All your questions, answered.

Now we know teachers have voted to strike , parents are understandably anxious to know how it will affect them and their children.

There are so many questions parents need the answers to, including – will my child's school close? When will the strikes take place? Will I be expected to home-school them? And what do I do if I can't get the time off work?

The unions say teachers are 'hugely mindful' of the impact on pupils of a strike, but believe that the current situation with pay and resourcing, and the knock on impact of teacher retention is not tenable and say these strikes are the 'last resort.'

• Why these teacher strikes bring back 'nightmare' lockdown homeschooling memories

We’ve broken down what you need to know about industrial action and strikes in schools:

When will the strikes happen?

The results of the ballot were announced on Monday, January 16. The proposed NEU strike dates for England and Wales are:

• 1 February: All schools in England and Wales
• 14 February: All schools in Wales
• 28 February: North and north-west England, Yorkshire and Humber
• 1 March: East Midlands, West Midlands, and the NEU's eastern region
• 2 March: South-east and south-west England, and London
• 15 and 16 March: Two-day strike of all schools in England and Wales

Who is striking and why?

Members of the The National Education Union (NEU) – the biggest education union have voted in favour of strike action.

The unions asked teachers of primary aged children, through to college teachers , to vote on whether they'll walk out over a dispute over pay, meaning strikes could affect all levels of education.

The strike is over a pay rise given in 2022 . Most teachers were given a 5% pay increase last year, but unions say that this isn't in line with inflation, which means that teachers have actually had a real-terms pay cut of 11%.

Industrial action can take two forms:

• Employees going on strike .
• Employees taking action short of a strike – this can include only working contracted hours and only doing work specified in job descriptions.

A trade union can only call for industrial action if a majority of its members vote in favour of such action in a properly organised ballot, which is what has happened.

Will my child's school close?

It is for headteachers to decide whether a mainstream school should close during a strike, or whether it should partially or fully close.

In academies, this decision is for the academy trust to make, but it is usually delegated to the headteacher of the academy.

When making the decision, headteachers should consult governors, parents, and their LA, academy trust or diocesan representative.

The Department for Education is urging affected schools to try to stay open if possible, in official government advice.

Can key worker children still go to school?

The government says schools that are forced to restrict places should priortise the following groups:

• Vulnerable children and young people
• Children of critical workers
• Pupils due to take public examinations and other formal assessments.

This could be done by putting pupils together in single classes with any teachers that are working, similar to how some schools operated during lockdowns in the pandemic

However, schools unable to meet safe thresholds for cover, or where not enough senior staff are on site, may well have to close

What about remote education?

Although schools may not be able to provide in-school teaching in certain scenarios, staff not on strike may be asked to provide remote education, with the government telling schools to be aware of its existing guidance in this area.

This is something that may be more prevalent than in past strike actions due to how widespread remote education was during the pandemic.

What about pre-schoolers?

The strikes only relate to teachers of primary aged children, through to college teachers.

What do teachers do on strike days?

Some teachers may be on picket lines or may join marches demonstrating for a better pay deal. These events will be coordinated by union representatives. For more information on picket lines, see the question below.

Otherwise, participating staff will essentially be free to do as they wish on the day and will not be expected to complete any duties related to their job, including marking work, contacting students or planning.

What about work? Can I take time off to stay at home with my child?

Employees are allowed to take time off work to look after their children if it's necessary, but may not be paid for the time taken off. This is dependant on their workplace's policy.

Will strikes be taking place in private schools?

There have been no strikes announced in private schools.

Can schools can use other staff and volunteers to cover classes?

Schools are told by the DfE they should consider what cover arrangements will need to be in place to minimise the impact of a strike – this includes ensuring cover for safeguarding and SEND provision are in place.

Teachers that are not striking can be asked to cover the classes of teachers who are striking. In maintained schools and some academies, classes need to be taught by a teacher with QTS.

If a headteacher is on strike, their duties should be delegated to another member of the senior leadership team (SLT). In cases where the whole SLT is on strike, the school’s governing board or the academy trust is able to ask another staff member to carry out the duties of the headteacher, e.g. a senior teacher or a retired headteacher employed by the school.

Does my child have to go to school if it is partially open?

Yes, pupils should attend if the school remains open. Parents are legally required to ensure that their child attends school regularly if they are of compulsory school age and are registered at a school.

If the decision is made for a school to remain fully or partially open during strike action, pupils who are in classes that are operating as normal are required to attend, regardless of parental choice.

If a pupil who is required to attend on a strike day and does not attend, they must be recorded as absent.

Will the curriculum be taught during the strikes?

During a strike, there is no legal requirement for the curriculum to be taught.

Mainstream schools are required to ensure that they cover the programme of study for each national curriculum subject by the end of the relevant key stage and they are also required to teach at least 380 half day sessions per year; however, there is no statutory requirement to teach the national curriculum on each day of the school year.

Academies are under no legal requirement to teach the national curriculum; however, they are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum during the course of the year.

What about Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Teachers in Scotland have already been on strike and there are 16 days of planned industrial action set to take place over the coming weeks.

Each day until February 6, teachers from two of Scotland's 32 local authorities will be going on strike which will result in school closures.

You can see the full list of dates and local authorities affected below:

• Monday January 16: Glasgow & East Lothian
• Tuesday January 17: Perth and Kinross & North Ayrshire
• Wednesday January 18: Orkney & Fife
• Thursday January 19: Moray & North Lanarkshire
• Friday January 20: Angus & East Dunbartonshire
• Monday January 23: East Ayrshire & Dumfries and Galloway
• Tuesday January24: Stirling & East Renfrewshire
• Wednesday January 25: South Ayrshire & Edinburgh
• Thursday January 26: Midlothian & West Dunbartonshire
• Friday January 27: Renfrewshire & Falkirk
• Monday January 30: Aberdeenshire & Borders
• Tuesday January 31: Highland & West Lothian
• Wednesday February 1: Clackmannanshire & Aberdeen
• Thursday February 2: Dundee & Argyll and Bute
• Friday February 3: South Lanarkshire & Western Isles
• Monday February 6: Inverclyde & Shetland

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