Keep schools open

Even as hopes rise of an end to the strikes on the railways, another group is preparing to step into the breach. Teachers in England and Wales have voted to stop work in pursuit of a pay rise above the 5 per cent deal already announced. Their counterparts in Scotland have already staged a number of strikes in recent weeks.

As with others in both the private and public sectors, teachers have seen their take-home pay eroded by higher than expected inflation this year. Indeed, many jobs have not seen a recovery in real pay levels since the 2008 financial crash, though few people will have stayed in the same employment over that time.

The teachers are, therefore, in much the same boat as everyone else and their incomes are often paid by people who may be worse off than they are. Of course, their dedication should be recognised, but strike action is unconscionable, not least because the English vote in favour of it, while passing the legal threshold, represented a minority of teachers.

Children who lost months of schooling during the pandemic and have yet to catch up will be affected once again. The unions are planning seven days of stoppages and parents will need to find care for offspring whose schools close or take time off to look after them.

Every effort needs to be made to keep schools open, using staff who are unwilling to join the strikes and volunteer helpers, including parents and grandparents. Bureaucratic barriers to temporary assistance need to be dismantled. The unions said the strikes will start next month, giving ministers and officials time to put contingency plans in place. Parents will expect nothing less.