Sixth form teachers are to stage a walkout in a row over cuts to funding and pay, a union has announced.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said its members working in sixth form colleges had voted in favour of strike action. A date for the first action will be decided during the first week of February.

The union carried out ballots for two different disputes – one on cuts to colleges' funding, and another on pay deals offered by college employers.

NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "Cuts to the funding for these institutions are having a devastating effect. Restoring their funding and reversing the increases in class sizes and cuts to teachers' pay are essential or standards are bound to suffer."

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) also announced it is to start balloting its members over the pay dispute.

ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: "The refusal by Sixth Form College Forum to offer any pay increase risks demoralising staff and will lead to problems retaining and recruiting staff."