Union bosses say the education secretary is 鈥渙n notice鈥 to 鈥渃hange her stance鈥 and start proper pay negotiations or face millions of pupils missing school again through further teacher strikes. The National Education Union claimed around 300,000 teachers went on strike yesterday. Over half of schools closed partially or fully. Around four in ten pupils missed school, attendance data from Arbor Education鈥檚 3,300 schools showed. If extrapolated 鈥 this would mean 3.2 million pupils across England missed school because of strikes. Use of the Oak National Academy was double last year鈥檚 Omicron peak. Gillian Keegan has accused the union of putting forward an 鈥渆conomically incoherent鈥 argument. NEU wants a fully-funded, inflation-related rise. Keegan said on Wednesday the government 鈥渃an鈥檛 bake in inflation which is what will happen if we start to get wages spiralling out of control鈥. 鈥業f it鈥檚 ministers V teachers 鈥 we鈥檒l win鈥 Further talks between ministers and union leaders are expected in the coming weeks. But NEU general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney warned teachers would walk out again this month unless Keegan came up with 鈥渃oncrete and meaningful proposals鈥. “Today, we put the education secretary on notice. She has until our next strike day for England, February 28, to change her stance.鈥 Speaking to Schools Week at a picket in south London, Bousted said the government acted in 鈥渃ynical disregard鈥, but said she 鈥渞egretted鈥 disruption to parents. 鈥淚 think that [ministers] believed that we wouldn’t make the threshold for action. I think if it comes to ministers against teachers, teachers will win.鈥 Dr Mary Bousted Teachers joined other public sector workers on picket lines and attended marches and rallies across England on Wednesday. In London, an estimated 40,000 people marched on Downing Street. The colourful, noisy protest saw countless chants, placards and banners demanding more funding for schools and highlighting teacher burnout and retention woes. 鈥淧lease sir can I have some more鈥, read one. Another said: 鈥淚 would have finished this sign but I ran out of funds.鈥 ‘I feel an immense pride’ Miranda, a teacher at Isleworth Town Primary School in south-west London, had made a cardboard bar of gold for her banner. 鈥淲orth my weight in gold鈥, it read. Miranda right with her colleague Karen and her children 鈥淚 feel an immense pride just seeing all these people together, fighting for what we believe in,” she said. According to the NEU, over 60 rallies took place across England. In Bristol, NEU members were among an estimated 3,500 who turned out to march. Armed with colourful placards, a group of teachers from Air Balloon Primary School warned underfunding and pay erosion was resulting in 鈥渓ess opportunities for children, less resources, and potentially it鈥檚 going to impact on staffing鈥. The resounding message from teachers on picket lines was that strikes were about much more than just pay. 鈥楶arents understand why we鈥檙e doing this鈥 In Carlisle, NEU president Louise Atkinson said parents had been 鈥渧ery supportive of our actions and even turned up the cake for us, which was a lovely. They understand what we’re doing this for.鈥 Recent polling by Public First found 46 per cent of people felt teachers would not be justified in going on strike, compared to 43 per cent who said they would be justified. However, parents of school-age children were more supportive, with 47 per cent saying strikes would be justified, compared to 40 per cent who said they would not. Past president Daniel Kebede, who visited picket lines in Newcastle, said: 鈥淥ften there is a bit of cautiousness around picketing in our profession, and that just didn’t seem the case today. It was just tremendous.鈥 In Keegan鈥檚 own constituency of Chichester, hundreds of public sector workers marched through the city chanting 鈥渨here鈥檚 Gill?鈥. Keegan ‘should be concerned’ over parent support NEU organiser Dave Jones said Keegan 鈥渟hould be concerned that so many of her constituents seem to be supporting the trade union and their strike rather than her departments approach to teacher’s pay鈥. Phil Walker, a drama teacher at Chichester High School, said he was 鈥渁mazed how many people were honking and giving us a thumbs up鈥. 鈥淚’ve been a rep for a long time, I’ve been a teacher for 30 years. I’ve never known anything like it, I’ve never known people just at the end of their tethers, crying in the staff room, and just not knowing which way to turn.鈥 Also marching were teachers from neighbouring Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, the constituency of schools minister Nick Gibb. He has said strikes are 鈥渘ot a way to conduct negotiations鈥. But Susan Buckland, a teacher at Felpham Community College, said the government was 鈥渘ot willing to have sensible conversations with our union leaders over pay鈥. 鈥淲hat is their suggestion for how we manage this?鈥 鈥楿nreasonable workload is poor leadership鈥 Mark Lehain, a former DfE special adviser, said things like 鈥渦nreasonable workloads, over-emphasis on marking and poor classroom behaviour鈥 were the 鈥渞esult of poor leadership 鈥 not a lack of money. Strikes won鈥檛 address any of these longstanding problems.鈥 Looks like not hundreds but thousands of teachers in central London for rally and March as part of the — Tom Belger (@tom_belger) 鈥渙ne school closure is too many鈥, adding she was 鈥渧ery grateful鈥 to headteachers 鈥渇or all their work to keep our schools open and to minimise the impact鈥 of strikes. She said ministers were now looking at workload and flexible working options, as well as future pay. She said they missed Friday鈥檚 deadline to provide evidence for next year鈥檚 pay review process 鈥渢o keep open to those discussions about future pay.鈥 There are also reports government is now looking at changing the law so teachers must tell schools if they plan to strike. Additional reporting by Tom Belger, Amy Walker and Samantha Booth.