Norfolk schools to be hit with teachers' strikes this week

Members of the National Education Union will walk out on Wednesday, March 1, as part of a regional day of action.

This will be the second time teachers in the county have joined picket lines following an earlier strike on February 1, which prompted the closure of more than 170 schools in Norfolk.

Teachers striking on February 1 outside City Hall in Norwich (Image: Denise Bradley, Newsquest)

It is not yet known how many schools will be impacted on Wednesday by the strikes.

The industrial dispute centres on pay and working conditions.

Teacher salaries in England fell by an average of 11pc between 2010 and 2022, after taking rising prices into account, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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Teachers are set to receive a 5pc pay increase from September 2023, taking the average starting salary to £30,000.

However, this pay rise is considerably below the current rate of inflation and is not government-funded, meaning academy trusts have been left to find the money in their existing budgets.