MORE than 20 Oxfordshire schools are set to close on Thursday as teachers walk out of classrooms on strike in their fight for better pay.

The strike - by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) - is the first for 21 years and it is not yet known exactly how many of the 2,750 Oxfordshire NUT members will be taking part in the industrial action.

So far it has been announced 25 schools across the county will be closed but that is not a final tally.

Among the largest secondary schools which have confirmed they will be closing are Oxford Community School, in Glanville Road, East Oxford, and Fitzharrys School in Abingdon.

Henry Box School in Witney will be closed to year eight and nine pupils. The Marlborough Church of England School in Woodstock will be closed to pupils in years seven to 11.

John Mason School in Abingdon will also be closed but students in year 11 and the sixth form will be able to go into school to work with teachers not in the NUT.

A number of primary schools will be affected including Cumnor C of E School, Cutteslowe Primary School, Edward Feild Primary School in Kidlington and St Ebbe's Primary School in Oxford.

Brenda Williams, secretary of the Oxfordshire branch of the NUT, said: "We don't want children to lose a day's education but in the grand scheme of things there has to be a point at which we identify what is happening to the teaching profession."

Members of the NUT voted three to one in favour of the strike over the Government's offer of a 2.45 per cent pay rise. The union leadership says any pay increase should at least match the retail prices index inflation rate, which was 3.8 per cent last month.

Here is the list of schools so far who are set to close due to the teachers' strike on Thursday:

Bardwell School
Carterton Primary School
Chiltern Edge School
Chipping Norton School
Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School
Cumnor Church of England School
Cutteslowe Primary School
Edward Feild Primary School
Fitzharrys School
Fritwell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Harriers Ground Community Primary School
Hook Norton Church of England Primary School
Iffley Mead School
John Mason School
Millbrook Primary School
New Hinksey Church of England Primary School
Northfield School
Orchard Meadow Primary School
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School
Oxford Community School
SS Mary and John Church of England Primary School
St Christopher's Church of England Primary School
St Francis Church of England Primary School
St John's Primary School
Stephen Freeman Community School
Tetsworth Primary School
Thameside Primary School
The Blake Church of England (Aided) Primary School
The Henry Box School
The Marlborough School

Source: Witney Gazette