Teachers: 'We have no choice but to strike'

Betty Halcro fourth from left) with colleagues at a rally in Wellington, Shropshire, last week

Teachers in schools and sixth form colleges in England have taken part in a fifth day of strike action.

One Birmingham teacher said she was on strike as the profession was struggling to recruit or hold on to staff.

The National Education Union (NEU) said it regretted any disruption, and had put measures in place to make sure exam students were able to attend school.

The government said a "good offer" had been made to teachers over pay.

• Teachers' strike: When, where and why

• Teacher strikes: Unions team up

At a rally in Birmingham on Tuesday, Lucy Hayes, a teacher from Kings Heath, said she was taking action as she felt education was in "dire straits".

"We aren't out here lightly, it's because we are desperate for improved funding for our schools," she said.

"We can't recruit the teachers that we need and the teachers we have are leaving."

Doug Morgan, a teacher from Moseley, said he had not had a single parent tell him they did not support the strike.

"We're striking for their children. If we get more money for our schools, we can educate our children to a higher degree," he said.

Teacher Lucy Hayes said she had walked out on strike from her job in Kings Heath as she was "desperate" for better school funding

At a rally in Wellington, Shropshire, last week, senior school teacher Betty Halcro said the teaching profession was in crisis, with issues including low pay, long hours and teacher retention.

She said there was "no choice" other than to take action.

"We don't want to be out of classrooms, we want to be teaching our students, we want to be supporting exam groups," she said.

Despite working up to 60 hours per week, she has had to take on two extra jobs "to be able to survive".

"I'm the main bread winner for my children - I shouldn't have to be taking three jobs," she said.

A rally for striking union members was held in Wellington, Shropshire

More than half of England's 22,000 schools either closed or partially closed on previous strike days.

Cabinet minister James Cleverley called on teachers to return to classrooms, saying students had had a "very, very disrupted last couple of years because of Covid".

He said the government had listened to the concerns of teachers and the unions "but ultimately these kids have been through a tough enough time as it is".