Strike 'may shut half of schools'

The last national teachers' strike ended in March 1987

Nearly half of schools in England and Wales could be forced to close by the first national teachers' strike for 21 years, an online survey suggests.

Six out of 10 teachers back the National Union of Teachers' 24-hour strike on 24 April, the survey said.

And 47% of 7,300 teachers polled by the Times Educational Supplement thought the strike would close their school.

The government dismissed the poll as self-selecting and unrepresentative of teachers' views.

The poll also found some support for the strike among teachers not represented by the NUT. Of these 52% backed the walkout.

The NUT wants pay rises for teachers equivalent to the rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index.

The vast majority of teachers and their unions do not support strike action Department for Children, Schools and Families

NUT General Secretary Steve Sinnott said the strike could be called off if the government met his union's demands.

He said: "I'm always waiting for that call from a minister - my phone will never be placed on silent."

But the government called on the union to reconsider its plans, saying a strike would simply disrupt children's education.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the online poll was a self-selecting survey which revealed nothing about what teachers were thinking.

"As with all surveys of this kind, only those who feel very strongly will bother voting.

"The truth is that just one in 10 teachers actually voted for a strike, meaning the vast majority of teachers and their unions do not support strike action."

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