Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has called on the National Education Union (NEU) to enter formal talks on teachers’ pay this week rather than staging strikes.

The Chichester MP has written to unions representing teachers and school leaders to invite them to formal talks tomorrow and Thursday if they suspend walkouts.

Ms Keegan warned that the NEU’s position to “strike rather than talk” could “miss an opportunity” to discuss reforms and “risk a narrower settlement”.

Hundreds of thousands of members of the union are expected to take part in two consecutive days of strike action across England in a long-running dispute over pay.

In an open letter to parents, Ms Keegan said: “The single best thing the NEU could do for both its members and for children and young people would be to sit down and talk about pay.

“I will continue doing everything I can to end the disruption your family is facing as quickly as possible, particularly because I know exams for older pupils are coming up fast.”

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However, the joint leaders of the NEU - the largest education union in the UK, told the education secretary the strikes were “wholly avoidable” if the government had not insisted on a “spurious precondition” which cannot be met.

Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the union, said: “The NEU regrets the inconvenience caused to parents, children and young people by strike action.

“The responsibility for this lies squarely with the education secretary.

“The NEU has said time and again we will meet for talks. As in Wales and Scotland, strike action was paused when a serious offer was made and members were consulted on it.

“No preconditions were thought necessary by Scotland and Wales and, as a result, progress has been made.

“Gillian Keegan’s digging in of heels has meant that England again lags behind other countries.

“Parents see daily the effect that the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, alongside woeful school funding, is having on their children’s education. We believe that parents recognise the need for change.”

Several schools across Sussex are expected to be closed or partially closed due to the strike action over the next two days.