Who's striking?
Members of the NUT in London. The ballot held to decide on the action at the beginning of March showed that 86% of NUT London members supported the one-day stoppage. However, just three out of 10 of the 41,000 NUT members eligible to vote did so. Police estimate that 3,000 people joined this morning's march from Lincoln's Inn Fields to Camden Town.
Why are they striking?
The NUT wants London allowances to go up by a third this year, increasing the inner London payment from £3,000 to £4,000. The government has offered 3.5% - £105 in real terms - effective from April 1. The NUT's general secretary, Doug McAvoy, said: "The government should rethink its attitude to the allowance increases and recognise their inadequacy. It should sit down with the teachers' organisations and the authorities to deal with the inadequacies of the allowances in addressing the unique problems of London." A three-bedroom flat in London costs more than anywhere else in the world. The average price paid for a home by a first-time buyer in London was £120,000. A single person would need an income of £38,000 to pay the mortgage. A newly qualified teacher in London can expect a salary of £17,628.
How does London weighting for teachers compare with other public sector workers?
A police officer in London receives twice as much London allowance as a teacher - £6,000 a year. In January the London Assembly announced the first review of London allowances in 28 years.
What is the government saying?
Relations between the government and teachers' unions have reached an all time low. The education secretary, Estelle Morris, an NUT member herself, has warned teachers against returning to the "dark ages of dispute and conflict". Ms Morris' argument is that the London weighting allowance increased last year by 30%, and that teaching salaries in general have increased "substantially" since Labour came to power in 1997.
How many schools are affected?
The strike is affecting schools throughout greater London and in parts of the surrounding area, including Dartford in Kent, Basildon in Essex and Slough in Berkshire. Surveys have suggested that up to 1,000 of London's 2,200 schools are affected. The borough of Tower Hamlets is thought to be particularly badly hit with the majority of its school closed for the day, according to the NUT.
When did the NUT last strike over London allowances?
The NUT's industrial action is the first over London allowances for nearly 30 years. Last time such action was taken, Margaret Thatcher was education secretary.
What are the long-term implications for schools?
The London mayor Ken Livingstone has estimated that London would need an extra 3,000 teachers by 2016 to cope with a projected rise of 68,000 school children. London is facing a shortage of teachers. Nearly three-quarters of the areas where the teacher recruitment crisis is worst, match those areas where the pressure for housing is greatest; 47 out of 105 council areas in the study had teacher shortages of 1% or more. In 34 of these areas, a salary of more than £30,000 was required to afford an average-priced house. In 60% of the areas with no teacher shortage, a salary of £26,000 or less was enough to afford an average-priced house.
