'Electric atmosphere' at striking teachers' rally in London
Declan EvansCopyright: Declan Evans
Teachers marching from Hyde Park to Trafalgar SquareImage caption: Teachers marching from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square
Declan Evans, a striking teacher we heard from earlier this morning on a train down from the North West, is now at the NEU rally near Hyde Park.
They're marching from the park to Trafalgar Square, where a "Save Our Schools" carnival is being held.
"The demo is going really well," Declan says. "An electric atmosphere here on the ground, with lots of supportive locals. Plenty of noise being made that simply cannot be ignored any longer by the government."
Speaking from the same protest at Hyde Park, Emmanuel Adebayo, who teaches at a primary school in Haringey, says: “At the moment working conditions are really poor, we don’t have glue sticks to offer and we can’t take the children on trips.
"This isn’t the experience I had growing up and I don’t want this to be all that my pupils have access to.
“Often it is SEN (Special Educational Needs) children and other vulnerable pupils who are impacted the worst.
“I have considered leaving teaching but I love my job. That’s why I’m here today, to make sure that things are better for other teachers to come.”
Kate Stevens, who has been a teacher for 40 years, says: “The profession is completely unrecognisable compared to what it was when I started. Young teachers are saying that they are no longer able to stay in the profession, I came out today to fight for them."
Declan EvansCopyright: Declan Evans
Teachers say the atmosphere at the march is 'electric'Image caption: Teachers say the atmosphere at the march is 'electric'
Declan EvansCopyright: Declan Evans
Crowds of striking teachers at the NEU rally in central LondonImage caption: Crowds of striking teachers at the NEU rally in central London
Tube strikes simply unacceptable - Sunak
BBCCopyright: BBC
Rishi Sunak faced Prime Minister's Questions earlier - and as expected today's strikes came up. Backbench Conservative MP Bob Blackman asked about London's Tube strikes, saying in 2016, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan promised zero strikes on the London Underground but today is the 135th day of strikes since then.
He asked if Rishi Sunak would condemn those strikes and the mayor on his failure to address the issue?
Sunak replied that misery was being inflicted on Londoners due to the incompetent running of Transport for London.
The PM said the mayor of London has received £6bn of funding for transport services since the pandemic and the situation today was "simply unacceptable".
The RMT and Aslef are involved in a dispute over job cuts, pensions and conditions. The RMT says cuts were a "political decision".
Aslef district organiser Finn Brennan earlier said it was certainly the biggest Tube strike that's taken place since probably the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Striking teachers say the career needs to be more attractive
Nick Johnson
Reporting from central London
BBCCopyright: BBC
A running theme among teachers striking today, is that they say this industrial action isn’t just about pay, but also about investing in the future of teaching, thereby improving the image of the profession which they’re hoping will attract more teachers.
Vikki Goodridge, Clare Dorber and Callum McSorbey are secondary school teachers in east London.
They say teachers lack the respect that other professions, such as doctors, seem to garner. Callum says he’s working with new PGCE students, struggling to make the profession sound attractive, and a career which should be retained.
Clare says she began teaching in 2010, and since then, has lost the same in pay equivalent to a deposit on a house. Vikki says many of their colleagues didn’t have time to prepare placards last night, as they were too busy marking.
BBC journalists could strike again, says union official
EPACopyright: EPA
Striking BBC Local staff picket outside BBC Radio Merseyside in LiverpoolImage caption: Striking BBC Local staff picket outside BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool
Among those striking today are 1,000 journalists working for BBC local services - such as regional TV bulletins and local radio and online output. Their strike is against proposed cuts to local radio output.
Paul Siegert, from the National Union of Journalists, says the BBC journalists could strike again and they are in it for the long haul.
He says after the 24 hour strike ends, the journalists will then move to a "work to rule".
Explaining what that means, he says: "In local radio, regional TV, good will is really important - people tend to work extra hours, they come in early, they go home late, they cover for their colleagues who have gone off sick.
"That will all stop as part of the work to rule - we hope that will have an impact, we hope that will get the BBC back around the negotiating table."
He says if the BBC doesn't negotiate then they will talk about other strike dates - including possibly local election day on 5 May and the King's coronation on 6 May.
