CLASSROOMS will fall silent on Wednesday as teachers walk out on a national strike.

Some schools in the borough will be completely closed while others will close to certain classes or year groups and parents are being advised to check what their school is planning.

Organised by the National Union of Teachers, teachers are opposing excessive workloads and bureaucracy, performance related pay in defence of a national pay scale system and unfair pension changes.

A Wigan Council spokesman said: “Negotiations are ongoing and possibly will be right up until the day. We're advising parents to speak to their child's school directly to find out what their individual arrangements are.”

Even so, some schools have already sent letters home or announced which classes will be closed.

Lowton West Primary School which will be closed to classes three, four, five and six on Wednesday while St Catherine of Siena in Lowton will be completely closed to all pupils.

Year two, five and six will be unable to attend St Michaels CE Primary School in Atherton, Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley will be open to year 11 students only while Bedford High School will be shut to all but year 11 and year seven pupils.

Golborne Community Primary School will be open to all except nursery and year three pupils and All Saints Catholic Primary School will be closed to nursery pupils and years two, four and five.

St Marys Catholic High School in Astley, Atherton Community School, Lowton Junior and Infant School and Golborne High School will be open as usual.

Avis Gilmore, NW Regional Secretary of the NUT, said: “Teachers in the North West deeply regret the disruption caused by this strike action to parents and teachers but whilst the Government refuses to talk about the issues our members have, they have no alternative other than to demonstrate the seriousness of their concerns, which are not just for themselves but for the future standard and provision of education.”