Teachers strike: Is your school closed today? how to check

The last strike, on 1 February, closed 85% of schools and saw ‘over 100,000’ teachers leave.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted for industrial action in England and Wales, while teachers in Scotland are also on strike.

So how will you know if your school is closed and what to do? Here’s how to find out:

Who decides whether schools close?

In England, the decision is left to individual directors.

In Wales, headmasters consult local authorities, and in Scotland they liaise with local councils before deciding whether schools can remain open.

Dr. Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, assistant secretary general of the National Union of Education, said the Department of Education was being “completely hypocritical in suggesting that we are unwilling to enter into negotiations.”

They added: ‘What we cannot accept are preconditions that oblige us to stop strike action before we make any progress in negotiations to resolve this dispute. The only reason Gillian Keegan came to the table is because of the successful outcome of the NEU vote.

‘We want to resolve this dispute in the interests of teachers and children’s education. Such a resolution will not come, however, without goodwill on both sides.’

Are schools closed near me?

England

bedfordshire

buckinghamshire

Schools in Buckinghamshire are due to open today. The updated list showing which schools are closed or partially closed in the county will be available shortly on strike days.

Cornwall

Cornwall schools were unaffected by today’s strike.

On strike days, Cornwall Council does not publish a list of affected schools, saying: ‘It is a list for each school to administer, who must communicate with parents about any possible disruption.’

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire schools are unaffected by the strike today. A complete list of all schools and their expected status on strike days is available here.

County Durham

Schools in County Durham to be affected by strike. So far, 23 schools are expected to close partially or fully due to the teachers’ strike. A complete list of affected schools can be found on the Durham County Council website.

cumbria

Schools in Cumbria to be affected by strike. A list of those who have reported their plans to Cumbria County Council is available here.

derbyshire

Derbyshire schools are not affected by the strike today. The council has a list of Derbyshire schools that are closed or partially closed on strike days.

Devon

Schools in Devon will not be affected by today’s strike. A full list of affected schools on strike days is on the Devon County Council website.

dorset

Dorset schools were unaffected by today’s strike. A live list of closed and partially closed schools is available here.

East Sussex

Schools in the East Sussex County Council area were unaffected by today’s strike.

On strike days, a complete list of schools affected by strikes will be released at 3:30 pm the day before each strike begins.

It also recommends checking each school’s websites for advance information, and you can find a list of them here.

Essex

Essex schools were unaffected by today’s teachers’ strike.

A list of school closures will be posted at 6pm the day before they take place on the Essex County Council website.

However, the advice is to contact each school for more information.

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire schools are expected to be open as normal today.

On strike days, a full list of affected schools, which is updated regularly, can be found on the Gloucestershire County Council website.

Hampshire

In Hampshire, schools are expected to function as normal.

A complete list, updated as the council is notified by individual schools, is on the Hampshire County Council website.

herefordshire

Schools in Herefordshire are due to open as normal today.

Currently, Herefordshire County Council only offers a live system that shows whether a school is open or closed. The advice is to check with each school.

kent

The strikes will not affect schools in Kent today.

Kent County Council offers a search tool to show whether a school is open or closed. Parents are advised to check with each school.

Lancashire

Schools in Lancashire will be affected by today’s strike.

Lancashire County Council has released a detailed list showing which schools will be affected by the strikes and how.

lincolnshire

Schools in Lincolnshire will be affected by today’s teachers’ strike.

Lincolnshire County Council is not listing the affected schools on their website, so again, check with individual schools for more information.

London

London schools were unaffected by today’s strike.

For a school’s status you can check with individual schools or with your local authority – links to their websites are here:

Merseyside

Schools on Merseyside will be affected by today’s strike.

The Merseyside County Council website does not contain a complete list of affected schools, so please contact each school for more information.

norfolk

Schools in Norfolk were unaffected by today’s strike.

On strike days Norfolk County Council does not currently have a list of affected schools so advice is to check with each school.

northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire County Council and West Northamptonshire County Council schools were unaffected by today’s strike. Boards will not offer lists and say it is up to individual schools to notify parents.

nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Council schools were unaffected by today’s strikes.

northumberland

Schools in Northumberland affected by today’s strikes.

A list of closed schools is available on the Northumberland County Council website, although at the moment only one school is on it.

oxfordshire

Schools in Oxfordshire were unaffected by today’s strike.

Oxfordshire Council says it will not provide strike notice on its website and urges parents to ‘await advice from your child’s school’.

shropshire

Shropshire schools are expected to be open as normal today.

A full list of schools that will be partially or fully closed due to the strike is available on the Shropshire County Council website.

somerset

Somerset schools were unaffected by today’s strike.

A complete and regularly updated list can be found on the Somerset County Council website.

staffordshire

Schools in Staffordshire are expected to be open as normal.

You can search the list of closed schools on the Staffordshire County Council website.

Suffolk

Schools in Suffolk were unaffected by today’s strike.

Suffolk County Council advises parents to check individual school websites.

surrey

Surrey schools were unaffected by today’s strike.

On strike days Surrey County Council does not provide a list and asks parents to check individual school websites.

sussex

Schools in Sussex were unaffected by today’s strike.

East Sussex County Council will update its list after 3.30pm on the day before any strike.

The advice is to contact individual schools.

warwickshire

Warwickshire schools were unaffected by today’s strike. A list of partial and full school closures is available on the council’s website here.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire schools will be open as normal.

Worcestershire

Schools in Worcestershire will be open as normal. More details on school closures are available on the Worcestershire County Council website.

yorkshire

Schools in Yorkshire will be affected by the strike.

The advice is to check with each school.

Wales

Schools in Wales were unaffected by today’s strike. These local authority websites provide details on school closures:

Scotland

The strike is taking place nationwide in Scotland today, which will have a huge impact.

Check with individual schools to see if they will be closed entirely.

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