Primary school principals have rejected the Government's revised settlement deal, but primary and area school teachers have accepted it.

After a lengthy stalemate, they have spent the past week voting on whether to ratify the deal.

The New Zealand Educational Institute is urgently requesting the education ministry comes back to the negotiating table.

NZEI vice-president Liam Rutherford told Heather du Plessis-Allan there are a couple of reasons why the principals have rejected the offer.

"Primary school teachers have been offered parity with their secondary school counterparts, but Principals haven't. They don't feel it meets the need that brought us to this round of the campaign."

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE