STRIKING teachers from Bradford are going to make their voices heard in London today (Wednesday) before taking part in a march around Bradford city centre tomorrow.
There are a number of partial Bradford school closures and picket lines today as teachers gear up for tomorrow's march of striking teachers around central Bradford.
READ MORE about the Bradford school closures here
About 40 Bradford teachers are on their way to London to make their voices heard in a large strike to coincide with today's budget announcement by Jeremy Hunt.
Tom Bright, Bradford branch secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), has joined a busload of Bradford teachers travelling to London to take part in a larger strike in the capital.
He said: "We're aiming to arrive in London around midday where we will meet in Hyde Park.
"We'll leave there at around and march to Trafalgar Square for a big rally to coincide with Jerermy Hunt's budget speech announcement.
"We're hoping there will be 50,000 people to make it a great event."
Mr Bright that teachers are particularly frustrated with the Government in England.
"Teachers are frustrated that there have been settlements with teachers in Scotland and Wales, but the Government haven't even offered talks with teachers in England as they've had with other services that have gone on strike."
Teachers in Bradford are getting ready for a demonstration in Bradford city centre tomorrow (Thursday).
Mr Bright said: "Tomorrow we will be gathering in City Park at 11am and will start a march around the city centre at 11.30am.
"We'll be marching around the pedestrianised areas of the city centre, following a route along Market Street by The Broadway. We'll go up Hustlergate and then to Kirkgate Market before coming down Ivegate back into City Park.
"It's important that we make ourselves visible if the Government are talking to us."
Even with the contingent of Bradford teachers going to London, Mr Bright said that there is also some disruption in Bradford today.
He said: "I don't think it is as much as previous strike days with only a few schools having picket lines."
He did, however, say that Bradford Council's emergency school closures website "doesn't reflect the whole picture".
"The picture across Bradford is not what it says on the Council website.
"There will be more schools that are partially closed."
One thing that Mr Bright said is that a lot of younger teachers are getting involved in the strikes.
He said: "It's good the younger ones are getting involved. A lot of these teachers have student debt and have gotten into a career that they wanted but it isn't turning out the way they wanted."
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