Teachers take strike to streets

The first teachers' strike in more than two decades meant a day at home for pupils, and many working parents, as teachers took their protest out onto the streets.

Members of the National Union of Teachers unfurled banners and marched in the sun and rain through cities and towns up and down England and Wales.

They also formed picket lines outside their workplaces with some handing out leaflets to explain why they were taking action.

Teachers, who earn an average salary of �34,000, are demanding a 4.1% pay rise, instead of the 2.45% on offer.

Without a better deal, fewer graduates will come into the profession and ultimately children will miss out, the NUT says.

Critics said the walkout - which affected more than 2.5 million pupils - was badly timed as it comes at a time when many pupils are about to take important exams.

Not all schools were affected though. For pupils at Wentworth Primary in Dartford, Kent, it was lessons as normal, except when Schools Secretary Ed Balls dropped in.