As thousands of teachers take to the picket lines for the first strike day, leaders at one Greater Manchester primary school have been explaining why the action is needed.
The reason we all hear about why teachers are going on strike is that it's a 'pay dispute', which often gets little sympathy from the public - but those resorting to industrial action as a last resort say it's about much more than that. They say it is about how undervalued they feel as professionals and the lack of investment they claim is as damaging to pupils as it is themselves.
The National Education Union (NEU) says it wants is a fully-funded, above inflation pay increase, following more than a decade of 'real-terms pay cuts'. It says schools cannot be expected to be funding pay rises from their own budgets when that money is needed for resources and experiences for the children who go there.
