Less than 10% of schools in Liverpool are fully today
Most schools across Merseyside and Cheshire have told parents to keep their kids at home as they don’t have enough staff to look after them.
Liverpool council say only 8% of schools in the city are to open fully today as teachers strike.
They are expected to be joined by around 100,000 teachers and support staff from across the UK as members of the National Education Union (NEU) walk out in a row over pay and working conditions.
Most schools across the Merseyside and Cheshire have told parents to keep their kids at home as there don’t have enough staff to look after them.
NEU Regional secretory for the North West, Peter Middleman, said the union understands the strike days can be difficult for parents and guardians but it’s a last resort.
He said: “There will be an impact, but of course no point going on strike unless we make an impact. This is not, however, disruption that we are targeting our parents or students or even individual head teachers and chairs of government bodies.
“This is a means by which we draw attention to the horrendous recruitment and retention crisis in the profession that we maintain some pressure on government.”
Schools have a good idea of the amount of teachers striking because the NEU is required by law to provide schools with the number of members that it is calling on to take strike action in each workplace.
Peter says the amount of NEU staff walking out shows how important this is to the members.
He said: “The weight of this industrial action and the weight of public opinion that focuses a really bright light on their approach to education and the value that they place on our schools.
“12 years of tolerating cut after cut after court has got us into this position, so it really is time now that the profession has realized that they need to stand up and fight back and that's what they'll be doing on Wednesday (1st February) and on 3 subsequent dates between now and the middle of March.”
In the row over conditions, workload and recruitment have been highlighted by the NEU as an issue.
Peter told us: “A third of teachers leave the profession within five years of qualifying these days, and that is driven by two main factors and workload is the most significant one amongst them.
“But while workloads are going up and pay is going down in real terms as it has for the last 12 years, then you've got a really toxic cocktail, which means the teaching while remaining a really good profession as a career, as got an increase in number of challenges.”
Teachers who are members of the NEU could have a further days of action planned in February and March if matters are not resolved.