Schools face fresh teacher strikes

As reported by the BBC, thousands of schools across England, Scotland and Wales are facing further disruption this week as teachers go on strike again over pay

Teachers will strike on different days depending on which union they are in.

Three consecutive days of regional action will start in England on Tuesday – the same day as strikes in Scotland.

More than half of schools in England closed or partially closed in the first National Education Union (NEU) strike on 1 February.

Further NEU strikes are scheduled for:

• 28 February: North and north-west England, Yorkshire and Humber
• 1 March: East Midlands, West Midlands, and the NEU’s eastern region
• 2 March: All schools in Wales (postponed from 14 Feb), as well as south-east and south-west England, and London
• 15 and 16 March: All schools in England and Wales

NEU teachers in sixth-form colleges in England are due to join the walkouts.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it wanted “formal talks on pay, conditions and reform”, ahead of the latest strike days – but only if the NEU called them off.

The NEU said it would only pause strike action if good progress was made in talks first.

The strike originally planned in Wales for 14 February was postponed to allow the union to consult members on an improved pay offer from the Welsh government, which the NEU later rejected.