‘One paycheque away from homelessness’ – stories from picket lines on strike day

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Workers on the picket lines have told of the struggles that have led to them joining the biggest strike in a decade, with one saying she is “one paycheque away from being homeless”. “Teachers are tired, I’m tired, and we’re doing this because we need to have our system fixed and we need to have it funded.” James Hibbard, head of Year 10, and a geography and food technology teacher at Myton School, Warwick, said he was striking because he felt getting proper funding was “a real struggle”. “Trying to get students with special educational needs, trying to get them education, health and care plans, everything is being cut, funding just isn’t available.” He added: “I think we’ll be back on the 28th. “It makes life really difficult in terms of just planning basic things, but also has a really negative impact on quality of education, because those colleagues never know, from one moment to the next, what they’re going to be teaching.”