TEACHERS will walk out on strike today causing major disruption to schools.

Thousands of children will have to stay at home in Sussex as scores of schools close while members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) take part in industrial action alongside others across the country.

More than 150 schools will be disrupted including most of the city schools. Some 62 Brighton and Hove schools will be closed or partially closed, as well as 75 in east Sussex and 22 in West Sussex, according to council records.

The industrial action - the first since 2014 - is in a row over funding cuts and against government plans to turn more schools into academies.

The NUT claims this will mean an end to setting national pay and conditions and the worst sector cuts since the 1970s but the move to strike has been condemned by the Department for Education.

Three rallies are planned in Palmeira Square, Brighton, Hyde Gardens in Eastbourne and White Rock Hotel, Hastings, from 10am.

The Brighton protest will begin at 10.30am at Palmeira Square before setting off on a march to The Level at 11am and finishing with a rally at The Level at midday.

This follows a protest by parents and children in Brighton and Hove in May against the increased number of tests in primary schools.

A father, whose children go to school in Henfield, said: "While I respect everyone’s right to strike that has to be balanced with the inconvenience it causes to parents and the impact it has on children’s education. What makes it even more difficult to deal with is that some classes will still be running and others are affected. Parents were not informed until late last week which classes were affected and then it was a rush to either arrange childcare or shuffle work commitments."

Another parent said the scramble to rearrange childcare was the biggest problem with an added cost every time the children have to be off school.

But parents, teachers and governors involved in the Hands Off Our School campaign, which hosted a meeting in Brighton last week, said they would support the strikes today.

Spokeswoman Jane Smith said: "We want locally accountable, autonomous schools with an inclusive, creative curriculum and qualified teachers for all our children. Today we will stand with our teachers as they take strike action. We encourage parents and children across our city to join us. Make a banner or placard with your school's name and join us on the march leaving Palmeira Square at 10.30am and arriving at The Level at noon."

Education minister Nicky Morgan condemned the move in a letter to NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney on Saturday.

She said: "Rather than playing politics with children’s futures over the issue of pay and conditions, I would urge you to reconsider this damaging industrial action. Removing unnecessary workload for teachers is a priority for this government, and we have made this clear in our discussions. Our extensive work with you along with the wider profession, is helping to ensure that teachers can concentrate on what they do best."

But Phil Clarke, NUT national executive member for Brighton and East Sussex, and a teacher at Priory School in Lewes, said the minister's claims of playing politics were "a bit rich", adding: "We sympathise with the disruption parents face and don't take strike action likely. But the government is dismantling the education system. It would be wrong for teachers to stand aside and not try to act in the long term interest of their pupils."

UNION IN PROTEST OVER EFFECTS OF FUNDING CUTS

Why are the teachers on strike today?

Teachers are on strike today because they feel funding cuts could affect standards of education.

Writing a letter to the Education Secretary in June, Kevin Courtney, the acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, warned that the funding situation in schools could get “progressively worse”.

He cited forecasts from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which predicted an eight per cent cut in funding in real terms over the next few years.

The NUT argues that these funding cuts could have “negative implications”, including an increase in class sizes, fewer subject choices for children and cuts in support and teaching staff.

Haven’t we seen education strikes in Sussex already this year?

Parents across Sussex took part in the national Let Kids Be Kids protest in May which was concerned with changes to the national curriculum and SAT exams, claiming they cause their children undue stress.

This is a completely separate issue to today’s strike.

Earlier this year, following the Government’s announcement to turn all schools into academies, teachers called for a one-day strike as part of a campaign against the plans. However, this was called off when the government reversed its decision later on.

In July 2014, NUT members took part in a day of action alongside members of unions Unison, Unite, GMB, PCS and the FBU.

At the time, the NUT cited pay, pensions and workload – rather than funding – as three key reasons for walking out. According to the union, pension contribution increases and pay restraint had meant that teachers had seen a 15 per cent fall in the value of their take-home pay.

Performance related pay (PRP) was also a key issue, along with the oft-quoted 60-hour working week.

Are those three things still an issue today?

All three are definitely still a concern for unions. At the most basic level, the NUT have said that unless pay and working conditions improve, it is unlikely that the teacher recruitment and retention “crisis” will get better at any point soon.

Academisation is also still an issue despite the Government’s U-turn because of the “de-regulation of teacher terms and conditions”.

This means that decisions regarding pay and working conditions are increasingly being made at school level, rather than following a national standard.

The NUT’s concern is that there is little evidence that making decisions, for example, on sick pay and maternity leave at school level, leads to higher standards.

In fact, the union suggests that this responsibility could distract school leaders from the important business of educating children.

What are the NUT asking for?

In his letter to Nicky Morgan, Mr Courtney outlined three requests to avoid the strike action:

  • Fund schools sufficiently to cover the increased staff costs you have imposed on them
  • Tell academies they must at least have regard to the national terms and conditions
  • Promise meaningful talks to look for a full resolution of the dispute.

What has the Department for Education said?

A Department for Education spokesman said: “It is disappointing the National Union of Teachers has chosen to take unnecessary and damaging strike action, which less than a quarter of its members voted for.

“It is even more disappointing when we have offered and committed to formal talks between ministers and the unions to address their concerns about pay.

“Industrial action causes disruption to children’s education and parents who have to take time out of work to arrange childcare.

“We urge the NUT not to proceed with this strike and to resolve pay disputes at the negotiating table rather than playing politics with children’s futures.”