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Teachers across England and Wales go on strike

STORY: Outside a primary school in south London, dozens of teachers gathered to demand better pay and conditions.

Mary Bousted, General Secretary of National Education Union, told Reuters that teachers in her union felt they had no choice but to strike as declining pay meant high numbers were leaving the profession, making it harder for those that remain.

''We’re asking for an inflation proofing pay rise, that would need to be double digits in order to stop teachers taking a further pay cut this year, but then we want a long-term correction in teacher pay because the pay for teachers," she said.

''Although I love teaching, it is just so hard, it is just so tiring. There aren’t enough of us doing all of the work that needs to be done," said history teacher Natasha De Stefano-Honey.

About 300,000 teachers are expected to strike on Wednesday, the biggest group involved, as part of wider action by 500,000 people, the highest number for at least a decade.