Teachers strike 'will close more than 10,000 schools'

More than 10,000 schools will close when Britain's biggest teachers' union, the NUT, stages a one-day strike later this month, according to a national survey published yesterday.

And headteachers' leaders have warned that they will not act as "strike-breakers" and keep children in school. Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "We're not going to be asking our members to take this class or that if the teacher is off."

The survey of 7,300 teachers, carried out by the Times Educational Supplement, revealed that 47 per cent thought their school would close on April 24 – the day of the stoppage. That would mean about 12,000 schools closing.

The survey showed that six out of ten teachers supported the stoppage by the National Union of Teachers. Even among other teachers' unions, who refused to strike, 52 per cent of those polled supported their colleagues' action.

Guidance from the NAHT, which represents the vast majority of state school heads in England and Wales, urges every head to make a "risk assessment" of whether pupils can safely be allowed to remain in schools. "We will play it straight down the middle," said Mr Brookes. "There will be no effect at all if there are no NUT members or the schools have some of the three quarters of the NUT membership who didn't vote for strike action and won't strike."

A ballot of nearly 200,000 NUT members ended with 75 per cent of those voting backing strike action in a 32 per cent turnout.

The strike was called to protest against the Government's proposed pay deal for teachers of 2.45 per cent this year, and 2.3 per cent in 2009 and 2010 – well below the 4 per cent demanded by unions.