Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to introduce minimum service level requirements for teachers to ensure that children do not miss time in the classroom due to industrial action.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that children and young people are not disadvantaged because of any future strike action. Cumulatively, over 25 million school days have been lost over ten strike days in schools alone. Disruption caused by strike action has only compounded the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young peoples’ education.

On Friday 20 October, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced her intention to pursue Minimum Service Levels in education. In the first instance, the Department will look to proceed through voluntary agreement. The Secretary of State has written to education unions inviting them to discuss minimum service levels proposals in the hope an agreement can be reached on a voluntary basis.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the Secretary of State will use powers within The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, which allows her to make regulations to set minimum service levels in education services in the event of strike action. At such a time, the Department will launch a consultation on how minimum service levels could be implemented. This will build on the consultation in higher education announced on 2 October 2023.

Either through voluntary agreements or legislation, the Department will introduce minimum service levels to protect children and students from disruption to their education during periods of industrial action.