A Liverpool teacher warned "the system is at breaking point" in schools plagued by a "staffing crisis" and budget cuts.
Teachers could join the growing list of workers walking out on strike next month if members of three trade unions - the NEU, NASUWT and NAHT - vote in favour of industrial action when results of strike ballots are announced today. The message is familiar to those following disputes involving nurses and paramedics - "the workload is too big and the pay is too small", according to Graham Copsey, a chemistry teacher in Liverpool.
He joined the profession 35 years ago to "be inspiring and to help people". Seeing kids learn is his favourite part of the job, saying "being in a class with children is wonderful". But long hours and falling real terms pay are driving people out of teaching, leading to what Graham describes as a "staffing crisis".
