The government imposed pay freeze for teachers in England during the Covid pandemic demonstrates a “barely concealed contempt” for the profession, a teaching union president will say today.

In her first speech to the NASUWT’s Annual Conference 2022 today, newly sworn-in president Angela Butler will also highlight how teachers worked through the crisis in “overcrowded and dangerous” conditions, protected from the virus only by “fig leaf mitigations”.

The NASUWT teaching union president will also call for teachers to be better protected against the quick fixes of politicians, malicious allegations and “social media abuse that should not be tolerated in a civilised society”.

• Background: Teacher’s pay frozen for 2021-22
• Profile: Tes’ 10 questions with... Angela Butler
• Unions: Call to allow vulnerable school staff to work from home

She will praise teachers as the “forgotten heroes” of the pandemic and call on governments and administrations across the UK to “put teachers first”.

Ms Butler, a special educational needs and disabilities teacher and former chemistry teacher from Powys in Wales, will say: “Teachers, along with other key workers, rose magnificently to the challenge. 

“Even as the virus was spreading exponentially and was mutating into more virulent forms, teachers were back in classrooms.

“And while many other workers remained working from home, teachers have been in overcrowded and dangerous environments now for many months, protected by what are really fig leaf mitigations.

“We know that Black teachers were particularly vulnerable, and our Black members have told us that employers failed to address the increased risk to them. Teachers are the forgotten heroes of the pandemic. But, of course, it is not over.”

Ms Butler will say that pupils had been “denied the order, discipline and care of regular school attendance” and increased mental health problems were impacting teachers in terms of behaviour.

“Teachers have never been so important in the lives of young people, but we ourselves have felt the strains and challenges of the pandemic. So a perfect storm is developing and building. We look to those in power to support us in this crucial work, but instead, teachers are undervalued and under attack.”

‘An exhausted, unhappy teacher is not an effective teacher’

Adding: “An exhausted, unhappy, disillusioned teacher is not an effective teacher. So those that have power over education must understand that they must respect, support and nurture their teachers.

“It is that simple. Yet, they just don’t get it. And the price they pay for years of neglect is schools in crisis, battered and bruised by a pandemic, and neglected and misunderstood by governments.”

She will add that the pay freeze in England, in particular, showed “appalling contempt” for teachers. And she will call for the profession to receive better protection.

Teachers were hit by a public sector pay freeze announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in 2020.

“Protect us from those in society that blame us for their own failures. Protect us from quick fixes by politicians who want to make a name for themselves,” Ms Butler will say.

“Protect us from malicious allegations that can destroy careers and even lives. Protect us from social media abuse that should not be tolerated in a civilised society.

“Teachers are so precious. Together with parents and carers, it is teachers that form and create the next generation. Society so desperately needs good teachers and yet successive governments in all UK nations have treated us so badly.”