Schools are facing week-long strike action by classroom staff after talks over pay ended in failure.

Teaching assistants in Brighton and Hove could strike at some schools for five days in the new year as the row escalates.

The national Employers' Organisation was overseeing discussions between Brighton and Hove City Council and unions.

Negotiations were aimed at settling a dispute which has already forced half the city's infant, junior and primary schools to close during three one-day strikes.

After more than ten hours of brinkmanship during two days of talks, both sides walked away with no hope of a compromise in sight.

Industrial union GMB and public sector union Unison today threatened prolonged five-day strikes at a number of city schools.

The walkouts follow a move by the council to slash the number of weeks teaching assistants are paid in return for a grading scheme which it says will provide better hourly wages for the majority of teaching assistants.

Parents are now faced with having to find childcare when their children start school again next term.

The unions have called off industrial action for Thursday, January 6, but warned more strikes would follow if the council did not agree a deal.

Council leader Ken Bodfish was infuriated at the prospect of week-long strikes and demanded unions call them off.

He said: "For children and their parents this is a terrible possibility.

"I hope the trade unions will see sense. I don't know what they think they can achieve by making people suffer.

"But I do welcome the fact union officials have written to the chief executive calling off the strike on January 6.

"We had always said we would be willing to bring in Acas. But whatever you call those discussions, everyone needs to be clear we cannot write a blank cheque for schools to pay their teaching assistants."

The unions claimed that during the discussions they presented a compromise deal in which some weeks would be cut from the pay year.

Now they want to take the dispute to the Acas conciliation service for binding arbitration.

Unison branch chairman Alex Knutsen said: "We have gone to the very limit on these things.

"But the council's attitude throughout was no further negotiations and no reference to binding arbitration'. Why they are so scared of binding arbitration no one knows, apart from the fact they are going to lose.

"There is disappointment as we are surprised at the attitude they have taken."

GMB branch chairman Mark Turner said: "The council has been absolutely dreadful. They don't want to negotiate and they didn't put anything on the table.

"The unions have moved forward again but the council has just thrown it back at us.

"One possibility is they just want to take the unions on but in doing so they are affecting the education of our children. We are writing to all our members at the council asking if they want to be balloted for strike action."

Green party convenor Keith Taylor said: "We believe the council should go to binding arbitration.

"The council is frightened binding arbitration will mean it has to make the payments the unions are requiring."

A mass meeting will be called by unions on Wednesday, January 5, to debate protracted industrial action at city schools if no deal is offered.

Unison leaders are expected to suggest a further one-day strike to hit all infant, junior and primary schools with some disruption at secondaries.

They will also target a number of classes, where action has been solid so far, for week-long walkouts.