Sixth form colleges could face walkouts after teachers vote for action over pay

Sixth form college students in England could face walkouts after members of a teaching union voted in favour of strikes in a dispute over pay.

Members of the NASUWT teaching union in 23 sixth form colleges have backed strike action and/or action short of strikes in a fight for a fair pay increase.

The Government announced last year that teachers in schools across England would receive a fully-funded 5.5% pay rise from September 2024.

The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) has offered teachers in non-academised sixth form colleges 3.5% for September 2024 to March this year – and then 5.5% from April.

Meanwhile, teachers in sixth form colleges with academy status have been offered 5.5% from September 2024, seven months earlier than their colleagues in non-academised colleges.

NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach said: “Whilst we welcome the decision of sixth form college academy employers to pay in full a 5.5% pay award backdated to September 2024, it is simply unacceptable to expect teachers working in non-academy colleges to be paid less for doing the same job.

“NASUWT members across England are sending a clear message to their employers that they expect to be treated fairly and equally.

“All sixth form college employers have the flexibility to use their existing funds, reserves and additional funding allocations due in April this year to deliver the 5.5% backdated award in full.

“There is simply no excuse and no justification for any teacher to be denied a fair and equitable pay award.

“We are today giving notice to college employers that they can avoid industrial action where they agree to provide teachers with the 5.5% backdated pay award to which they are entitled.”

It comes after members of another teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), have already staged eight days of strike action in 32 non-academised sixth-form colleges in England since November.

Last week, the NEU announced that two further days of planned walkouts had been suspended while it consulted members on a pay offer from the SFCA.

In January, the NASUWT opened the ballot for more than 1,800 of its members in sixth form colleges in England – both academies and non-academies – for industrial action over pay.

There was a 56% turnout in the ballot of members in 23 non-academised sixth form colleges – which is above the turnout threshold required.

Where non-academy sixth-form colleges do not commit to paying in full a 5.5% award backdated to September 2024 to its teachers, NASUWT remains in dispute and members will take industrial action, the union said.

But once the 5.5% pay award backdated to September 2024 is given to members in sixth form college academies, the NASUWT said its disputes with academised sixth form colleges will be resolved.

SFCA chief executive Bill Watkin said: “This is a confusing and disappointing move from NASUWT.

“They appear to have balloted members in 16-19 academies even though teachers in these institutions will receive the 5.5% pay award NASUWT is seeking.”

He added: “Sixth form colleges cannot make the same pay award as 16-19 academies unless they receive the same funding to support a pay award.

“Rather than penalising students that have already experienced eight days of disruption as a result of this dispute, NASUWT should be working with us to secure the additional funding required from the Government.

“This is a divisive and poorly timed development given that sixth form colleges are in the process of implementing the pay offer for 2024/25.”