Pupils attending at least 30 Nottingham schools will be affected by teacher strikes which are taking place across the country. A record number of pickets by the National Education Union (NEU) are expected across the East Midlands as teachers join workers including train drivers and university lecturers in walking out on Wednesday (February 1).
In terms of the strikes by teachers, there will be pickets at major schools including the Ellis Guilford School, run by the Creative Education Trust, and the Bluecoat Aspley Academy, run by the Archway Learning Trust. These will last throughout the early morning before the striking teachers join other workers in a march through Nottingham, culminating in a rally being held in the city's Albert Hall building, off Derby Road.
Following the nationwide strike on Wednesday, another strike affecting Nottinghamshire will take place on March 1. There will then be two further nationwide strikes on March 15 and March 16.
Nottingham City Council has confirmed that 30 of the schools it controls will be affected by the strikes. The authority controls around a third of the schools in Nottingham and, of those, five of them will be fully open, five of them will be closed and 25 of them will be partially closed.
Certain classes or year groups will still be able to attend those schools which are partially closed, with head teachers prioritising vulnerable children and those whose parents are critical workers. Nottinghamshire's other schools, including academies and free schools, report their closure plans directly to the Department for Education.
Some of Nottingham's other schools have already confirmed publicly that they will be affected by strikes. The Ellis Guildford School says it is prioritising vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, but some Year 11 pupils will be invited in to complete coursework. The Fernwood School in Wollaton will only be open to Year 11 pupils, whilst Rosehill School will be closed completely.
Also among those striking on Wednesday will be members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), with major pickets expected at locations including the Unity Square building. The University of Nottingham will also be affected by strikes as members of the University and College Union (UCU) walk out.
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Elsewhere, East Midlands Railway has confirmed it won't be running any services on Wednesday as members of two transport unions go on strike. After their picket demonstrations in the early morning, all the striking workers will start marching from Nottingham's Broad Marsh station at 11am.
Nick Raine, the Senior Regional Officer for the NEU in the East Midlands, said: "The Government cannot expect strikes to be averted unless it brings forward concrete proposals for increasing pay. Experienced teachers have seen a 23% real terms pay cut since 2010.
"As well as allowing the profession to haemorrhage talent, the Government has missed its own targets for recruitment by an enormous margin and has done so for many years. Any sensible Government would by now have started to ask themselves why.
"Parents know the consequences of persistent underfunding, both for their school/college and for their child. This strike should not be necessary, and we regret the disruption caused to parents and pupils, but our aims are in the interests of everyone in the education community."
Nottinghamshire County Council confirmed six maintained schools will be partially closed - with classes or year groups open only for vulnerable pupils. The authority has previously said that it will "provide support and advice to headteachers and governing bodies".
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "It is hugely disappointing the NEU is continuing with strike action. These strikes will have a significant impact on children’s education, especially following the disruption of the past two years, and are creating huge uncertainly for parents.
"With talks ongoing on a range of issues, including around future pay, workload, behaviour and recruitment and retention, it is clear that strikes are not being used as a last resort. I have been clear that unions do not need to strike to meet with me.
"I also reiterated my call to union leaders to ask their members to let head teachers know if they intend to strike, helping schools to minimise the impact on children. I will continue doing everything possible to protect children's education."
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