Kevin Courtney
Teacher who swapped physics for pickets to campaign against school budget cuts
Kevin Courtney, 63, is a Welsh former teacher who has been an active union member since he taught physics at Camden School for Girls, a state school in north London, in 1983. Born in Pontypridd, he attended state started his career as an activist and union official, taking on roles including branch secretary and vice-president of the southern and eastern regional Trades Union Congress. He was appointed deputy general-secretary of the National
Union of Teachers (NUT) in 2010, and went on to replace Christine Blower as its leader in 2016. That summer, he led a one-day strike over pay and budget cuts which saw thousands of schools across England shut their doors. “This strike should not have been necessary,” he said at the time. “The NUT will keep campaigning to ensure that the education our children receive is not compromised through school budget cuts.”
Mr Courtney became joint general-secretary of the National Education Union in 2017, when the Association of Teachers and Lecturers merged with the NUT. His reported salary is £103,000 before benefits, according to the NEU’S annual return.