Which schools in Birmingham will close for the teacher strikes this week?

Teachers in England are to stage fresh strikes in their long-running dispute over pay during this first week of July.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) will walk out on 5 and 7 July, causing disruption to schools in the current term. The Birmingham National Education Union say they expect the vast majority of Birmingham schools to be closed or partly closed on Wednesday, July 5 and Friday, July 7.

Earlier this year, teachers in England rejected a pay offer from the Government that would have seen salaries rise by 4.5% on average next year, alongside a one-off payment of £1,000 for this year (2022 to 2023). Hundreds of teachers at schools in Birmingham walked out in protests over pay earlier this year.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and NASUWT voted to turn down the offer in April.

The NEU is currently re-balloting its members to see if they want to continue taking industrial action for the rest of the year. The other education unions – ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT – are also balloting their members for strikes over pay and funding for teachers in England. The unions have warned of co-ordinated action in the autumn term if there is no settlement to the dispute.

The schools to confirm closure or partial closures on July 5 & 7

• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Kings Norton - the school will be open only for Years 7 and 12, with online learning for Years 8, 9 and 10.
• Queensbridge School, Moseley - the school will be closed to pupils on Wednesday 5th July & Friday 7th July due to strike action.
• Grestone Academy, Handsworth Wood - the school will be partly closed.
• Q3 Academy, Great Barr - the Academy be closed to students on July 5 & 7. The school will operate online learning for pupils.
• Plantsbrook School, Sutton Coldfield - partly open.
• St Chad’s Catholic Primary School, Newtown - school will be closed to Year 4 and half of Year 5. The school is open for all other year groups.

• Harborne Academy, Harborne -the school will be open for year 10, but closed for other years groups
• Stockland Green School, Stockland Green - on Wednesday, the school will be open to Years 7 and 10 only, and to to Years 9 and 8 only on Thursday.
• John Willmott School, Sutton Coldfield - The school will be open to all Year 10 students and vulnerable students who have been identified.
• The Arthur Terry School, Sutton Coldield - the school will be open for students in Year 10 and 12.
• Check the school websites for more information

NEU statement

David Room, General Secretary of the Birmingham NEU said: “We are expecting the vast majority of Birmingham schools to be closed or partially closed as a result of NEU strike action on July 5 and 7.” Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said it was within the grasp of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan for the action to be halted.

“Time and again the National Education Union, alongside its sister unions, have called for the Education Secretary to get around the negotiation table to settle this dispute for a fully-funded teacher pay increase. Time and again our calls have fallen on stony ground,” they said.

“The Education Secretary refused to re-enter negotiation on the grounds that she and her department were waiting for the publication of the School Teachers’ Review Body’s (STRB) recommendation on pay.”

The NEU said the minister had received the body’s report and recommendations, but would not comment on speculation that it was suggesting a 6.5% pay rise. The union leaders said they were worried that the Government was contemplating not implementing the report or not funding it properly.

Department for Education respond to strikes

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Further strike action will cause real damage to pupil learning and even more disruption for parents right across the country. Thousands of schools are receiving significant additional funding as part of the extra £2 billion of investment we are providing for both 2023/24 and 2024/25 which will take school funding its highest level in history next year, as measured by the IFS.

“As part of the normal process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its recommendations to Government on teacher pay for 2023/24. We will be considering the recommendations and will publish our response in the usual way.”