Teachers from England Wales are striking over changes to pay, pensions and conditions.

Along with five other public sector unions, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) is keen to demonstrate its dissatisfaction with the government.

Other teachers' unions are not taking part in what is the biggest ever walkout since the coalition came to power in 2010.

The strike is the latest in a number of remonstrations that have been going on close to three years now.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, which is the largest teachers' union in the UK, said that its members "regret" having to take action because they know all too well the problems it causes to parents and carers.

"However, despite months in talks with government officials, the real issues of our dispute over pay, pensions and conditions of service have not been addressed," she explained.

"Teacher morale is at a low ebb. Thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving their job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming.Ofsted itself says that two in five teachers are leaving the profession in their first five years."

Ms Blower added that this is now a very serious situation, one that has materialised as a "direct result" of the government's education policies.

She went on to say that while no teacher expects to work so-called normal hours of 9-5, it is unacceptable for them to clock up close to 60 hours a week on average. This way of working is simply unacceptable and unsustainable.

"A lot of this work has been created through bureaucracy and the demands of the Ofsted accountability regime," Ms Blower noted.

"This is a far cry from creating exciting lessons, which is what teachers want to be doing. Expecting teachers to work until 68 for a pension will not only dismay teachers but also parents and pupils. Teaching amongst many other things does require energy and fitness to cope with classrooms of 30 young children or teenagers."