Striking teachers march to a rally held at Islington Town Hall

CALLS for better pay and working conditions rang out as striking teachers held a rally at the Town Hall.

Yesterday (Thursday) saw teachers striking over fair pay, with the government proposing a 3 per cent rise, which the unions say is a real-term pay cut because of high inflation rates.

A lack of funding and poor pay mean teachers say they can’t give students the support they need.

“Since Covid, the gap between the richest and the poorest students has been further exacerbated,” said Meghan Oliver, who has taught for eight years, and currently teaches at Christ The King Primary School in Finsbury Park.

“The emotional strain of seeing those children going through such tough times and not having school to support them has been heartbreaking.

“The government is refusing to step in and we’re trying to make up for that gap. But, we’re burning ourselves out but it’s unsustainable.”

English teacher Georgia Leefe

Georgia Leefe is an English teacher who is currently grappling with classes full of children who need support that she cannot provide.

“There are classes where there are four Afghan refugees who don’t speak any English, kids with autism and dyslexia. If I provided the right resources for all of them, each time I planned a lesson it would take me two or three hours, and I don’t have that time.

Meghan Oliver: ‘Since Covid, the gap between the richest and the poorest students has been further exacerbated’

“Ultimately, I have to do my best by tweaking the resources that I have, and this class is in Year 10, so they’ve got one year before GCSEs.”

For the children who are Afghan refugees there is an English as a foreign language department, where they go once a week to learn English, she said, but she added:  “In terms of teaching Shakespeare and that kind of thing, I have to sort that out myself.”

Alison Forde, arts lead at Hugh Myddelton

Joe Beaman-Brinklow, a Year 6 teacher striking at Hugh Myddelton Primary School, Clerkenwell, who has taught for six years, said it was “isolating” often working alone in the classroom, particularly when dealing with tricky behaviour.

“When I first started, most classes would have a teaching assistant or support staff in the room with a teacher whereas now, I don’t think that’s ever the case,” he said.

Teachers outside the gates of Hugh Myddelton Primary School in Clerkenwell yesterday (Thursday)

Weyman Bennet, from Stand Up to Racism, spoke at the rally about his time both as a student and teacher in City and Islington College, highlighting the impact that teachers can have on students.

He said: “When I was growing up, I used to be afraid to go to school, because there was a group called the National Front who used to stand outside the school, and when the black kids turned up they used to try and chase them away from the gate.

“And you know who walked us to school? It was our teachers. They said, ‘we won’t put up with this, we won’t let you be divided, we won’t leave you on your own, and we stand together in solidarity’.”