TEACHERS and headteachers have been asked to ‘play fair’ with parents and let them know as soon as possible if schools will be shut in next week’s strike.

The four main teaching unions have all balloted members in favour of strike action, with walkouts expected to take place next Wednesday with the vast majority of schools shut or partially closed.

In addition, Unison and Unite members are also set to go on strike, affecting maintenance workers and other support staff in schools.

However, Oxfordshire County Council, the local education authority, has yet to receive any concrete information about which schools will be hit.

With thousands of parents facing having to take time off to look after their children, Melinda Tilley, the council’s schools improvement cabinet member, appealed for parents to be kept informed.

She said: “Regardless of the arguments as to why a strike is taking place I would hope teachers and heads will bear in mind their school communities and communicate whether their school will close or not at the earliest possible juncture.

“Parents lead busy lives – often managing a full-time job alongside parenting.

“It would be hugely advantageous for those parents and their forward planning for November 30 if they were given early certainty one way or the other about the status of the school their child attends.

“Real practical difficulties could arise for parents if they are left waiting for news until the last moment.”

She said the county council would record online which schools had reported they would close.

The National Union of Teachers, the National Association of Headteachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the NASUWT are all taking part in the strike over public sector pensions.

Parents last night also called on their schools to keep them informed.

Pauline Ximines, 45, from Normandy Crescent, Cowley, has three children at school – two at St Gregory the Great School and one at St Francis Primary School.

She said: “Usually they are quite good at letting us know and we have received a letter from St Gregory’s saying it might happen. I want to know what’s going on because I will have to sort out childcare.”

Mum of three Gill Jaggers, who has two children at Cheney School and one at Oxford Spires Academy, said while her children were old enough not to need full-time childcare were the school day cancelled, she still needed to be able to plan ahead.

She said: “It’s about a bit of forewarning.”

Gawain Little, from the Oxfordshire NUT, said: “We would hope that school headteachers make that announcement as early as possible. The more notice that can be given to parents, the better.”