Schools strike: Winchester church opens doors to school pupils

Youth worker Dave Thornton said parents were supportive of the strike day session

A church has opened its doors for pupils to spend the day while their schools are closed due to strike action.

Teachers in England and Wales are taking part in the first national strike since 2016.

More than 20 students were booked in to Christ Church in Winchester to take part in a range of activities.

Youth worker Dave Thornton said wanted they to provide a "welcoming community" for the youngsters.

The church, which regularly holds evening youth sessions, extended to daytime to allow parents to drop off children aged between 11 and 16 during the teachers' strike.

It provided activities including team challenges, sports, tournaments and board games as well as a quiet area for any who wanted to do school work.

Mr Thornton said: "We knows there is a teachers' strike going on which means lots of young people would end up in their room on their own, so we wanted to provide somewhere that is warm, safe and a welcoming place where they could be in a community.

"Parents have been really supportive, one told us they were really happy we were providing a place where their young person wouldn't have to be on their own."

Tens of thousands of teachers walked out, the National Education Union (NEU) said, along with university staff, civil servants, train and bus drivers.

Most are striking in a dispute over pay not keeping pace with inflation.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the teachers' action was "hugely disappointing" and would have a "significant impact" on children's' education.