How will the teacher strike affect me and students?

31 January 2023, 15:12 | Updated: 31 January 2023, 16:16

Will primary and secondary schools close? Can key worker's children still go to school? Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming strikes.

Teachers have confirmed their February strikes will go ahead after pay negotiation talks failed.

The National Education Union (NEU) has said more than 100,000 teachers across 23,000 schools will carry out a series of seven strike days in total and are prepared to announce more should an agreement not be met.

They're fighting to gain a higher rate of pay (11%) after agreeing that their 5% pay rise in 2022 wasn't in line with inflation or the cost of living crisis.

So how will the school strikes affect you and your children? What are the dates and are all schools taking part?

Related article: February 2023 strike dates: Who will be striking and when this month?

Related article: Thousands of ambulance workers to go on strike in England on February 10, union announces

Here's everything you need to know including whether key worker's children can still go to school and whether pre-schools will remain open:

When are teachers going on strike?

Following the ballot, seven days NEU strikes across England and Wales were confirmed:

• Wednesday, February 1: all eligible members in England and Wales
• Tuesday, February 14: all eligible members in Wales
• Tuesday, February 28: all eligible members in Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber regions
• 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

The NEU said that any individual school will only be affected by strikes on a maximum of four days.

Who is taking part in the teacher strikes? Will it affect pre-schools?

All members of the NEU - the largest education union - voted in favour of the strike which will affect primary and secondary schools and even college teachers.

If your child attends pre-school, they should be able to attend as normal as the strike only impacts teachers of primary education and higher.

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Will all schools close when teacher's strike?

Strike action can take two forms:

• Employees going on strike.
• Employees taking action short of a strike – this can include only working contracted hours and only doing work specified in job descriptions.

With the above in mind, head teachers will need to decide whether the whole school should close or whether it can remain partially open.

Headteachers will consult governors, parents and a head representative when making the informed decision. Your school should brief you on this decision beforehand.

If a school is partially open, and your child's class is still running, they will be required to attend as usual.

If you're a key worker, can your children still go to school?

This is not a guarantee but the government has insisted, just like during the coronavirus lockdown, that where possible, schools should prioritise certain groups of children.

This includes:

• Vulnerable children and young people
• Children of critical workers
• Pupils due to take public examinations and other formal assessments.

This will all be based on how safe it is to open a school and how many staff and teachers are available.

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Can I take a day off work when teachers go on strike?

This is all dependent on what your place of work has said about strike action as some places have allowed employees to work from home, or make up their hours.

In England, Scotland and Wales you have the right to take time off to look after your children but this could be unpaid. It's advised you check with your employer.

Annual and unpaid leave are also an option.

Are we required to home school our children when teachers go on strike?

This will be school dependent and they'll let you know in advance if they want your child to carry out tasks at home.