The National Education Union (NEU) has announced that 121,253, some 90 per cent, of its members have voted for strike action. The turnout of 53.27 per cent means teachers across England are set to strike from 1 February as the union prepares for seven days of strike action through to March. 23,400 schools in England and Wales will be impacted, though individual schools will be affected by only four of those days. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

In an article for Schools Week, Niamh Sweeney, deputy general secretary of the NEU, says teachers are striking in a "desperate attempt to stop so many from walking out of the profession altogether".

Schools Week reports the Department for Education (DfE) has published updated guidance entitled “handling strike action in schools". The article provides a summary of the guidance, which includes prioritising attendance for certain groups of pupils and considering remote learning during the walkouts. By Samantha Booth and Tom Belger.

The NASUWT teaching union has confirmed that it will re-ballot members after its ballot fell short of the turnout requirement. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), which also fell below the threshold, is reportedly considering doing the same. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Writing in The Times, education secretary Gillian Keegan warns that strikes will harm schools as they recover from the COVID pandemic. Preparing to meet union officials 'to try and avert this damaging action', the education secretary says that "now is not the time for unions to turn their backs on classrooms". The Independent reports that, in a round of broadcast interviews yesterday, Ms Keegan stressed the Government wanted to keep “as many schools open as possible for as many children as possible”. By Adam Forrest.

Robin Walker, chair of the Education Select Committee, writes in The Telegraph saying the strikes 'must not be allowed to deprive children of the face-to-face education we know they need'.

Also writing for The Telegraph, columnist Suzanne Moore argues it is "no wonder" teachers are striking, referencing teacher pay falling by a fifth in real terms since 2010, and the "huge crisis both in recruiting teachers and retaining them".

The Telegraph reports GCSE pupils have only had one year of undisrupted learning since starting secondary school, with COVID lockdowns, staff shortages, isolation periods and strike action impacting on their education. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), has claimed that teachers in Scotland do the equivalent of an extra day’s “unpaid” work each week, as it emerged that more talks to try to end rolling strikes were expected in the next few days. By Mark McLaughlin, The Times.

Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, writes to The Times arguing that the UCAS personal statement should be "abolished entirely" and replaced with a statement of an applicant's GCSE grades and predictions. Mr Cairns outlines a series of additional measures which he says "would put an end once and for all to claims that pupils from one type of school or another are discriminated against" in the university admissions process. The letter can be found a quarter of the way down the page.

Lord Lexden, president of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), writes in Independent Schools Magazine in praise of sporting partnerships and discusses the importance of such partnerships to both the state and independent sectors. Lord Lexden refers to the 2022 issue of the Independent Schools Council's (ISC) Celebrating Partnerships booklet, which shines a light on the valuable collaborations taking place between the two sectors. "All schools in both sectors should be given every encouragement and support to do all they can together", says Lord Lexden.

Gillian Keegan suggested yesterday that 16-year-old children are old enough to make a decision on changing their gender. Ms Keegan later said that "all 16-year-olds are different" and "everybody has a different view". The education secretary's comments came after the UK Government announced that it would block the Scottish Parliament's new gender recognition laws. The Telegraph. Please note, this story is live and may continue to be updated.

The Cyber Security Schools Audit 2022, published today, has warned that schools are at "particular risk" of being the target of cyber attacks. The report, from GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre and edtech charity The National Grid for Learning, has revealed that 78 per cent of UK schools audited experienced at least one type of cyber incident in 2022, with seven per cent reporting 'significant disruption' as a result. By John Roberts, Tes.

Data from TeachVac, the employment website, has shown that the number of teacher and school leadership vacancies last year was two-thirds higher than in 2019. According to the figures, 107,063 roles were advertised in 2022, marking an increase of 66 per cent from the last pre-pandemic year, when 64,569 positions were advertised. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

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