The UK's biggest education union says "virtually every school" in Nottinghamshire will be affected in some way by upcoming teachers' strikes. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action as part of its campaign for a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise.
Teachers who are NEU members at state-funded schools and sixth-form colleges across England will be able to strike when the first nationwide walk-out takes place on February 1. Nick Raine, the regional organiser for the NEU in the East Midlands, said: "In Nottinghamshire we have around 4,500 members and in Nottingham alone we have at least a couple of thousand members, plus we're getting thousands more joining the union.
"School leaders will have to make the call on whether they are going to open or not, but we are calling on them not to do so for the safety of the pupils. Particularly in primary schools, if we're looking at the safe ratio of staff to pupils and the number of members we have, they can't open those schools in a safe way.
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"We expect that virtually every school in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will be affected on the strike days, whether that is with a full closure or partial closure. It's interesting that school closures are announced for the King's coronation and nothing is said, but when schools are closed because teachers are fighting for a decent pay rise it sends everyone into a panic."
Following the nationwide strike on February 1, another strike affecting Nottinghamshire will take place on March 1. There will then be two further nationwide strikes on March 15 and March 16.
Nottinghamshire County Council says parents will be contacted directly by the relevant school or academy trust in regards to action being taken on strike days. The authority also pointed to guidance from the Department for Education, which states that the headteacher of a school should "take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible."
The guidance also states that if a partial or full closure takes place, efforts should be made to prioritise certain pupils. This includes vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and those due to take public exams or other assessments.
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the Joint General Secretaries of the NEU, have said in relation to why the strikes are taking place: "This is not about a pay rise but correcting historic real-terms pay cuts. Teachers have lost 23% in real-terms since 2010, and support staff 27% over the same period.
"The average 5% pay rise for teachers this year is some 7% behind inflation. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, that is an unsustainable situation."
The Department for Education has said: "We understand the pressures many teachers, like the rest of society, are facing now due to the challenge of high inflation. Teachers do a job that is essential to our society and they do it brilliantly. We're clear that their pay should reflect that which is why the pay rise teachers are receiving this year is the highest in a generation.
"Teachers will see pay rises of 5 to 8.9%, with new teachers receiving the highest uplift. This will take teacher starting salaries to £28,000."
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