The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is to ballot its members over strike action for the first time in its history, Tes reports.
Leaders in England will be asked if they agree to strikes over the school funding crisis, staff shortages and the erosion of teacher and leader pay and conditions.
Members voted to reject the government pay offer earlier this month – alongside the NEU and NASUWT teaching unions and the NAHT school leaders’ union.
A significant factor in many school leaders’ rejection of the offer was the shortfall in funding to schools to actually make the Government’s proposed pay award.
The ballot will be held during the summer term and any subsequent strikes could take place in the new school year.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said the ballot “reflects the desperate situation regarding inadequate funding, long-term pay erosion, teacher 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”.
Last month, the Department for Education made all four teaching unions the offer of a £1,000 non-consolidated payment for 2022-23 and an average 4.5 per cent rise for 2023-24.
Teachers belonging to the National Education Union (NEU) have two planned strike days for the summer term after rejecting the offer.