Teachers' Strike Closes Thousands Of Schools

Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren have faced disruption after teachers launched another strike in a row over pay and pensions.

Industrial action, organised by the  NASUWT  and the National Union of Teachers, affected the North East, Cumbria, the South West, South East and London.

The unions claimed tens of thousands of teachers had taken part and that 82% of schools across the four regions had been affected in some way.

But the Government, which condemned the latest walkout, estimated only around a quarter had been forced to close.

In Brighton, more than 2,000 people including teachers from across the city and elsewhere in Sussex staged a noisy march.

Part of the city centre was brought to a temporary standstill as the convoy of placard-waving demonstrators wove their way through as police looked on.

Chants of “What do we want? Gove out. When do we want it? Now” and “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts” were shouted as the march progressed.

Community school teacher Rachel Henocq said: “I think it’s unfair what the Government is doing to education. It’s ruining children’s lives at the moment.

“Someone has got to take a stand. No-one wants to go on strike. I love teaching and I love children.

Another rally in Durham, attended by NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates, was also said to have attracted around 2,000 people.

Ms Keates said: “No teacher comes out with a spring in their step taking strike action.

“What we are seeing is a real air of determination to demonstrate that they are sick and tired of Education Secretary Michael Gove’s denigration of the profession and the relentless attacks he has made on them, which they believe are attacks on children and young people.”

David Cameron blamed unions for the strikes, which he described as “disappointing”.

“It is very inconvenient for parents, it is not good for pupils’ education, and when we look at the things they are striking over, pensions and pay, they are things that have been decided independently by well-led reviews,” he said.

“I was at my children’s school today in London. One class was not there but the rest of the school was operating,” he told BBC Sussex radio:

“So every praise to those teachers who have gone ahead and kept our schools open for our kids.”

The Department of Education added: “All strikes do is disrupt parents’ lives, hold back children’s education and damage the reputation of the profession.”

A spokesman insisted polling data showed that a majority backed linking teachers’ pay to performance and opposed strikes and insisted frequent meetings had been held with unions.

The unions oppose Government plans to allow schools to set teachers’ salaries, linked to performance in the classroom, and argue that pension changes will leave their members working longer, paying in more and receiving less when they retire.

They also accuse the coalition of attacking their working conditions, including introducing reforms that will allow schools to have longer school days and longer terms.

Research published earlier this month by the Varkey GEMS Foundation revealed that the British public think teachers should be paid around 15% more than their current salaries.

Almost three-quarters (74%) were in favour of performance-related pay for teachers, according to the study.

Regional strikes have already taken place in the North West on June 27, and in the East of England, the East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside on October 1.

Plans for a national one-day walkout before Christmas have also been announced by the two unions.

The latest action comes days after a major international report put England 22nd out of 24 western countries on literacy and numeracy.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found England was performing worse than nations including Estonia and Slovakia.

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Teachers' Strike Closes Thousands Of Schools