Teacher strikes: When and where walkouts are happening and if schools will be closed

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Teachers are striking today (April 27) for the fourth time out of five planned dates this year - here is everything you need to know as a parent

Teachers in England are walking out on strike action today (April 27), in the first of two planned days of industrial action. The walk-out follows three days of strike action so far this year, and the previous dates have seen more than half of all 22,000 schools in England fully or partially closed.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay, in which they demand above-inflation increases plus extra money to ensure pay rises don’t come out of any schools’ budgets. The industrial action will see teachers striking again on Tuesday May 2.

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When teachers’ strikes are happening and where

Teachers across all of England will walk out on strike on two dates; Thursday April 27 and Tuesday May 2. During these dates, schools may remain open or closed depending on specific circumstances.

Will my child’s school be closed during the strikes?

According to the government, schools in England should stay open if possible during days of industrial action. However, most schools in Northern Ireland closed during the strikes yesterday (April 26).

During this latest round of strike action, NEU members who teach in sixth form colleges will take part in the walk-outs, as well as members of the NASUWT union who work in further education, and school leaders from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union.

There are no rules or laws requiring teachers to announce if they are striking in advance, nor do schools or teachers need to inform parents about closures. It is up to the head teachers to decide whether to keep the school open or to close for the day, which means parents might not find out until it’s time to drop off their children.

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Teachers are striking again. Credit: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty ImagesTeachers are striking again. Credit: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Teachers are striking again. Credit: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

While some schools may offer remote education during strike days, this is not compulsory. Parents are advised to contact their children’s school in advance to stay up to date on how they are affected on the two strike dates.

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