Stick with us for the latest strike updates
Alice Evans
PA WireCopyright: PA Wire
We’ve been bringing you news from across the
country as teachers, Tube staff, junior doctors, university lecturers, civil servants and regional and local BBC staff are among those striking on one of the biggest days of strike action since the current wave of unrest began last year.
Jamie Whitehead and I have been editing the page this
morning, and we’ve now got Andrew Humphrey and Francesca Gillett helping us out. Beth Timmins, Nathan Standley and
Vanessa Clarke are our writers.
The atmosphere in Manchester is "electric", a doctor on the picket line in Manchester saysImage caption: The atmosphere in Manchester is "electric", a doctor on the picket line in Manchester says
We've been getting photos from junior doctors coming together for their last day of the strikes today.
One doctor from Manchester described the atmosphere as electric, saying: "Everyone here is united in solidarity and motivated to meet our aims. We have the support of hundreds, if not thousands here.
"We also feel a sense of unity with people striking from other sectors and unions."
Tim HughesCopyright: Tim Hughes
Eddie is out on the picket line in Sheffield supporting his mum and dad, who are both junior doctorsImage caption: Eddie is out on the picket line in Sheffield supporting his mum and dad, who are both junior doctors
Doctor handoutCopyright: Doctor handout
Today is the last of three days of strikes for junior doctorsImage caption: Today is the last of three days of strikes for junior doctors
Rosie Littleproud and John Money-Taylor are among those on strike in SheffieldImage caption: Rosie Littleproud and John Money-Taylor are among those on strike in Sheffield
Enough is enough, says striking doctor
Gem O'Reilly
BBC News
Dr James CollinsCopyright: Dr James Collins
James says £14 an hour isn't enoughImage caption: James says £14 an hour isn't enough
Dr James Collins is an anaesthetic registrar working in south-east England and this is his sixth year as a doctor.
“What this record ballot highlights is the strength of feeling among junior doctors that enough is enough," he tells me.
"It reflects the feeling that we aren’t valued as much as we should be at the moment."
He says there's an "unprecedented staffing recruitment and retention crisis" in the NHS - and that, ultimately, the starting salary paid to the most-junior doctors of £14 an hour isn't enough "for someone who has to deal with life and death situations day in, day out".
Other countries across the world pay doctors more on average than the UK, such as Australia, which James says has an active campaign to poach the UK's doctors because they know they can offer better.
“This is about treating our staff better and realising our value is more than £14 an hour," he says.
The government says it will have formal talks on junior doctor pay with the British Medical Association, on the condition that strikes are paused first. It says the strikes risk patient safety and could worsen the backlog of NHS treatments.
School strikes 'super disruptive' for mum and daughter
Nathan Standley
Education reporter
Alison DickinsonCopyright: Alison Dickinson
Single mum Alison is working from home while looking after daughterImage caption: Single mum Alison is working from home while looking after daughter
Alison Dickinson is juggling work and childcare again today, with daughter Liv's school closed due to the strikes.
It's the third time in a matter of weeks - and her school is closed tomorrow too.
Alison's dad Pete has travelled down from Preston to their home in Sale, Manchester, and will stay over tonight to help with childcare today and tomorrow.
But Alison says eight-year-old Liv is really starting to struggle with the disruption.
"I think I understand the bigger picture - but it's just super frustrating," says Alison, who runs after-school singing and drama classes for children.
"Liv's year especially, they've only had one normal year of school with no disruption, which was last year, but now every couple of weeks there's a random day off and it's so disruptive.
"She'll be all over the place tomorrow - day two - and although they think it's a novelty and fun being off school, I think she'll be bored stiff tomorrow, missing her friends, missing school, because that's her world.
"They spend so much time there so to have that routine broken, it's a lot."
How today's strikes affect you
Teachers: NEU members at schools and sixth-form colleges across England are striking today. The Department for Education advises parents to send their children to school unless head teachers have said otherwise.
Junior doctors: They make up about 45% of the medical workforce and plan to walk out of emergency as well as planned care. Consultants and other senior doctors are being drafted in to provide cover. Planned appointments have been postponed, although how many is as yet unclear.
