Over half of schools were partially closed or closed due to teacher strikes on Wednesday, according to government figures of state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England.
Some 51.7 per cent of schools were not fully open as teachers began the first day of strike action alongside rail workers and civil servants, data from the Department of Education (DfE) showed.
Some 43.9 per cent of those schools said they were fully open, 42.8 per cent open but restricting attendance, and 8.9 per cent fully closed.
Earlier in the day, education secretary Gillian Keegan said most schools would stay open, while the NEU said it thought 85 per cent of schools would be closed or partially closed.
As public sector workers manned picket lines on the coordinated day of action, thousands marched to Downing Street and gathered for rallies in other towns and cities to protest the Government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
The proposed legislation would require minimum levels of service from ambulance staff, firefighters and railway workers during strikes.
Some 150 universities are also being affected by the strike disruption as lecturers and librarians belonging to the UCU union walk out.
Up to 100,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) are thought to be striking across government departments, Border Force, museums and other government agencies.
Meanwhile, train driver members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are walking out on Wednesday in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, bringing most train services to a grinding halt.
