This is the first time since 2016, that more than 100,000 teachers are on strike to improve their pay and working conditions.   

They are not along in this strike with up to half a million workers campaigning for similar issues.

Last year, teachers had a five per cent pay raise for people who are new to the profession and a 2.7 per cent rise for people who have been in the profession longer but with inflation going up by around 10 per cent, they are not being able to afford basic needs or affording petrol to get to work.

Petrol prices increased by 11.5 per cent in December 2022, which is 155.5 pence per litre, with food inflation running at 16.9 per cent.

So the argument this previous pay rise is swallowed by inflation alone.

Especially after Covid, which already made a massive indent in students’ education, a further loss of six days in England as teachers are striking causes a bigger hole in their learning.

Adding stress and anxiety especially to those sitting exams this summer. 

Lord Blunkett said it is important for the government and teacher leaders to sit down and work around it without any more industrial action. 

In Scotland, schools are completely closed down with students and teachers alike striking for more than 16 days, forcing their government to come and sit down at the table to negotiate even if little progress is made.  

Paralysing not only the education system but the wider economy as parents are forced to take time off work, this comes at the worse possible time as the economy slips towards a recession.

Talks with the education minister happened last Monday about the strikes in which nothing was  able to be settled and with the minister saying that government will not budge the outlook for compromise looks bleak.