Civil servants: Up to 150,000 civil servants - working across more than 100 government departments and agencies - are striking. It'll affect organisations such as Ofsted, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Border Force.
London Tube strikes: Transport for London warns that there will be "little or no service" today on the Tube. It said the Elizabeth Line, Overground, DLR, trams and buses would be "busier than normal" and advises passengers to check the latest info and allow more time to travel.
BBC staff: BBC local radio, regional TV and digital services in England are being disrupted from 11:00. The 13:30, 18:30 and late regional programmes across England are not expected to be broadcast.
University staff also on strike today
REX/ShutterstockCopyright: REX/Shutterstock
University workers on strike in LeedsImage caption: University workers on strike in Leeds
Thousands of staff at universities across the country are joining teachers, junior doctors, civil servants, London Underground workers and BBC staff on strike today.
Academic staff, as well as those in other roles including librarians, technicians, security and catering workers, are walking out over pay, working conditions and pension cuts.
There had been a pause in the 18 days of strikes initially announced by the University and College Union (UCU) after "significant progress" was made in talks with employers.
But they restarted today, with action also due to take place tomorrow and Friday as well as 20,21 and 22 March.
So far, the Universities and College Employers Association (UCEA) says the strikes have caused "low and isolated" levels of disruption to students.
The UCU has said it will re-ballot staff at 150 universities about taking more strike action in future.
BBC Local Radio strike begins
EPACopyright: EPA
Staff working across England for BBC Local who are members
of the National Union of Journalists are now starting their 24 hour strike.
NUJ members in Radio, TV and online are striking in an ongoing
dispute over the BBC’s plans to cut local radio.
The union's general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said staff were
striking as a “last resort”.
Around 1,000 journalists are expected to take part in the
strike action throughout England.
A BBC spokesperson apologised to audiences who will experience the changes to local services across England and said the BBC has tried to "minimise disruption as much as possible".
"Our goal is a local service across TV, radio and online that delivers even greater value to communities," they added.
Education Secretary 'extremely disappointed' by strike action
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The Education
Secretary Gillian Keegan has said if strike action is paused, she is willing to
“get around the table and engage in serious talks on teachers' pay and other
issues”.
In an
open letter to parents, she wrote she was “extremely disappointed” that many
young people will “once again miss invaluable time learning with their teachers
and friends, particularly after their education was significantly disrupted
during the pandemic”.
But she
said talks were on “the condition that strike action is paused” which is “the same
condition, made to unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and
physiotherapists”.
'Teachers are having to buy their own glue sticks'
BBCCopyright: BBC
Primary head Clare Morton says she supports staff going on strike at her school in StokeImage caption: Primary head Clare Morton says she supports staff going on strike at her school in Stoke
Lots of schools across England will be facing disruption
today as teachers in the NEU go on strike over pay.
Clare Morton, head teacher at a primary school in Stoke, says
it’s been a difficult decision to shut her school.
“We’re in a very deprived area
within Stoke-On-Trent," she says.
"We try and keep our school open as much as we possibly
can. But also I feel we need to support our staff and the plight that is going
on nationwide.”
Clare says she wants to see compromise, but thinks teachers need more
support.
“Look at the bigger picture. In some schools teachers are buying their
own glue sticks, buying their own pencils," she says.
"Teachers shouldn’t be working 60-hour weeks - and if they are, then they should be being paid for it.”
Teachers striking today are calling not only for a pay rise, but a pay rise which is fully funded by government.
Currently, pay rises are coming out of schools' existing budgets, so many say they're having to make cuts elsewhere.
The majority of parents support the strikes - NEU
Harry Low
BBC London News
BBCCopyright: BBC
Speaking on the picket line at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union apologised for the disruption caused to children’s education and to parents’ home lives and working lives.
But he said opinion polls show
that "the majority of parents are supporting the strikes and an even bigger
majority are supporting the demands that we are making that the government
should invest in children’s education".
"This generation of kids have been hit so hard by Covid, they need
the investment right now."
He also said he regretted disruption to students preparing for exams but "we are saying the disruption is continual and they know that, they have
seen the disruption that has been happening to their education".
