Teachers in sixth-form colleges have emphatically rejected a 3.5 per cent pay offer, with 83.8 per cent voting in favour of strike action in an indicative ballot run by the National Education Union (NEU).

The ballot, which covered teachers under National Joint Council pay agreements, opened on 10 October and closed on 5 November 2026. Members in more than 70 colleges took part, with a turnout of 69.8 per cent. Just 16.2 per cent voted against strike action.

Members were asked: "Would you vote YES to strike action for a meaningfully above-inflation pay rise and for improvements on workload?" The NEU said the result was an emphatic rejection of the offer from the Sixth Form Colleges' Association (SFCA) for 2026-27, which its negotiators had already turned down in early October.

Daniel Kebede, the NEU's general secretary, 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." He added that the union believed an improved offer was affordable within the improved funding for the sector, and warned that if no improved offer followed, preparations would be made to move to a formal ballot.

The joint union pay claim for 2026-27 calls for a rise above the retail prices index (RPI) rate of inflation from 1 September 2026 on all pay points and allowances, as a meaningful step towards restoring pay in real terms. It also seeks an additional increase of at least 10 per cent from 1 September 2026 on the London allowances, and accelerated joint discussions on workload and working time over the autumn term, with an agreed position to be reached by the end of the spring term in 2027.

Workload is a central part of the dispute. The NEU said the SFCA's offer made no firm move to address workload concerns. Last year's pay round did secure some measures to reduce excessive workload, including guaranteed, protected planning and preparation time within teachers' timetables, and sixth-form colleges have since secured a contractual right to planning time along with other workload protections. But the union says workload continues to be a matter of concern to members.

Its claim now seeks a clear upper limit of no more than 20 hours of contact time a week, and class-size limits of 25 students for non-practical classes and 20 for practical classes, to be set out in the sector's conditions handbook, known as the Red Book.

The ballot was indicative, which means it does not by itself authorise strike action. The NEU said it would now consider moving to a formal ballot, the step that would be needed before any lawful strike could be called. No strike dates have been announced.

For context, sixth-form college teachers are paid on a nine-point spine that ran from £33,465 to £51,714 from 1 September 2025, with responsibility allowances ranging from £1,000 to £10,000. Pay in the sector is negotiated nationally through the National Joint Council for staff in sixth-form colleges, separately from school teachers' pay.

The result adds to the pressure on sixth-form colleges and the SFCA to return with a better offer. With the indicative ballot passed by a large margin on a strong turnout, the union's leadership now has a clear mandate to seek one, and the prospect of a formal strike ballot hangs over the sector if talks do not move.