Commenting on the Chancellor’s speech, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Education is running on empty. Members tell me daily the effect that years of real-term funding cuts is having on their working lives - and the education of the children they teach. Today's Budget has done nothing to improve this.
"Educators believed Labour would at least start to fix the problems schools and colleges are facing. Instead, we have a government continuing to underfund education.
"Roofs continue to leak, children continue to learn in their coats because heating is too expensive, and teachers continue to dip into their pockets to buy basic learning resources for their students. Staff are trying their best to hold things together, but they are swimming against the tide.
"Lack of funding is already choking the system. But the government's recommendation on pay for the next three years - a below-inflation, unfunded rise on top of 15 years of pay cuts - will only worsen the crisis.
“The Chancellor says there is no return to austerity, but pay cuts against inflation means this will feel very much like Austerity 2.0 to teachers and other educators. The OBR has adjusted its inflation and wage growth forecast up, meaning the government’s proposals to the School Teachers’ Review Body are even more out of step with what is needed.
“It is welcome that the government has at last listened to the overwhelming calls for an end to the two-child benefit limit. Abolishing this cruel policy is a significant step which will support hundreds of thousands of children and families. There is work still to do if we are to alleviate and reduce the scourge of child poverty. Free school meals for all is surely the next step.
"The National Education Union will not accept the continued underfunding of our schools. We will not accept another pay cut. Our national executive will meet this Saturday to decide next steps. We must convince this government to change course - even if that means balloting for strike action. We must - and we will - save our schools.”