The number of Birmingham schools that will be closed on Wednesday as teachers strike again

Teachers are walking out of lessons on Wednesday (March 1) with further school strikes in Birmingham will be taking place in March
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Tens of thousands of teachers across England and Wales will strike over three days this week in the long-running dispute over pay.

Around 20,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU) will walk out across the north of England today (Tuesday 28 February) with the majority of schools expected to either restrict access to some pupils or fully close.

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And on Wednesday 1 March, union members are set to strike in the Midlands and eastern regions in England and further walkouts will take place across Wales and the south of England on Thursday.

The first mass walkout took place on 1 February, to coincide with the Trades Union Congress’s national “protect the right to strike” day of action, followed by a series of regional strikes later in the month.

The National Education Union says it once again expects around 400 schools in Birmingham to close or partially close for the teachers’ strike on Wednesday, 1 March.

There are 508 schools in Birmingham, meaning the overwhelming majority of schools in the city will be affected by the strikes Members of the NEU voted to strike on February 1, March 1, March 15 and March 16.

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Picket lines will be mounted outside schools in Birmingham and across the region, including at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls in Kings Heath, Saltley Academy in Belchers Lane, and at the Selly Oak Trust School in Oak Tree Lane.

Some parents will be forced to take leave from work, or arrange alternative childcare due to the regional walkouts across three days this week.

Strikes also took place on February 1Strikes also took place on February 1
Strikes also took place on February 1

Why are teachers striking?

Some 300,000 teachers and support staff were asked to vote in the NEU ballot – and more than 127,000 teacher members and 16,000 support staff members in England and Wales backed action.

The NAHT school leaders’ union and the NASUWT teachers’ union both failed to achieve the 50% ballot turnout required by law for its members to go out on strike over pay in England.

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In England, the NEU is looking for a pay rise of 12% rather than the 5% offered so far by the government for most teachers. The unions say teachers’ pay has fallen by about 24% relative to inflation since 2010.

In July last year, the government said teachers would benefit from pay increases of between 5% and 8.9% from September 2022, after accepting the recommendations of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for this academic year.

In England, a ballot result of support staff in schools saw a 84.13% majority vote YES on a turnout of 46.46%. This result, despite being hugely in favour of action, just missed the government’s restrictive thresholds.

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