Teachers strike: Is your school closed today? How to check

The latest strike, on February 1, closed 85% of schools and saw “more than 100,000” teachers walk out.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted in favor of industrial action in England and Wales, while teachers in Scotland are also on strike.

So how do you know if your school is closed and what to do? Here’s how you can learn:

Who decides whether to close schools?

In England, the decision is left to individual Directors.

In Wales, headteachers consult with local authorities and in Scotland they liaise with local councils before deciding whether schools can remain open.

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said the Department for Education was “completely disingenuous to suggest we are not prepared to start talks”.

They added: “What we cannot accept are conditions that require us to end the strike before we make any progress through negotiations to resolve this dispute. The only reason Gillian Keegan came to the table is because of the successful outcome of the NEU vote.

“We want to resolve this dispute in the interest of teachers and children’s education. Such a resolution will not come, however, without goodwill on both sides.’

Are schools closing near me?

England

Bedfordshire

Buckinghamshire

Schools in Buckinghamshire are set to open today. The updated list showing which schools are closed or partially closed in the county will be available for the first time on strike days.

Cornwall

Schools in Cornwall are not affected by today’s strike.

In the days of the strike, Cornwall Council is not publishing a list of schools affected, saying: “This is down to the management of individual schools, who will need to contact parents about any potential disruption.”

Cambridgeshire

Schools in Cambridgeshire are not affected by strike action today. A full list of all schools and their expected status on strike days is available here.

County Durham

Schools in County Durham to be affected by strike action. So far, 23 schools are set to close either partially or completely due to the teachers’ strike. A full list of schools affected can be found on the Durham County Council website.

Cumbria

Schools in Cumbria to be affected by strike action. A list of those who have reported their plans to Cumbria County Council is available here.

Derbyshire

Derbyshire schools are unaffected by strike action today. The council has a list of Derbyshire schools which are closed or partially closed on strike days.

Devon

Schools in Devon will not be affected by today’s strike. The full list of schools affected on strike days can be found on the Devon County Council website.

Dorset

Dorset schools are not affected by today’s strike. A live list of closed and partially closed schools is available here.

East Sussex

Schools in the East Sussex County Council area are not affected by today’s strike action.

On strike days, the full list of schools affected by strikes will be issued at 3.30pm. the day before each starts.

He also recommends checking individual schools’ websites for advance information, and you can find a list of those here.

Essex

Essex schools are not affected by today’s teachers’ strike.

A list of closed schools will be posted at 6pm the day before the event on the Essex County Council website.

In the meantime, the advice is to contact the individual school for more information.

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire schools should be open as normal today.

On strike days, a full list of affected schools, which is regularly updated, can be found on Gloucestershire County Council’s website.

Hampshire

In Hampshire, schools should be open as normal.

A full list, updated as the council is notified by individual schools, is on the Hampshire County Council website.

Herefordshire

Schools in Herefordshire should be open as normal today.

Herefordshire County Council currently only offers a live system that shows whether a school is currently open or closed. The advice is to check with individual schools.

Kent

Strikes will not affect schools in Kent today.

Kent County Council offers a search tool to show if a school is currently open or closed. Parents are advised to contact individual schools.

Lancashire

Schools in Lancashire will be affected by today’s strike action.

Lancashire County Council has published a detailed list showing which schools will be affected by the strikes and how.

Lincolnshire

Schools in Lincolnshire will be affected by today’s teachers strike.

Lincolnshire County Council does not list the affected schools on its website, so again, please contact individual schools for more information.

London

Schools in London are not affected by today’s strike.

For the status of a school, you can check with individual schools or or your local authority – links to their websites are here:

Merseyside

Schools across Merseyside will be affected by today’s strike action.

Merseyside County Council’s website does not contain a full list of affected schools, so please contact individual schools for more information.

Norfolk

Schools in Norfolk are not affected by today’s strike.

On strike days, Norfolk County Council does not currently have a list of affected schools, so the advice is to contact individual schools.

Northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire County Council and West Northamptonshire County Council schools are not affected by today’s strike action. Councils will not offer lists and say it is up to individual schools to inform parents.

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Council schools are not affected by today’s strike action.

Northumberland

Schools in Northumberland are being affected by today’s strikes.

A list of closed schools is available on Northumberland County Council’s website, although there is currently only one school on it.

Oxfordshire

Schools in Oxfordshire are not affected by today’s strike.

Oxfordshire Council says it will not provide advance strike warning on its website and is asking parents to “wait for advice from your child’s school”.

Shropshire

Shropshire schools should be open as normal today.

The full list of schools that will be partially or fully closed due to strike action is available on Shropshire County Council’s website.

Somerset

Somerset schools are not affected by today’s strike.

A full and regularly updated list can be found on the Somerset County Council website.

Staffordshire

Schools in Staffordshire are expected to be open as normal.

The list of closed schools can be found on the Staffordshire County Council website.

Suffolk

Schools in Suffolk are not affected by today’s strike.

Suffolk County Council advises parents to check individual school websites.

Surrey

Surrey schools are not affected by today’s strike.

On strike days, Surrey County Council does not provide a list and asks parents to check individual school websites.

Sussex

Schools in Sussex are not affected by today’s strike.

East Sussex County Council will update its list after 3.30pm. the day before any strikes.

The advice is to contact individual schools.

Warwickshire

Warwickshire schools are not affected by today’s strike. A list of partial and full school closures is available on the council’s website here.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire schools will be open as usual.

Worcestershire

Schools in Worcestershire will be open as usual. More details about school closures are available on the Worcestershire County Council website.

Yorkshire

Schools in Yorkshire to be affected by strike action.

The advice is to check with individual schools.

Wales

Schools in Wales are not affected by today’s strike. These local authority websites give details of school closures:

Scotland

Strike action is taking place nationwide in Scotland today, which will have a major impact.

Check with individual schools to see if they will be fully closed.

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