Thousands of teachers will walk out of schools on Wednesday in a bitter row over pay, affecting some seven million pupils. Planned strikes in Scotland have been cancelled.
Around 85% of schools will be either fully or partially closed by the strike action today, the general secretary of the National Education Union has said.
The strikes - the first of seven days worth in February and March - follow failed talks between Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and the general secretaries of teaching unions.
Tens of thousands of teachers in the National Education Union (NEU) of England and Wales go out on strike today in a row over pay, impacting as many as 4.5 million pupils.