The National Education Union (NEU) has declared seven days of walkouts in February and March, which will affect 23,400 schools in England and Wales.

Updated 31/01/2023 - The biggest teachers’ strike action in years will go ahead on Wednesday 1^st February after talks fail.

Teachers in England and Wales will walk out after talks failed between Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and NEU joint general secretaries, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney.

Both union leaders accused the education secretary of squandering the opportunity to avert strike action as they emerged from talks at the Department for Education on Monday, which lasted just over half an hour. “Gillian Keegan has squandered an opportunity to avoid strike action on Wednesday.” They accused the government of being unwilling to seriously engage with the causes of strike action. “Real terms pay cuts and cuts in pay relativities are leading to a recruitment and retention crisis with which the education secretary so far seems incapable of getting a grip.”

“Training targets are routinely missed, year on year. This is having consequences for learning, with disruption every day to children’s education. We can do better as a nation, for education, for our children, if we invest more. That is in the gift of this government. It should start with a fully funded, above inflation pay rise for teachers.”

A new poll of teachers suggests that up to three in every five schools in England could be closed or partially closed to pupils by Wednesday’s strike action.

Teacher Tapp, a daily surveying app, polled almost 8,200 teachers on Sunday, of whom 14% said their school was planning to close to all pupils, while 44% said their school would close “for some pupils”. London schools look set to be among the most disrupted, with 23% of teachers polled in the capital said their schools would close for all pupils.

Wednesday's strike is expected to include up to half a million workers, with teachers due to be joined by train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards from seven trade unions in what will be the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade.

The NEU is the UK's largest education union and has over 300,000 members. Nine out of ten teacher members in the NEU voted in favour of strike action, with a turnout of 53% in England, exceeding the 50% legal threshold for industrial action. In Wales the result was stronger, with a 92% majority in favour of action and a 58% turnout.

However, headteachers in England will not stage walkouts after the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union ballot turnout failed to meet the legal threshold. The turnout was 42%, which is below the threshold required by law. The union says it is considering re-running the ballot because of alleged disruption caused by postal strikes.

Meanwhile, NAHT members in Wales will take industrial action, after the ballot there met the required turnout.

The NEU announcement comes days after members of the NASUWT union in England and Wales voted to strike - but it failed to meet the turnout threshold to take industrial action.

Talks between the government and unions broke down failing to reach an agreement over pay. The Department for Education (DfE) has offered a 5% pay rise to most teachers for the current school year, but the NEU is demanding a fully-funded above inflation pay rise for teachers.

Announcing the result of the ballot, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: “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."

“We regret having to take strike action, and are willing to enter into negotiations at any time, any place, but this situation cannot go on.”

Unions are due to meet the education secretary later this week but there is little optimism of a breakthrough.

What are teachers paid?

Are teachers in the top 10% of earners in some areas?

When will the teacher strikes take place?

The walk out will vary by location with the first strike expected to take place on 1^st February.  The date is the same day as a “National Day of Action” that will see rallies across the country and a 24-hour strike by 100,000 civil servants.

The union is also to target the Budget, on 15 March, in a bid to send a message to ministers. Teachers will also hold a rally in Westminster that day, it said.

Teacher strike dates

• Wednesday 1 February (England and Wales)

• Tuesday 14 February (Wales)

• Tuesday 28 February (Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber)

• Wednesday 1 March (East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern)

• Thursday 2 March (London, South East, South West)

• Wednesday 15 March (England and Wales)

• Thursday 16 March (England and Wales)

"Our children don't deserve it"

The education secretary has criticised a teaching union for planning to go on strike, telling Sky News: "Our children don't deserve it."

Speaking to Kay Burley, Gillian Keegan said she was "very disappointed" after members of the National Education Union voted in favour of industrial action, with thousands of staff set to walkout next month overpay and workloads.

But she pledged to work with the group and be "as constructive as possible", adding: "You don't need to strike to get my attention."

Labour's shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell accused the government of "inflaming" the situation with unions - the last thing she believes will lead to strikes being called off.

"Teachers are crying out for conversation," she told Sky News. "They're crying out to be heard. They need supporting.

Pointing to COVID lockdowns, she added: "No one wants to see strikes happening, but I think we also learnt the value that teachers bring and that how many of us can't step in and become teachers to children overnight.

"The only way that that industrial action and these kind of disputes gets resolved is when everybody gets round the table and finds a way, a way forward to it."

Ms Keegan confirmed there would be another meeting with the union on Friday to go through the pay offer on the table "line by line".

Will schools close?

Schools have been told they can use volunteers and temporary agency staff to stay open, and ask staff whether they intend to strike.

The guidance from the government calls on headteachers to “take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible.”

While the decision to open, restrict attendance or close academy schools lies with the academy trust, the DfE said it is usually delegated to the principal, and the decision for maintained schools rests with the headteacher.

The latest guidance stated: “It is best practice for headteachers to consult governors, parents and the local authority, academy trust or diocesan representative (where appropriate) before deciding whether to close.”