Scores of Derbyshire schools will be either partially, or totally, closed on Thursday as 3,000 of the county's teachers join a national one-day strike.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) held the stoppage in protest over a below-inflation pay offer from the Government.
John Holmes, secretary of the NUT Derbyshire division, said almost half of the county's teachers walked out, "substantially a
ffecting" at least 30 of the 40 secondary schools and closing many primary school classrooms.
He said he hoped parents would support the strike, adding: "We think that everybody with the interests of schools and children at heart should in fact thank our members for making a stand against the kind of pay cuts that will lead again to teacher shortages and oversized classes.
Lecturers at Chesterfield College who are members of the University and College Union (UCU) also walked out in a dispute over pay, which they claim is around 6 per cent lower than that of equivalent schoolteachers.
The Government has offered teachers a 2.45 per cent pay rise this year and 2.3 per cent for the following two. The Retail Price Index currently measures inflation at above 4 per cent.
Teachers and lecturers took part in a rally at the Market Hall, Chesterfield.
Click here to see picturesThe full article contains 221 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