London-bound striking teachers 'tired but in high spirits'
Nathan Standley
Education reporter
Sarah VaughanCopyright: Sarah Vaughan
NEU rep Sarah Vaughan with fellow Malbank High School teacher Mark WolffImage caption: NEU rep Sarah Vaughan with fellow Malbank High School teacher Mark Wolff
Singing songs and waving flags, the atmosphere is ramping up among striking teachers on a coach from north-west England to the NEU's rally in London.
Sarah Vaughan, who teaches at Malbank High School in Sandbach, Cheshire, has been leading her fellow passengers in a chant of "we are the NEU" to the tune of Pet Shop Boys' Go West.
She said: "We are travelling to London tired but in high spirits, and determined to say enough is enough.
"We need to save our schools and education system."
They left Cheshire at 6am this morning on a bus packed with striking teachers and their families.
Sporting matching T-shirts, the group are heading to Hyde Park in central London.
The NEU says thousands of members are expected to march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square at 12pm today for a "save our schools carnival" event in central London.
Sarah VaughanCopyright: Sarah Vaughan
NEU members in Cheshire set off for London at 6amImage caption: NEU members in Cheshire set off for London at 6am
Where have teacher pay negotiations got to?
Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent
For weeks now, the dispute in England has looked more like a standoff.
One one side, you have the government saying to the NEU: call off the strikes and we’ll talk seriously about pay.
On the other, you have the NEU saying: talk seriously about pay, and we’ll consider calling off the strikes.
There are no more scheduled strikes after Thursday - and this catch-22 situation will no longer stand.
And there is growing pressure after talks in Scotland and Wales resulted in strike dates being called off.
Who is striking today and why?
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
If you're just joining us, here's a quick guide to all the industrial action happening today.
Teachers in thousands of schools across England are striking again over pay. Unions want above-inflation increases, plus extra money to ensure rises do not come from existing budgets.
Junior doctors who are members of the BMA union are on strike over pay too. The British Medical Association said junior doctor roles have seen pay cut by 26% since 2008 once inflation is taken into account. They've been on strike since Monday.
Civil servants working across more than 100 government departments are striking over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms.
London Underground staff who are part of the Aslef and RMT unions are striking again over pay, pensions, job losses and contractual agreements.
Some BBC staff will also be striking from 11:00. But don't worry, that will not affect our coverage, or our live page on the budget announcement.
No Tube drivers on any lines today
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The Aslef union says this is the first time they have taken industrial action across the Underground since 2015 - after 99% of it's members voted to strike.
Transport for London say the disruption should be expected to continue into the morning on Thursday.
"It is not a strike about pay, it is not a strike looking for more time off," explained Aslef district organiser Finn Brennan.
"We have always said we are prepared to negotiate change but, quite understandably and quite rightly, our members are not prepared to pay the price for the hole that has been left in TfL's budget by the government's failure to properly fund public transport in London," he added.
He said that more strikes would be "very likely" if the dispute fails to get resolved.
Freezing temperatures don't dampen school picket line cheer
Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent
BBCCopyright: BBC
Outside a primary school in Leeds, children who are off school today are dishing out NEU stickers to their parents on the picket line.
About a dozen people were here before 8am. They're waving flags and cheering at cars honking as they go by.
It’s zero degrees and there’s frost on the grass outside this primary school, which is closed to most children today.
But the cold hasn’t stopped people donning their hats and gloves to stand on the picket.
Live Reporting
Edited by Alice Evans and Francesca Gillett
All times stated are UK
Who else is striking this week?
'Electric atmosphere' at striking teachers' rally in London
Declan Evans, a striking teacher we heard from earlier this morning on a train down from the North West, is now at the NEU rally near Hyde Park.
They're marching from the park to Trafalgar Square, where a "Save Our Schools" carnival is being held.
"The demo is going really well," Declan says. "An electric atmosphere here on the ground, with lots of supportive locals. Plenty of noise being made that simply cannot be ignored any longer by the government."
Speaking from the same protest at Hyde Park, Emmanuel Adebayo, who teaches at a primary school in Haringey, says: “At the moment working conditions are really poor, we don’t have glue sticks to offer and we can’t take the children on trips.
"This isn’t the experience I had growing up and I don’t want this to be all that my pupils have access to.
“Often it is SEN (Special Educational Needs) children and other vulnerable pupils who are impacted the worst.
