The National Education Union's indicative ballot of sixth form college teachers covered by National Joint Council pay agreements has now concluded. This follows a rejection by NEU negotiators in early October of the Sixth Form Colleges' Association's (SFCA) 2026/27 pay offer of 3.5 per cent.
Given this context, we asked members: "Would you vote YES to strike action for a meaningfully above-inflation pay rise and for improvements on workload?”
The ballot opened on 10 October and closed on 5 November 2026. Members in over seventy colleges took part.
The results were as follows:
YES: 83.8%
NO: 16.2%
TURN OUT: 69.8%
The joint union pay claim for 2026-27 is:
- A pay increase that is above the RPI rate of inflation from 1 September 2026 on all pay points and allowances, and that constitutes a meaningful step towards real terms pay restoration;
- An additional increase of at least 10% from 1 September 2026 on the London allowances;
- Accelerated joint discussions on workload and working time over the autumn term, with an agreed position to be reached by the conclusion of spring term 2027.
The NEU will now consider moving to a formal ballot.
Commenting on the result, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"This is an emphatic rejection of the pay offer. We have been clear that the SFCA must meet our key demands across pay restoration and workload. That includes a pay increase above the RPI rate of inflation from 1 September on all pay points and allowances, one that constitutes a meaningful step towards real terms pay restoration.
"In its offer the SFCA has made no firm action to address our workload concerns. The threat of industrial action last year secured some measures to reduce excessive workload, including guaranteed, protected planning and preparation time within teacher’s timetables. However workload continues to be a matter of concern to members and is a central element of our demands.
"We believe that an improved pay offer is affordable within the improved funding for the sector. If there isn’t an improved offer from SFCA following the ballot result, preparations will be made to move to a formal ballot."
Editor's Note
The SFCA pay offer can be viewed here.
The NEU's pay claim is here.
The full list of colleges covered by the indicative ballot and subject to a potential formal ballot is as follows:
Peter Symonds College, Hampshire
Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, Hampshire
Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, Brighton & Hove
The Sixth Form College Farnborough, Hampshire
WQE and Regent College Group, Leicester
Reigate College, Surrey
Cardinal Newman College, Lancashire
Varndean College, Brighton & Hove
Loreto College, Manchester
Long Road Sixth Form College, Cambridgeshire
Oldham Sixth Form College
Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, Leeds
The Sixth Form College Colchester, Essex
Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridgeshire
Luton Sixth Form College
Xaverian College, Manchester
The Sixth Form College Solihull
Leyton Sixth Form College, Waltham Forest
Holy Cross College, Bury
Richard Huish College, Somerset
Esher Sixth Form College, Surrey
Aquinas College, Stockport
Wyke Sixth Form College, Hull
New College Pontefract, Wakefield
The College of Richard Collyer In Horsham, West Sussex
Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College, Birmingham
Bexhill Sixth Form College, East Sussex
St Brendan's Sixth Form College, Bristol
Greenhead College, Kirklees
Bilborough College, Nottingham
Ashton Sixth Form College, Tameside
Godalming College, Surrey
Rochdale Sixth Form College, Rochdale
Queen Mary's College, Hampshire
Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Wirral
City of Stoke-On-Trent Sixth Form College
Woodhouse College, Barnet
Itchen College, Southampton
Priestley College, Warrington
Hereford Sixth Form College, Herefordshire
Gateway Sixth Form College, Leicester
King Edward VI College - Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Woking College, Surrey
Sir George Monoux College, Waltham Forest
The Blackpool Sixth Form College
Huddersfield New College, Kirklees
The Henley College, Oxfordshire
Shrewsbury Colleges Group - London Road Campus, Shropshire
St John Rigby RC Sixth Form College, Wigan
Worcester Sixth Form College, Worcestershire
St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College, Wandsworth
New College Bradford
Scarborough Sixth Form College, North Yorkshire
St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College, Kensington & Chelsea
Bolton Sixth Form College
King Edward VI College Stourbridge
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington
Carmel College, St Helens
Winstanley College, Wigan
Wilberforce College, Hull
East Norfolk Sixth Form College, Norfolk
New College Doncaster, Doncaster
John Leggott Sixth Form College, North Lincolnshire
Sir John Deane's College, Cheshire West & Chester
Longley Park Sixth Form College, Sheffield
St Dominic's Sixth Form College, Harrow
St Vincent College, Hampshire
CTK Emmanuel, Lewisham
CTK St Mary's, Bexley
Franklin Sixth Form College, N E Lincolnshire
Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College - PP Campus, Redcar & Cleveland
Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College - Stockton Campus, Redcar & Cleveland
Shrewsbury Colleges Group - Welsh Bridge Campus, Shropshire
Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, Southampton
CTK Aquinas, Lewisham
Shrewsbury Colleges Group - English Bridge Campus, Shropshire