Teacher Strike: Thousands of Schools Affected | Newsround
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Published 2023-02-01
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Thousands of teachers in England and Wales are set to go on strike on Wednesday, meaning some schools may be closed.
Teachers who are members of the National Education Union (NEU), which is the biggest education union in the UK, voted to take industrial action because they believe they are being underpaid.
The NEU says around 23,000 schools in England and Wales could be affected by Wednesday's strikes.
Wednesday will be the first day of seven planned strikes which are scheduled to take place in February and March.
The Education Secretary Gillian Keegan met with with union leaders on Monday in an attempt by the government to stop the strike action going ahead. However, they failed to reach an agreement which means the school strikes will take place.
The strikes on Wednesday will affect children in England and Wales in different ways, depending on how many teachers at their schools are taking part.
The day will run as usual for some schools if no or very few teachers are striking, but there are likely to be some big changes for others.
The government has advised head teachers and school leaders to "take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible" where they can.
This means some classes may be taught by different members of staff, or classes may be joined together.
If lots of staff at a school are taking part in the strike action, the school may have to either limit the number of pupils who can come in, or they may choose to shut for the day.
The government has said if schools do need to restrict the number of students that can attend in person, then priority should be given to pupils in certain groups including vulnerable children, children with upcoming exams or formal assessments and children of critical workers, for example students with parents who work in healthcare, education or transport.
The government has also advised that where possible, schools should try and provide remote learning for students if they aren't able to physically go to school on strike days.
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