“I have considered leaving teaching but I love my job. That’s why I’m here today, to make sure that things are better for other teachers to come.”
Kate Stevens, who has been a teacher for 40 years, says: “The profession is completely unrecognisable compared to what it was when I started. Young teachers are saying that they are no longer able to stay in the profession, I came out today to fight for them."
Tube strikes simply unacceptable - Sunak
Rishi Sunak faced Prime Minister's Questions earlier - and as expected today's strikes came up. Backbench Conservative MP Bob Blackman asked about London's Tube strikes, saying in 2016, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan promised zero strikes on the London Underground but today is the 135th day of strikes since then.
He asked if Rishi Sunak would condemn those strikes and the mayor on his failure to address the issue?
Sunak replied that misery was being inflicted on Londoners due to the incompetent running of Transport for London.
The PM said the mayor of London has received £6bn of funding for transport services since the pandemic and the situation today was "simply unacceptable".
The RMT and Aslef are involved in a dispute over job cuts, pensions and conditions. The RMT says cuts were a "political decision".
Aslef district organiser Finn Brennan earlier said it was certainly the biggest Tube strike that's taken place since probably the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Striking teachers say the career needs to be more attractive
Nick Johnson
Reporting from central London
A running theme among teachers striking today, is that they say this industrial action isn’t just about pay, but also about investing in the future of teaching, thereby improving the image of the profession which they’re hoping will attract more teachers.
Vikki Goodridge, Clare Dorber and Callum McSorbey are secondary school teachers in east London.
They say teachers lack the respect that other professions, such as doctors, seem to garner. Callum says he’s working with new PGCE students, struggling to make the profession sound attractive, and a career which should be retained.
Clare says she began teaching in 2010, and since then, has lost the same in pay equivalent to a deposit on a house. Vikki says many of their colleagues didn’t have time to prepare placards last night, as they were too busy marking.
BBC journalists could strike again, says union official
Among those striking today are 1,000 journalists working for BBC local services - such as regional TV bulletins and local radio and online output. Their strike is against proposed cuts to local radio output.
Paul Siegert, from the National Union of Journalists, says the BBC journalists could strike again and they are in it for the long haul.
He says after the 24 hour strike ends, the journalists will then move to a "work to rule".
Explaining what that means, he says: "In local radio, regional TV, good will is really important - people tend to work extra hours, they come in early, they go home late, they cover for their colleagues who have gone off sick.
"That will all stop as part of the work to rule - we hope that will have an impact, we hope that will get the BBC back around the negotiating table."
He says if the BBC doesn't negotiate then they will talk about other strike dates - including possibly local election day on 5 May and the King's coronation on 6 May.
Stick with us for the latest strike updates
Alice Evans
We’ve been bringing you news from across the country as teachers, Tube staff, junior doctors, university lecturers, civil servants and regional and local BBC staff are among those striking on one of the biggest days of strike action since the current wave of unrest began last year.
Jamie Whitehead and I have been editing the page this morning, and we’ve now got Andrew Humphrey and Francesca Gillett helping us out. Beth Timmins, Nathan Standley and Vanessa Clarke are our writers.
Stick with us for all the latest updates. And if you want to keep across what's happening in Parliament, Emma Owen’s leading our live page coverage of the Budget.
'Sense of unity' on last day of doctors' strike
Gem O'Reilly
BBC News
We've been getting photos from junior doctors coming together for their last day of the strikes today.
One doctor from Manchester described the atmosphere as electric, saying: "Everyone here is united in solidarity and motivated to meet our aims. We have the support of hundreds, if not thousands here.
"We also feel a sense of unity with people striking from other sectors and unions."
Enough is enough, says striking doctor
Gem O'Reilly
BBC News
Dr James Collins is an anaesthetic registrar working in south-east England and this is his sixth year as a doctor.
“What this record ballot highlights is the strength of feeling among junior doctors that enough is enough," he tells me.
"It reflects the feeling that we aren’t valued as much as we should be at the moment."
He says there's an "unprecedented staffing recruitment and retention crisis" in the NHS - and that, ultimately, the starting salary paid to the most-junior doctors of £14 an hour isn't enough "for someone who has to deal with life and death situations day in, day out".
