Teacher strike: What schools are closed today and how to check

1 March 2023, 12:53 | Updated: 1 March 2023, 13:06

Is your school closed today? National Education Union confirm teacher strikes will go ahead so here's how to check if your child's school is open.

Teacher strikes are currently still going ahead in March after a number of dates in February caused disruption up and down the UK.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) voted in their thousands in favour for the strike which saw their first walkout happen last month.

Different parts of the UK will see teachers strike on different dates leaving much confusion as to whether your school will be closed and whether your child will be off school.

Read more: What are teachers pay demands and what's their average salary?

Read more: March strike dates: Who and when are industries going on strike this month?

The teacher strike announcement comes after a series of public sectors, including NHS nurses, trains and Royal Mail, have all been staging walkouts as they fight for more pay to combat inflation from the cost of living crisis.

When are schools on strike across the UK?

Union members voted to go on strike for seven days across February and March. With last month's walkouts carried out successfully, here's when teachers will be going on strike across the UK in March:

• Wednesday, March 1: all eligible members in East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern regions
• Thursday, March 2: all eligible members in London, South East, South West regions
• Wednesday, March 15: all eligible members in England and Wales
• Thursday, March 16: all eligible members in England and Wales

Are all schools going on strike in the UK?

Not all schools will be taking part in the strike action. This depends largely on what union the teacher is a part of, headteachers and local authorities.

In England, the final decision on whether a school should close is left for the head teacher to decide.

In Wales, head teacher's will consult with their local authorities and in Scotland they will work with local councils before closing a school.

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Are your local schools open or closed today?

If you want to find out if your school is closed, the most reliable thing to do would be to contact the school directly.

You can also consult the school's website as well as your local council website.

For example, if you live in Essex, you would check the Essex County Council site and if you live in Kent you would check Kent County Council.

If you live in London, you are advised to check your local authorities website, for example Barking and Dagenham, Camden, Croydon or Hackney.

Lists on these pages are usually updated at 6pm the night before any known closures.