL, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), and the NASUWT.

The NASUWT vote saw 87% of its eligible members reject the pay offer, with 77% of members indicating that they would be willing to vote for strike action. The union’s national executive has since approved plans to ballot once again for industrial action after a ballot earlier this year failed to meet the new legal thresholds put in place by the government.

The NAHT’s vote saw 90% reject the offer on a turn-out of 64%, with 78% also saying they would be willing to take strike action. The NAHT has previously hinted at rerunning its ballot for industrial action after also failing to meet the legal threshold last time around. Its annual conference is due to discuss the matter when it takes place in Telford on April 28 and 29.

ASCL’s vote, meanwhile, saw 87% reject the pay offer on a turn-out of 55% with its executive committee agreeing to move to a formal ballot for strike action.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “The response from the members of all the education unions has been overwhelming – the government can be in no doubt of the strength of feeling of the education profession or their determination to stand up for themselves and for their pupils.”

Mr Barton added: “The government’s pay offer is inadequate in every respect. It fails to address long-term pay erosion, the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, or provide enough funding for schools to be able to afford even the meagre pay award that is on the table.

“Talks with the government were immensely frustrating and it took an eternity to inch towards this lacklustre set of proposals. Ultimately all we could do is put it to members and let them decide. It is no surprise that they have overwhelmingly rejected the offer.”