Speaking following the DfE's offer of intensive talks - which was conditional upon the NEU pausing its strike action next week - Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “We welcome the invitation to intensive talks with the Department for Education over the coming days in an attempt to resolve this dispute.

“We fully expect discussions on pay to be central to those meetings and a fair offer on pay will be key to moving beyond the polite discussions so far to a point where we can hope for tangible progress towards an agreement.

“However, we have no control over action by a fellow union and it would be naive beyond belief for the DfE to pull the plug on these talks even before they have begun on that basis. That would demonstrate a government out of its depth when it comes to industrial relations with little clue about what it takes to come to an agreement.

“Our members have waited long enough, seeing their pay fall in real terms by nearly a fifth since 2010 at the same time as ever-increasing workload, high-stakes accountability and the massive impact of the pandemic upon schools and children’s learning.

“They will expect the government to be serious about these talks and come forward with an offer that reflects the lengths they go to day in day out for pupils and helps solve the recruitment and retention crisis.”