MORE than 100 teachers at two £13,000-a-year private schools in north-east England have launched strike action against being fired and rehired with a worse pension scheme.

Members of teaching unions the NEU and NASUWT at Dame Allan’s Schools in Newcastle walked out on Tuesday this week. They will strike again next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 26-27 and April 16-18.

NEU northern regional secretary Beth Farhat said: “Dame Allan Schools has no justification for its plan to fire and rehire teachers on worse terms, which will be a disaster for staff, for future recruitment and for pupils.”