HUNDREDS of striking teachers rallied together in a show solidarity as they embarked on a momentous march through the city centre today.

Members of the National Education Union formed a united front in Colchester as they demanded greater pay and more funding for schools.

Union bosses say teachers have suffered a real-terms pay cut of 23 per cent since 2010.

The Government did offer teachers a pay rise of five per cent last September but the union is now fighting for an increase of 12 per cent.

Holding aloft placards and banners the suitably vocal demonstrators chanted in unison as they made their way through the streets.

During the seemingly endless stream of teachers the unionists and their supporters proudly shouted “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts”.

After defiantly making their way down the High Street for the final stretch of their march the protestors then gathered once more to listen to motivating speakers.

Dave Evans, who is now the president of the National Education Union’s north east Essex branch, retired from teaching a couple of years ago.

He said: “In 2019 there was a debate about emergency funding for education but since then things have got worse and worse.

READ MORE: Hospital appointments cancelled as junior doctors go on strike in Colchester

“This Government does not seem to see what is happening in schools - any pay rises have come out of existing budgets so resources have been squeezed.

“The crisis is just continuing. You hear people say about the disruption striking causes to children’s education but every day their education is disrupted.

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“Some classes don’t have regular teachers, just supply teachers, because we cannot recruit, and teaching assistants are leaving because they can earn more at Lidl.

“Until we get a Government prepared to invest in public services I don’t know how we are going to get out of this.”

Professor Pam Cox, who is hoping to become a Labour MP for Colchester, gave a speech to the gather crowds before they set off on the march.

She said: “We should not have to be here and as education and school staff you should have the resources and support you need to do the job you love.

“You should not have to be here today you should be back doing the job you love.

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“I think schools are on the frontline of this and cuts to education have made it so much harder for you to do the professional and vital work you do.

“We need to restore that investment in you, in our schools and in pupils and in parents.

“Education is a right and a good education, freely accessible to all, seems to me to be the best way to level-up you can get. “

"Thanks for stepping up and for taking a stand.”

Demonstrators spoke openly about the crippling pressures now bestowed upon them during work hours and the detrimental impact the job is having on their home lives.

Katy Roberts, who has been a teacher for five years and is currently a Year 1 teacher at Highwoods Primary School, says she is struggling financially.

She said: “If I was trying to rely just on my own wage I would only have £10 a week left for food, but luckily I also have a partner.

“She works for the NHS and we can just about make ends meets but the pay I am losing to come out to strike means I cannot afford a party for my son.

“My aim is to make sure the school is fully funded because it should not be about choosing between paying staff, having staff, and giving children what they need.

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“We don’t have glue sticks and the resources are just reducing and opportunities to give children a rich curriculum is reducing and that is just not fair.

“They deserve so much more and teachers should be respected.”

Teacher of seven years, Finnley Lawrence, 28, has worked at two schools in Colchester and one abroad – the latter of which paid more money.

She said: “We do not have enough funding and resources for children and we are having to raise money from the children just to get library books.

“Even though we do so much already there is always more being added to the plate. I give my all to this job but as a result my wellbeing suffers and my home life suffers.

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“Our laptops are open at the weekend and we are doing work because at school we have so much to fit in and our PPA time is never used for what it should be used for.

“We are expected to give a high level of education which is just not feasible now if you don’t put your own personal time into it.

“The profession is thankless and we are never enough and never feel adequate. We are told we are not adequate.”

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Sarah Westera, who has been in education for a “very long time”, works only three days a week at a school because its budget cannot accommodate her going fulltime.

“I would like to do extra work but the schools cannot pay for extra work now and so we as a family have had to make big cuts,” she said.

“The workload and the stresses of the job are just ridiculous and so that is another reason why I don’t think I could work full time.

“I love teaching and love being around children - it is a real buzz for me but there is another side to teaching which comes at a huge cost for a lot of people.”