Just a quarter of schools closed by teachers’ strikes

ONLY a quarter of schools in England closed to some or all pupils during the latest teachers’ strike, initial data have suggested.

A survey of local authorities by The Daily Telegraph found that 27 per cent of schools were fully or partially closed yesterday. During the last national walkout on Feb 1, the proportion of schools affected was 51 per cent.

The analysis does not include London, where the impact is likely to have been greater owing to a high rate of union membership among teachers.

Local authorities that responded to the survey account for 27 per cent of schools in England.

The survey showed that in the West Midlands, 12 per cent of schools suffered closures, compared with 42 per cent on Feb 1.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, insisted that support for walkouts was not waning, and that the atmosphere among striking teachers had been “determined” and “electric”.