 Striking teachers mounted pickets outside some schools |
The strength of support for the teachers' pay strike has been variable around England and Wales. In some areas, especially urban centres, the impact was felt in two thirds of schools or more. Across some rural areas only a third or less were affected. Similarly there were picket lines outside some schools but by no means all. Rallies have been held in 50 centres around the two countries.
In Liverpool, the National Union of Teachers claimed to have closed or partially closed 96% of schools, with only seven out of 194 fully open. At the city's Cardinal Heenan Catholic High, one of the biggest secondary schools in the north west of England, about 10 placard-waving staff picketed outside the main gates. The school's NUT representative, history teacher Jayne Boden, said parents and members of other unions had been very supportive. "I think parents realise that the government hasn't kept its promise to review pay scales and we have been forced into this situation," she said. "Other unions are in a different position because they signed up to the government's proposals. But colleagues in other unions have been incredibly supportive of our stand." Leicester was also an action hotspot, with 77% of schools affected according to the local authority. In Sheffield it was 67%, with 63% in Rotherham and 60% in Kirklees. At the other end of the scale less than 13% of schools across North Yorkshire were hit. As expected there was strong support for the strike in London. Across boroughs in the centre of the capital, 63% of the 875 schools were hit with more than a third completely closed. In outer London 57% of 1,614 schools were affected, almost a quarter being shut. But these are incomplete statistics. Getting an accurate picture is complicated by the fact that schools do not have to report the situation to councils. Many, such as faith schools and grammar schools, are not run by local authorities. There are 574 schools in Essex, for example. Of the 369 that informed the county council about strike action, 43 were fully closed and 84 partially, so 22% of the total were known to be affected in some way. In addition, "partial closure" might cover a wide spectrum depending on the number of teachers who were both in the NUT and had indicated they would be joining the strike. In Suffolk, 54 schools were closed and 63 partially closed out of a total of 365 (32% affected in some way). At least 51 out of 442 schools in Norfolk did not open, with a further 92 partially closed (also 32%). In Bristol, teachers on a picket line at City Academy School said they "felt no guilt" about telling hundreds of children to stay at home. They said the majority of the school's 150 staff were on strike. The NUT rep, science teacher Keith George, said: "We have already turned several teachers away. It has been very satisfying that our message appears to be getting through. "If parents want the best teaching for their children then this strike is essential." Pay cuts In Birmingham there were more than 20 teachers on a picket at Hamstead Hall comprehensive in Handsworth Wood. The NUT rep, English teacher David Room, said: "We've had three years of pay cuts, the government wants to give us three more years of pay cuts - it's time to say, 'Enough is enough'." He added: "Young teachers are leaving the profession in droves, because they can't afford to pay back their student loans or get on the property ladder." And young teachers taking part in rallies made the point that the interest rate on their student loans was pegged to the retail prices index whereas their pay rise was much lower. Nisha Vatish, who is in her first year of teaching languages, said: "I have got a lot of friends who left the profession because they couldn't afford to stay in it. "We're not asking for more money than anyone else, we're only asking to go up with inflation."
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I have got a lot of friends who left the profession because they couldn't afford to stay in it 
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