I’VE been a teacher for nearly a decade now and as such I’m in a privileged position — I have the best job in the world. It also means that I see every day the burning injustice in our society played out in our education system, riddled as it is with hierarchy and elitism.

On one hand we have a state system underfunded to such an extent that we have to teach in overcrowded classrooms in crumbling buildings while on the other side of the tracks private schools lavish the children of the wealthy with luxury facilities. Add onto this growing rates of child poverty and massive increases in inequality in society as a whole and state schools face a perfect storm.

That’s why I got involved in the Labour Party and why it was amazing to see that our campaign Labour Against Private Schools (#AbolishEton) had caused such a major shift in Labour policy.

Just five years ago it would have been impossible to even imagine that a Labour Party manifesto would ever include the line, “We will ask the Social Justice Commission to advise on integrating private schools and creating a comprehensive education system.” Yes we would have liked to see it go further but we had the chance at last to see our education system realigned to serve the many not just the few.

The manifesto also committed the next Labour government to close the tax loopholes enjoyed by elite private schools and use that money to improve the lives of all children; properly fund our schools; end high-stakes testing.

It was like reading a Christmas list written by teachers. It was popular too. Amongst teachers and parents at state schools and at private schools Labour’s policies on education were vote winners.

I was filled with hope for the first time in my nearly a decade of teaching. At last we’d get better funding. At last teachers were going to be treated as professionals again. At last we would see an end to the oppressive Ofsted regime.

So, I phonebanked, I campaigned. I gave myself blisters pounding the streets in the pouring rain leafleting, I shared countless posts on social media and more importantly I discussed Labour Party policy with undecided colleagues, friends and family. This was going to be our time, our chance for real change.

That is why waking up to the news on Friday morning was such a blow. Not only had the electorate decided to re-elect Johnson but to give him a big majority. The Tory Party have promised more cuts to education and more Ofsted. The equivalent of a sack of coal for each teacher this Christmas.

The Tory promise of snap Ofsted inspections, lasting three days, will mean even more pressure being put on teaching staff. A constant state of high alert will mean resources and energy are diverted away from the things which really matter (like actually teaching).

I predict an exodus of teachers if this happens, already fellow teachers have said that this will be the final straw. This will only add to the already depleted teaching staff at schools and add to the current teacher retention crisis. In turn this will lead to bigger class sizes and a downward spiral.

As a trade unionist I expect we’ll see further attacks on the rights of workers with it being made more and more difficult to take collective action. But, now more than ever, teachers need to show solidarity with each other. In these troubled times with a weakened left and an emboldened right the role of trade unions becomes even more vital.

The National Education Union ran a fantastic campaign during the election and that energy now needs to be focused on protecting education. This has started already with the NEU promising to hold the government to account with five demands:

• End school cuts and invest in education
• End child poverty
• Replace Ofsted with a fair way of evaluating schools
• End high-stakes primary testing
• Address the teacher retention and recruitment crisis.

We need now to ensure there is a union rep in every school and constant political education and we need to make sure we’re willing and ready to strike to protect the rights of teachers and pupils everywhere.

Despite our great disappointment in the result, we must also remain committed to the long-term struggle for greater equality in education and across society.

For the next five years trade unions must take up the role of the first line of defence for working people against the forces of reaction in the most right-wing government in over a hundred years. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with all marginalised groups and must continue to challenge elitism and inequality in education.

In the immortal words of labour activist Joe Hill: don’t mourn, organise.