THOUSANDS OF SCHOOLS HIT BY STRIKE

Teachers swapped the classroom for the streets as they took part in scores of rallies and marches to protest about below inflation wage rises and warn of a "serious downturn" in recruitment.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls visited Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent where teachers continued to work, and claimed parents as well as other teachers were "annoyed and disappointed" at the action.

But the National Union of Teachers said it had caught the mood of its members, adding that support for the stoppage had exceeded its expectations.

One in three schools in England and Wales were closed or partially shut, with up to 90% of schools affected in some areas. One estimate said the strike had closed or partially affected up to 9,500 schools, affecting up to 2.9 million children.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families said "more than 85% of schools have remained open or open with some classes affected".

Teachers who mounted picket lines outside schools said they received support from parents and other workers, while those attending rallies attacked the Government for saddling them with debts then awarding below inflation pay rises.

Up to 7,000 joined a march in central London, carrying banners describing the Prime Minister as a "clown" and warning that the Government was trying to "wreck" the education system.

Gordon Brown described the strike as "unjustifiable", but he was urged by the NUT to halt the "downward spiral" in teachers' pay.

Speaking during his school visit Mr Balls said: "There isn't a justification for the strike. We have accepted in full the recommended independent pay review. Over the last 10 years teachers' pay has risen substantially."