School pupils across Renfrewshire are missing lessons today as teachers stage a walkout in an ongoing dispute over pay.

All primary, secondary and additional support needs (ASN) schools are closed today, as well as nurseries that are only open during term time.

All council nurseries that are open all year round are operating as normal.

Funded private nurseries and childminders are also unaffected, with all schools and nurseries due to reopen as normal on Monday, January 30.

Schools in Renfrewshire have previously been disrupted by industrial action over the past three months, with union officials claiming the Scottish Government and councils “have little or no interest” in finding the funding required to end the dispute.

Des Morris, salaries convener at EIS, said: “Five months since their sub-inflationary five per cent pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected by teachers and more than two months since a rehashed version of the same offer was again rejected, the Scottish Government and Cosla brought absolutely nothing new to the table in last week’s meeting – just a stubborn stance that teachers should accept five per cent.”

He added that unions want to negotiate and accused the Scottish Government of insisting that “all of the compromise” must come from teachers.

Education Secretary Ms Somerville said she will meet with the EIS next week, but she warned there is “still quite some gap” between what councils and Government can afford and what teachers are asking for.

“On that basis, it’s exceptionally difficult to move ahead with negotiations when we see a demand coming in for a 10% pay increase,” she said.

“I accept that the offer that was made last – which was 5% for the majority, 6.8% for those on the lowest grade – was rejected, but that would have given teachers over 21% cumulative rise since 2018.”

To stay up-to-date with the latest information on how strike action is affecting schools and nurseries in Renfrewshire, visit renfrewshire.gov.uk/school-strike.