Winning a Generational Settlement for Education

rs21 educators put forward their view that every educator in the NEU should help build the biggest yes vote for action. The NEU’s indicative ballot opened on 28 February for both teachers and support staff.

Striking works

Three years ago this spring, educators across England and Wales took part in national strike action in defence of pay and funding. While that strike action finished too early, it made some serious gains: teacher pay has stayed roughly in line with inflation, funding for schools was increased and new money was won for education. Subsequent annual pay rounds have also seen our threat to ballot win concessions from the STRB (School Teacher Pay Review Board) and the Government. Striking works.

But we need to acknowledge that those victories were only partial. The downward pressure acting on education as a result of neoliberalism – the cuts, the privatisation – and the mounting pressure forced onto children and families by the collapse of public services has only increased in the intervening three years. 

Schools are in crisis

Schools, educators and children are being failed more profoundly now than in 2023. Who hasn’t experienced budget cuts? Who hasn’t had to compromise the educational experience of children because of funding? Who hasn’t found themselves teaching in inappropriate and crumbling spaces? Who hasn’t withdrawn the support a child needs because of a lack of money? Who hasn’t taught a class that is too big? Who hasn’t helped a child who can’t afford the basics? Who hasn’t experienced frustration at the lack of opportunities for working class kids? The list could go on. What is true is that education is failing our children, and the extra labour of educators is barely holding it together. 

That is why this strike wave must be different from 2023. We cannot simply settle for a slight increase in the percentage pay amount for educators and the promise to move some money around so that it is partially funded. We cannot settle for a defence of the 1265 ‘limit’ on working hours. 

Reset education

Instead, we must fight for a generational settlement for education – a strike outcome that will break the cycle of managed decline, overwork and lack of opportunity for our children. We cannot rely on any politicians to deliver this – no election will change this reality – we have to win it in our schools and communities through our strikes.

Responding to our experience of organising in schools, rs21 Educators developed the 4:20s demands in 2025. We don’t want a cycle of barely acceptable one-year pay deals to continue, while education gets worse. We want to win a better education system for both educators and children. The 4:20s are our attempt to articulate a set of demands that we can make to the DfE that would support a generational settlement for education – one that resets our education system.

1. A maximum class size of 20

This is essential to tackling the poor educational experience that our system delivers for children. We have the largest class sizes in Europe, and this cuts teacher time per child, making it harder to meet needs and harder to support individual development. Cutting class sizes is also crucial to tackling excessive workload.

2. PPA of 20%

Every child and every educator wants their lesson to be meaningful, engaging and awe-inspiring – this can’t be done without sufficient time to plan children’s learning. 20% Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time will allow this time and is crucial for tackling the issue of workload.

3. 20% pay rise for all staff

Teachers and support staff are leaving the profession in droves. The long hours and incredible emotional labour are hard, and when you can get paid more elsewhere for doing a lot less, why not? We need to acknowledge the damage that this brain drain is doing for our children and pay our professionals a decent wage to keep them in the classroom.

4. 20% increase in per-pupil funding

Previous pay increases have been partially funded, but all of that new money has gone on pay. We need an increase in per-pupil funding so that schools can have more money to meet the needs of their children and to enrich their educational experience.

Making this strike count

The above demands provide a framework for articulating our key objective in this ballot and with these potential strikes – a victory that can transform education for our children. Every activist, Rep, NEU Officer, and even our General Secretary, should be returning to this central idea over and over again. Not only is this good politics, creating a coalition between educators, parents, children and the community, but it will also help sustain the type of strike action we need to win a serious, funded and transformational settlement for education. In every school across England, educators must build the ballot and the strikes to make this victory count.

This article was originally published in Red Pen, the rs21 educator’s bulletin. The most recent edition can be found on both Substack, and in PDF form.