TEACHERS are set to man picket lines in next week's one day walkout in schools across south Essex.

The National Union of Teachers won 91.7 per cent support for for a walkout over pay and working conditions next Tuesday.

Chase High School in Southend is one school where teachers will be on the picket line for part of the day.

In a letter written to Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, the NUT highlighting reasons for striking and making a "last appeal" before action was taken.

Teachers have cited pay, pensions and workload as three key reasons for walking out and saying they have seen a 15 per cent fall in the value of their pay.

Teresa Noble, NUT representative at the school said feelings were running high over cuts to funding and working conditions for teachers. She said: "The biggest issue is the huge cuts in funding and and changes nationally to working conditions . Normally conditions from school to school are the same but that will change and there will be major issues over that.

"If teachers conditions are affected the it will flow into children's learning conditions . Nicky Morgan plans to cut more funding and it will have a huge impact on schools. We will be on the picket line on Tuesday in protest . It's not clear how many collegues will join us but we're hoping for a good turnout."

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has predicted an 8 per cent cut in funding which the NUT says will mean bigger classes and a fall of in standards.

Key decisions on pay and conditions could be made at school level rather than Government level which teachers have criticised.

Jerry Glazier, general secretary of Essex NUT said: "Growing inadequate levels of funding, are having a negative effect on both children and teachers that cannot go unaddressed. Schools are facing the worst funding cuts since the 1970s.

“This is impacting heavily on the choices and decisions that headteachers in Essex and around the country have to make.”

It is not yet clear how many schools will be shut during the strike. teachers do not have to warn their school they intend to take strike action.

Parents are advised to check Southend Council and Essex County Council websites for information on school closures next week.

A spokesman for Southend Council said: "Schools are being advised to communicate to parents/carers of the impact the strike will have on the school in advance of Tuesday, July 5.

"We will be trying to keep an up-to-date list at www.southend.gov.uk/schoolclosures from Monday night, but this will only be as good as the information the schools provide us and is unlikely to be exhaustive. The advice to parents is to check with the school directly,"