Pupils across the UK could face major disruption this year as teachers threaten nationwide strike action over pay, workload and school funding.
The NASUWT has warned it will mobilise its 300,000 members for industrial action unless the government agrees to improved pay and conditions.
At its annual conference in Birmingham, the union passed a motion stating it would “ballot for national strike action” if ministers fail to meet its demands.
Teachers are calling for a “fully funded, real-terms above inflation pay increase”, alongside reduced working hours and increased investment in special educational needs provision.
The warning comes just days before planned walkouts by junior doctors, raising the prospect of widespread disruption across both education and healthcare.
The government has proposed a 6.5 per cent pay rise over three years, but the union has dismissed the offer as inadequate, describing it as “pitiful”.
Union leaders argue that much of the increase would have to be funded from existing school budgets, placing further strain on already stretched resources.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT, said: “Nobody in the real world has any confidence whatsoever that there will be sufficient resources to actually deliver.”
He added: “Increasing expectations at the same time as cutting resources is a recipe for failure, a recipe for disaster.”
The union also raised concerns about proposed changes to special educational needs provision, warning they could increase workloads without additional support.
Wrack criticised plans to expand multi-academy trusts, saying some leaders “are building their little empires” and adding: “Some live in the world, the wonderful world, shall we say, of Ken and Barbie.”
The National Education Union is also assessing support for strike action through an indicative ballot, raising the possibility of coordinated walkouts across unions.
Any industrial action later this year could lead to school closures, leaving parents scrambling to arrange childcare and disrupting pupils’ education.
The Department for Education said it is working to improve conditions in the profession.
A spokesperson said: “To restore teaching as the highly valued profession it should be we have taken action to boost teacher pay, tackle poor pupil behaviour, high workload and poor wellbeing so even more teachers stay on in the profession and thrive.”
The dispute highlights growing tensions over pay and resources in the education sector, with schools facing continued pressure amid rising costs and reform plans.