Parents and pupils in England face disruption today as the National Union of Teachers stages a one-day strike over school funding.

Morgan attacked the union for playing politics with children’s futures. Credit: PA Images 

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan branded the action “unnecessary” and “harmful” to children’s education and the teaching profession.

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But Kevin Courtney, the acting leader of the NUT, insisted schools were suffering as their budgets failed to keep pace with rising costs – leading to recruitment and retention issues.

He said teachers “do not take strike action lightly” and apologised for the disruption to parents.

“The problems facing education, however, are too great to be ignored and we know many parents share our concerns,” Mr Courtney added.

“The strike is about the underfunding of our schools and the negative impact it is having on children’s education and teachers’ terms and conditions.”

But Morgan attacked the union for “playing politics with children’s futures” and argued the strike would “damage the profession’s reputation.”

She insisted school funding had been protected amid reductions in other departments.

The NUT’s demands are increased funding, guaranteed terms and conditions for all school types and for talks over workload mitigation to be resumed.

Some 91 per cent of union members backed the action on a turnout of 25 per cent.