NUT ballot has exposed politicians' dirty secret of schools austerity

Conservative and Labour pledges on education disguise the effects of upcoming cuts and contribution increases at the heart of the union's proposal to strike

The National Union of Teachers' approval for a strike ballot brings to the fore a dirty secret shared by the Conservatives and Labour: that funding for schools in England will see steep cuts based on the promises both parties have made.

It is an issue that has largely flown under the election campaign radar so far, but schools and local authorities across England are now having to deal with the scope of the cuts as they set their budgets for next year, with many saying they are being forced to dip into their reserves to maintain staffing.

Related: Teachers' union backs ballot on strike tied to schools funding