Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Surbiton High School are taking the first of three days of strike action today (Thursday) over a pay award that is 45% lower than that given to state school teachers.
The fee-paying school in the London borough of Kingston, Surrey, which charges as much as £24k a year per pupil, has only offered 3% to teachers for the 2024/25 academic year. In contrast teachers in the state-funded sector were awarded 5.5% for the 2024/25 academic year.
Surbiton High School is run by the academy chain United Learning Trust which has 90 academies and 14 fee-paying schools. Its CEO Sir Jon Coles saw his pay climb from £267,246 in 2022-23 to at least £290,000 last year.
NASUWT Teachers at the school want fair pay for the work they do and to be paid the same as their counterparts in state schools. Members are taking strike action on Thursday 26th June, Monday 30 June, and Tuesday 1 July.
NASUWT Acting General Secretary Matt Wrack said:
“Teachers are angry over the pay offer and have been forced into taking strike action as a last resort. United Learning Trust is treating our members with contempt and paying them less than teachers in the state-funded academies they run.
“How can it claim teachers at Surbiton High School are worth less than teachers in their other schools?
“ULT should not treat hard-working and committed teachers at Surbiton in this appalling way. This will ultimately backfire because if this second-class treatment continues then teachers may leave and this will ultimately damage the brilliant education provision they have been delivering.”
NASUWT National Executive Member for London South (Outer) Alison Morgan said:
“Teachers just want to feel valued and with this current offer they don't feel valued at all. You don't feel valued when you are not being paid fairly.
“We have held off taking industrial action up until now as we had hoped there could be a negotiated settlement with United Learning Trust.
“Unfortunately United Learning Trust have decided to continue to treat members unfairly and they are to blame for the strike action today.”
