SCORES of teachers across the county are striking today, with a demonstration to be held in Winchester city centre.
The demonstration will assemble at 11am at Westgate Museum, Winchester, before marching to the Guildhall.
In its ongoing campaign for a fully funded, above inflation pay rise, teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly for strike action.
After today, further strike days are set to be held on March 2, 15 and 16.
To see a full list of schools impacted, see our live blog below.
READ MORE: List of Hampshire schools set to close on teachers' strike day
Maria Fawcett, Regional Secretary for the National Education Union, said: "The Government cannot expect strikes to be averted unless it brings forward concrete proposals for increasing pay. Experienced teachers have seen a 23% real-terms pay cut since 2010. Given the current cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation, this is clearly an unsustainable situation for our members. The Government appears to have nothing to say to them.
“As well as allowing the profession to haemorrhage talent, the Government has missed its own targets for recruitment by an enormous margin and has done so for many years. Any sensible Government would by now have started to ask themselves why.
"Our members are taking a stand today for a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise, because the profession cannot go on like this. Parents know the consequences of persistent underfunding, both for their school/college and for their child. This strike should not be necessary, and we regret the disruption caused to parents and pupils, but our aims are in the interests of everyone in the education community.”
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