Other countries across the world pay doctors more on average than the UK, such as Australia, which James says has an active campaign to poach the UK's doctors because they know they can offer better.
“This is about treating our staff better and realising our value is more than £14 an hour," he says.
The government says it will have formal talks on junior doctor pay with the British Medical Association, on the condition that strikes are paused first. It says the strikes risk patient safety and could worsen the backlog of NHS treatments.
School strikes 'super disruptive' for mum and daughter
Nathan Standley
Education reporter
Alison Dickinson is juggling work and childcare again today, with daughter Liv's school closed due to the strikes.
It's the third time in a matter of weeks - and her school is closed tomorrow too.
Alison's dad Pete has travelled down from Preston to their home in Sale, Manchester, and will stay over tonight to help with childcare today and tomorrow.
But Alison says eight-year-old Liv is really starting to struggle with the disruption.
"I think I understand the bigger picture - but it's just super frustrating," says Alison, who runs after-school singing and drama classes for children.
"Liv's year especially, they've only had one normal year of school with no disruption, which was last year, but now every couple of weeks there's a random day off and it's so disruptive.
"She'll be all over the place tomorrow - day two - and although they think it's a novelty and fun being off school, I think she'll be bored stiff tomorrow, missing her friends, missing school, because that's her world.
"They spend so much time there so to have that routine broken, it's a lot."
How today's strikes affect you
Teachers: NEU members at schools and sixth-form colleges across England are striking today. The Department for Education advises parents to send their children to school unless head teachers have said otherwise.
Junior doctors: They make up about 45% of the medical workforce and plan to walk out of emergency as well as planned care. Consultants and other senior doctors are being drafted in to provide cover. Planned appointments have been postponed, although how many is as yet unclear.
Civil servants: Up to 150,000 civil servants - working across more than 100 government departments and agencies - are striking. It'll affect organisations such as Ofsted, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Border Force.
London Tube strikes: Transport for London warns that there will be "little or no service" today on the Tube. It said the Elizabeth Line, Overground, DLR, trams and buses would be "busier than normal" and advises passengers to check the latest info and allow more time to travel.
BBC staff: BBC local radio, regional TV and digital services in England are being disrupted from 11:00. The 13:30, 18:30 and late regional programmes across England are not expected to be broadcast.
University staff also on strike today
Thousands of staff at universities across the country are joining teachers, junior doctors, civil servants, London Underground workers and BBC staff on strike today.
Academic staff, as well as those in other roles including librarians, technicians, security and catering workers, are walking out over pay, working conditions and pension cuts.
There had been a pause in the 18 days of strikes initially announced by the University and College Union (UCU) after "significant progress" was made in talks with employers.
But they restarted today, with action also due to take place tomorrow and Friday as well as 20,21 and 22 March.
So far, the Universities and College Employers Association (UCEA) says the strikes have caused "low and isolated" levels of disruption to students.
The UCU has said it will re-ballot staff at 150 universities about taking more strike action in future.
BBC Local Radio strike begins
Staff working across England for BBC Local who are members of the National Union of Journalists are now starting their 24 hour strike.
NUJ members in Radio, TV and online are striking in an ongoing dispute over the BBC’s plans to cut local radio.
The union's general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said staff were striking as a “last resort”.
Around 1,000 journalists are expected to take part in the strike action throughout England.
A BBC spokesperson apologised to audiences who will experience the changes to local services across England and said the BBC has tried to "minimise disruption as much as possible".
"Our goal is a local service across TV, radio and online that delivers even greater value to communities," they added.
Education Secretary 'extremely disappointed' by strike action
The Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said if strike action is paused, she is willing to “get around the table and engage in serious talks on teachers' pay and other issues”.
In an open letter to parents, she wrote she was “extremely disappointed” that many young people will “once again miss invaluable time learning with their teachers and friends, particularly after their education was significantly disrupted during the pandemic”.
But she said talks were on “the condition that strike action is paused” which is “the same condition, made to unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists”.
'Teachers are having to buy their own glue sticks'
Lots of schools across England will be facing disruption today as teachers in the NEU go on strike over pay.
