Teachers who agree “in extremis” to attend school on strike days to supervise exam-year students should leave afterwards but be paid in full, according to new guidance from the NEU teaching union.
The union issued guidance this week designed to “minimise disruption” to Year 11 and 13 exam preparation during strike action taking place later this month.
The guidance states that the NEU “will support arrangements that provide the minimum level of teaching staff needed”.
However, the NEU has said that “only the government” can “eliminate” disruption completely by reopening negotiations and bringing a “much-improved offer” to the table.
The NEU has said that if arrangements are agreed between union reps and headteachers, members would be requested to “participate where needed but they cannot be compelled”.
However, the union has said that if no agreement can be found, then members “cannot be obliged to make any dispensation arrangements for Year 11 and Year 13 provision”.
The union also said that members with responsibility for exam year students would be authorised to provide cover work in their absence.
The guidance adds: “If, in extremis and only by prior agreement with the NEU, members are asked to attend school for part of the day to supervise a specific exam group, then they should attend for this purpose only and leave work afterwards. If this is part of the negotiated agreement, then our members cannot be compelled to do this, but the union will authorise it.
“Agreement should be sought from the headteacher that no pay is to be docked even if the member has not worked the full day.”
The NEU has said that if members are paid for strike days because they are supporting the arrangements agreed by the union, they would be “encouraged” to donate to the union’s hardship fund.
NEU national strikes are scheduled for 27 April and 2 May.
Members at the union’s annual conference in Harrogate before Easter also voted in support of a three-day strike in late June or early July, the exact dates of which will be confirmed by the executive on 18 May.
An amendment to the motion that would have permitted the union executive to arrange strike days during the exam season was only narrowly defeated.
After a period of intensive talks, the Department for Education last month made all four teaching unions the offer of a £1,000 non-consolidated payment for 2022-23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for 2023-24.
However, just 0.5 per cent of the overall 4.5 per cent pay award for next year would have come through new funding, along with the £1,000 one-off payment for this year.
Yesterday, updated DfE guidance advised that schools could offer catch-up lessons or extra revision sessions for exam students amid strike action this term.
