London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jan 26, 2026

Second teachers' strike to lead to more disruption

Second teachers' strike to lead to more disruption

Widespread disruption is expected at Scottish secondary schools next week as more teachers strike over pay.

Members of the SSTA and NASUWT unions will walk out on either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the area they are in.

All secondary schools in East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire and Scottish Borders will be closed as a result.

The impact varies in other council areas, with some closing all secondary schools to younger pupils.

Others are taking a decision on closures on a school-by-school basis. Some primary schools will also be affected.

Local authorities and schools have begun contacting parents to confirm any school closures.

The strike is part of an ongoing dispute over teachers' pay.

Industrial action by members of EIS last week led to the closure of almost every school in Scotland.

The latest pay offer from the Scottish government was formally rejected on Wednesday.

Teachers' unions were being offered a rise of between 5% and 6.85% but they want 10%. Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville says the 10% demand is "unaffordable".

The Teachers' Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the negotiating forum for teachers' pay in Scotland, said the Scottish government's offer was "wholly unacceptable to Scotland's teachers".

The SSTA and NASUWT have far fewer members than the EIS which represents about 80% of teachers, so schools are able to stay open in some capacity.

However, about a third of Scotland's councils have now said they expect significant disruption.


Which schools are closing?


Aberdeen City Council

Thu 8 Dec - Secondary schools will be closed to pupils in S1-S4.

Aberdeenshire Council

Thu 8 Dec - Where possible, all schools will remain open but the industrial action will affect each school in different ways. This means the closure or partial closure of some schools and disrupted timetables in others. Parents ill be notified by their schools.

Angus Council

Thu 8 Dec - Only secondary schools will be affected. Arrangements will be confirmed by schools.

Argyll and Bute Council

Wed 7 Dec - One secondary school closed to all pupils. Arrangements for others to be confirmed.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)

Wed 7 Dec - Secondaries will be open to all students but there may be some disruption to classes.

Dumfries and Galloway Council

Wed 7 Dec - There will be some disruption to classes in secondary schools. Each school will write to parent/carers directly with the arrangements for their school.

Dundee City Council

Thu 8 Dec - All secondary schools will be open only to S5 and S6 pupils. Individual secondary schools may have some S4 pupils attending where staffing allows. Contact will be made with families by schools.

East Ayrshire Council

Wed 7 Dec - All secondary schools closed to pupils.

East Dunbartonshire Council

Wed 7 Dec - All secondary schools and three primaries will be closed.

East Lothian Council

Thu 8 Dec - All secondary schools will be closed to S1-S3 students. One will be closed to all students. The other four will be open to some senior students but the details vary between schools.

East Renfrewshire Council

Wed 7 Dec - All secondary schools closed to S1, S2 and S3 pupils.

Edinburgh City Council

Thu 8 Dec - Around 10% of teachers are expected to strike. Some secondary schools will be closed or partially closed. More information will be provided to parents by their schools as soon as possible.

Falkirk

Thu 8 Dec - The council is planning to open all schools but education provision and delivery will be restricted in line with the number of teachers participating in the strike. Head teachers will advise.

Glasgow City Council

Full details have still to be confirmed. Glasgow hopes secondary schools will be open for S4, S5 and S6 students but some may be closed to S1, S2 and S3 students.

Highland Council

Wed 7 Dec - Parents will be notified of the impact of the industrial action. So far, no complete or partial closures of secondary schools have been announced

Inverclyde Council

Wed 7 Dec - Four of its seven secondaries will only be open to S4, S5 and S6 pupils next Wednesday. The other three will be open to all students.

Midlothian Council

Thu 8 Dec - All secondary schools will be closed.

Moray Council

Thu 8 Dec - All Moray secondary schools will be closed to S1-3 pupils with variable arrangements in place for young people in S4-6, depending on staff availability. Head teachers will inform families directly of their individual arrangements over the coming days

North Lanarkshire Council

Wed 7 Dec - Some primary school classes may be affected and parents/carers will be notified. Secondary schools are more complex and parents will be updated on arrangements.

Perth and Kinross Council

Thu Dec 8 - All secondary schools except Pitlochry High School will be closed to pupils in S1-S4. S5 and S6 pupils should attend school as normal.

Scottish Borders Council

Thu 8 Dec - All secondary schools closed to pupils.

South Ayrshire Council

Wed 7 Dec - Five of eight secondary schools will be closed to pupils. Two will be open to S4, S5 and S6 students.

Stirling Council

Thu 8 Dec - Some year groups will be able to attend and schools will notify pupils, parents and carers. Bannockburn High School will be open to all pupils in S1 to S6.

West Lothian Council

Secondaries will be open to all students but there may be some disruption to classes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
×