Clare Morton, head teacher at a primary school in Stoke, says it’s been a difficult decision to shut her school.
“We’re in a very deprived area within Stoke-On-Trent," she says.
"We try and keep our school open as much as we possibly can. But also I feel we need to support our staff and the plight that is going on nationwide.”
Clare says she wants to see compromise, but thinks teachers need more support.
“Look at the bigger picture. In some schools teachers are buying their own glue sticks, buying their own pencils," she says.
"Teachers shouldn’t be working 60-hour weeks - and if they are, then they should be being paid for it.”
Teachers striking today are calling not only for a pay rise, but a pay rise which is fully funded by government.
Currently, pay rises are coming out of schools' existing budgets, so many say they're having to make cuts elsewhere.
The majority of parents support the strikes - NEU
Harry Low
BBC London News
Speaking on the picket line at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union apologised for the disruption caused to children’s education and to parents’ home lives and working lives.
But he said opinion polls show that "the majority of parents are supporting the strikes and an even bigger majority are supporting the demands that we are making that the government should invest in children’s education".
"This generation of kids have been hit so hard by Covid, they need the investment right now."
He also said he regretted disruption to students preparing for exams but "we are saying the disruption is continual and they know that, they have seen the disruption that has been happening to their education".
London-bound striking teachers 'tired but in high spirits'
Nathan Standley
Education reporter
Singing songs and waving flags, the atmosphere is ramping up among striking teachers on a coach from north-west England to the NEU's rally in London.
Sarah Vaughan, who teaches at Malbank High School in Sandbach, Cheshire, has been leading her fellow passengers in a chant of "we are the NEU" to the tune of Pet Shop Boys' Go West.
She said: "We are travelling to London tired but in high spirits, and determined to say enough is enough.
"We need to save our schools and education system."
They left Cheshire at 6am this morning on a bus packed with striking teachers and their families.
Sporting matching T-shirts, the group are heading to Hyde Park in central London.
The NEU says thousands of members are expected to march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square at 12pm today for a "save our schools carnival" event in central London.
Where have teacher pay negotiations got to?
Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent
For weeks now, the dispute in England has looked more like a standoff.
One one side, you have the government saying to the NEU: call off the strikes and we’ll talk seriously about pay.
On the other, you have the NEU saying: talk seriously about pay, and we’ll consider calling off the strikes.
There are no more scheduled strikes after Thursday - and this catch-22 situation will no longer stand.
And there is growing pressure after talks in Scotland and Wales resulted in strike dates being called off.
Who is striking today and why?
If you're just joining us, here's a quick guide to all the industrial action happening today.
Teachers in thousands of schools across England are striking again over pay. Unions want above-inflation increases, plus extra money to ensure rises do not come from existing budgets.
Junior doctors who are members of the BMA union are on strike over pay too. The British Medical Association said junior doctor roles have seen pay cut by 26% since 2008 once inflation is taken into account. They've been on strike since Monday.
Civil servants working across more than 100 government departments are striking over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms.
London Underground staff who are part of the Aslef and RMT unions are striking again over pay, pensions, job losses and contractual agreements.
Some BBC staff will also be striking from 11:00. But don't worry, that will not affect our coverage, or our live page on the budget announcement.
No Tube drivers on any lines today
The Aslef union says this is the first time they have taken industrial action across the Underground since 2015 - after 99% of it's members voted to strike.
Transport for London say the disruption should be expected to continue into the morning on Thursday.
"It is not a strike about pay, it is not a strike looking for more time off," explained Aslef district organiser Finn Brennan.
"We have always said we are prepared to negotiate change but, quite understandably and quite rightly, our members are not prepared to pay the price for the hole that has been left in TfL's budget by the government's failure to properly fund public transport in London," he added.
He said that more strikes would be "very likely" if the dispute fails to get resolved.
Freezing temperatures don't dampen school picket line cheer
Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent
Outside a primary school in Leeds, children who are off school today are dishing out NEU stickers to their parents on the picket line.
About a dozen people were here before 8am. They're waving flags and cheering at cars honking as they go by.
It’s zero degrees and there’s frost on the grass outside this primary school, which is closed to most children today.
But the cold hasn’t stopped people donning their hats and gloves to stand on the picket.