Michael Gove urges teachers to 'think again' over strike action

The Education Secretary Michael Gove has warned public sector strikes on Thursday, which will force the closure of more than 3,000 schools in England and Wales, will cause "massive inconvenience" to families.

Up to 750,000 teachers and civil servants are due to strike over planned pension changes they say will mean them working longer and paying more.

The government says a further 2,200 schools will be partially closed because of 24-hour strike action by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

The education secretary urged teachers considering strike action to "think again" and said "strikes don't solve anything, they only cause inconvenience to others".