 Hundreds of schools could be closed by Thursday's strike |
The teachers' pay strike in England and Wales this week could damage pupils' exam revision, says the head of the school employers' organisation. Thousands of teenagers are preparing for A-levels and GCSEs - and primary pupils will soon be taking Sats tests. Ivan Ould, chair of the National Employers' Organisation for School Teachers, says pupils will "lose out on invaluable study time". The National Union of Teachers wants a pay rise above the proposed 2.45%. The teachers' union is to stage a 24-hour walkout on Thursday - the first national strike for 21 years. The NUT says the action could be called off if there is a rise linked to the Retail Prices Index inflation measure, which stood at 3.8% in March. The union's acting general secretary, Christine Blower, has warned that "three years of below-inflation awards for teachers continues to have a damaging effect on teacher recruitment and retention". But employers' leader Mr Ould criticised the timing of the strike: "Children so close to their exams will lose out on invaluable study time and parents will lose out as they are forced to take unnecessary holiday to look after them." Uncertain impact In an attempt to reduce the impact on pupils who are revising, some schools will be arranging to keep classes open specifically for those about to take GCSEs and A-levels. The government has criticised the decision to take strike action. "We believe that all teachers should be teaching and talking - and not walking out next week," said Schools Minister, Jim Knight. It remains uncertain how many schools or individual classes will be affected by the union's one-day protest. A projection based on a survey of 25 local authorities by the Guardian suggests that more than 1,000 schools could be closed by the strike. An earlier online poll by the Times Educational Supplement suggested that half of schools could be disrupted. There are more than 17,000 primary schools in England and 3,300 secondary schools. Ministers have announced that this year's 2.45% rise for teachers will be followed by 2.3% rises in 2009 and 2010. In an NUT ballot of members, voting was 48,217 (75%) in favour of strike action and 15,884 (25%) against on a 32% turnout. Some schools have sent written confirmation that they will shut on Thursday, but many teachers, pupils and parents will not know until this week whether their schools will be closed by the strike. Parents are advised to check directly with their children's school if they are unsure whether they will be affected by the dispute. Strike rallies are being organised in towns and cities around England and Wales. Legal action The strike is being organised by only one teachers' union - which will mean that in some schools some individual classes will be closed for the day while others, where teachers belong to other unions, will remain open. Special needs school Harford Manor, in Norwich, is staying open but closing three classes on Thursday because half its staff of 10 are NUT members and supporting the strike. Head teacher Geoff Kitchen said 21 of the 76 pupils would be affected by the selective closures. He added: "We went to parents last week and said 'we are closing five classes' but we have since reduced that to three. "It's a reasonably difficult decision to make to close these classes. "On the letter I sent out to parents I put at the bottom that if they wished to discuss it further they could, but only one parent called me."
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Teachers should be teaching and talking - and not walking out
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