The National Education Union (NEU) has formally notified us that it intends to conduct a national aggregated ballot of teacher members in state funded schools in England regarding potential industrial action. The dispute relates to teacher pay and funding arrangements for schools. The ballot is due to open on 3 October 2026 and to close on 15 December 2026.
The notification has been sent to Northumberland County Council as the employer for community and voluntary controlled schools. The NEU has confirmed that it will not send copies of this notification directly to the individual workplaces listed in their formal notice.
Action for schools
- Community and voluntary controlled schools should note the contents of this notification and be aware that NEU members within their setting may be included in the national ballot.
- Foundation, voluntary aided, academy, diocesan and other non-community/non-voluntary controlled schools should expect to receive separate notification directly from the NEU, as they are the employer of their staff and the Council is not the employer in these settings. This communication does not replace any statutory notification that the union may issue directly to those employers.
At this stage, the notification relates only to the ballot process. No industrial action has been called, and the NEU has stated that it remains willing to reach a negotiated settlement and may not proceed with the ballot or any resulting industrial action if the dispute is resolved. The NEU Executive will meet again on 24 September to discuss the latest proposals from the Government linked to funding.
We will continue to monitor further communications from the NEU and the Department for Education in relation to this and update schools as appropriate.
