Headteachers’ strike: is ASCL union balloting for industrial action, when would school leaders walk out, why?

A headteachers’ union is due to hold a formal ballot for a national strike in England for the first time in its history.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said the school funding crisis, the erosion of teacher and leader pay, worsening working conditions, and staff shortages were the main factors behind the decision. The union also slammed a government offer to settle the dispute in March as “completely inadequate” - adding that the pay offer was rejected by nearly 90% of eligible members.

It is understood that the ballot would be held during the upcoming summer term, with industrial action - if voted for - to take place in the autumn term at the start of the next school year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson has said he is “concerned about the overall impact of strike action on children’s education,” but does not want to “pre-empt what union members may choose to do”.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “ASCL has never before formally balloted at a national level and this is clearly a very significant step.” He added that this action is taken “as a last resort”and with “a heavy heart”, but said that the union “cannot accept the continued damage to education caused by government neglect and complacency.”

So, why are headteachers and school leaders voting on strikes, when would walkouts be, and how likely are they to happen? Here’s everything you need to know about the possible industrial action - including the impacts on schools.

Who are the ASCL?

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is a union which represents more than 23,000 leaders of primary, secondary, and post-16 education from across the UK. This includes roles such as headteachers, college leads, and multi-academy trust chief executives.

Why are headteachers balloting for industrial action?

Senior elected members of the union decided to ask its members whether they want to stage walkouts for the following reasons:

• The school funding crisis
• The erosion of teacher and leader pay
• Worsening working conditions
• Staff shortages

ASCL also said that it felt it had “made every effort” to resolve the dispute through negotiations prior to reaching this point, but felt the government had “failed to sufficiently address pay and conditions”, and, critically, “did not provide enough funding for even the meagre proposal it put forward.”

Mr Barton commented: “The fact that we have reached this point reflects the desperate situation regarding inadequate funding, long-term pay erosion, staff shortages, and the intransigence of a government which we can only conclude does not value the education workforce or recognise the severe pressures facing the sector.”

He added that following the pay offer it put forward in March - which was rejected by 87% of the ASCL’s eligible members who voted - the government’s Department of Education “has made no effort to reopen negotiations and has said only that the issue of pay will now revert to the School Teachers’ Review Body.”

When would strikes take place?

The ballot for strike action will be held during the summer term, but the date is yet to be decided. If members vote in favour of walkouts, the union said it expects these would take place during the autumn term. Dates will be confirmed closer to the time.

How likely are walkouts?

Members previously voted overwhelmingly to reject the government’s pay offer - so the prospect of industrial action is looking relatively likely.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), another headteachers’ union, could also hold a formal ballot on potential strikes, after nearly four in five (78%) of members said they would be prepared to vote for industrial action.

What would the impact be on schools?

Schools have been hit in recent months by a series of teachers’ strikes, with the National Education Union’s walkout causing a big enough staff shortage for schools to close - affecting millions of working parents and placing further pressure on an already-struggling childcare sector.

If strikes do take place, it will also impact schools - but there is no word yet on whether they will close or not. It’s worth noting that the NEU has 450,000 members, while the ASCL has 23,000, so not as many members of staff would be involved in industrial action.