Thousands of teachers strike in a fair pay row, with more actions planned this week

Thousands of teachers took to the streets today on strike for a fairer pay deal.

Members of the National Education Union marched through northern cities amid their longstanding dispute with the government.

Thousands of schools across England, Scotland and Wales are facing disruption this week. Teachers will strike on different days depending on their union in three consecutive days of regional action starting today.

In Newcastle upon Tyne, Education Chair Louise Atkinson led more than 1,000 union members and supporters through the city centre.

A marching band played as teachers, teaching assistants and support staff were cheered, applauded and filmed by shoppers as they marched from the Civic Center to the city's Grey's Monument.

She said, "It's a political choice, they've been underfunding education for a decade. We're taking this action for properly funded pay raises, because you can't cut school budgets when these schools are already on their knees.

"In 2015, I warned that graduates were going elsewhere for better paying jobs. We are seeing the result now and it is our children who are suffering. One in eight courses is now taught by someone who does not is not an expert in this subject."

A marching band played as teachers, teaching assistants and support staff were cheered, applauded and filmed by shoppers as they marched from the Newcastle Civic Center to the city's Grey's Monument (

Picture:

Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says the government has already agreed to provide an extra £2billion to fund schools in England, "which will bring spending in real terms on schools to their highest level in history".

The government is offering a 3% pay rise for most teachers in 2023/24 - but the NEU says it's not enough.

Amy Kilpatrick, 41, mum-of-three, who works at Westerhope Primary School in Newcastle, joined the march through the city as dedicated teachers are leaving the profession 'en masse'.

"People have been doing this for 20 years and saying 'we can't do this anymore,'" she said. month. It's really, really sad because it should be a job for life."

Merike Williams, 37, primary school teacher, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, added: 'I think what is lost is that this pitiful wage offer is funded by school budgets already overloaded.