Following news that teachers in England and Wales will be staging a number of walkouts due to pay in the coming months, the National Education Union has announced the upcoming national strike dates and revealed that there will be four further regional strike days.
Making up a total of seven days of strike action beginning in February, it's expected that more than 23,000 schools in England and Wales will be impacted - and plans are already in place to go back to the Covid-style virtual lessons if schools have major staff shortages. But what does all this mean for Bristol schools and Bristol teachers?
When can we expect our local educational institutions to walkout? We've put together a handy guide of all you need to know...
Read more: Frustration as parents on school run prevent patients from using GP parking bays
Why are teachers striking?
Teaching staff are striking to protest the government's 5% pay offer for most experienced staff. This amounts to a 5% wage cut due to high inflation, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
What's more, Unions have warned about persistent staffing problems, The Mirror reports, as the government missed its target of recruiting new secondary school teachers last year by 41%.
When are the strike days?
There will be seven days of rolling strikes, with some across England and Wales and others only affecting certain regions in England. In Wales there will be a separate strike day on February 14, however individual schools will only be affected by four walkouts, according to the union.
The strike dates are as follows:
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023: All eligible members in England and Wales
- Tuesday, February 14, 2023: All eligible members in Wales
- Tuesday, February 28, 2023: All eligible members in the following English regions - Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber
- Wednesday, March 1, 2023: All eligible members in the following English regions - East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern
- Thursday, March 2, 2023: All eligible members in the following regions - London, South East, South West
- Wednesday, March 15, 2023: All eligible members in England in Wales
- Thursday, March 16, 2023: All eligible members in England and Wales
So teachers in Bristol will be striking on February 1, March 2, March 15 and March 16 - four days in total.
How many teachers are expected to strike?
According to reports, the NEU balloted more than 300,000 teachers and school staff in England and Wales for strike action and this was backed by nine out of 10 members. However, the union has not published an exact figure when it comes to just how many teachers will take industrial action.
Some 23,400 schools in England and Wales will be hit by the first day of strike action. The latest official data shows that there were 563,831 full time teachers in the UK in the 2021/22 academic year, but not all members will walk out at the same time.
Will schools close?
Advice from the government has urged schools to take "all reasonable steps to keep school open for as many pupils as possible", but the decision will lie with headteachers as to whether schools will close for strike days. Where the school is an academy, the decision will fall to the academy trust.
Headteachers are also being told to prioritise vulnerable pupils, the children of critical workers and those sitting exams if they have to restrict the number of pupils in classrooms. Support staff can also provide supervision for lessons or oversee activities, however they won't be able to teach classes, rules say.
There is also no limit on how many pupils over 7-years-old can be looked after by a teacher. For nursery-aged children there must be one teacher per 13 pupils, infant classes must have a teacher per 30 pupils and school volunteers with criminal records checks can help with supervision during strikes.
Read next:
