National Education Union members who teach in sixth form colleges have returned a strong result in their indicative ballot over their readiness to undertake a formal strike ballot in support of their 2025/26 pay claim.
Over 4,500 members across 75 colleges were balloted, achieving a 68.2 per cent turnout overall and an 88.7 per cent vote in favour of action. Should the pay claim not be met satisfactorily by the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA), then a formal strike ballot will follow in the autumn term.
The 2025/26 pay claim calls for an above-inflation pay rise that constitutes a meaningful step towards real terms pay restoration, as well as a number of workload protections, including the addition of Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) to sixth form college teacher terms and conditions.
Although sixth form college funding per student fell by over 14 per cent in real terms between 2010-2020 and has yet to return to that level overall, the 2025/26 year has seen a marked improvement. The government has increased the sixth form funding rate to £5,105 per student, in addition to a further £190m of funding for 16-19 education, with numbers of students aged 16 and 17 projected to rise by 8 per cent between 2023-28.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“NEU sixth form college teachers have made it very clear they expect a decent pay rise this year, and that it must make up some of the ground they have lost in real terms since 2010. The debacle around pay for non-academised college teachers last year was caused by the government and added salt to the wound. We expect to see a significant offer from the employer side this year, with our members unequivocal that they will move to a formal strike ballot if their pay claim is not met.
“Workloads remain a significant concern for teacher recruitment and retention in the sector, and the pay claim calls for important workload protections that cannot come soon enough, including the addition of PPA time to sixth form college teacher contracts. Now is the time for sixth form college teachers to be properly valued for the work they do, with recent improvements to sixth form college funding reflected in our members’ pay packets.”