Education Secretary Michael Gove was left isolated yesterday after teachers, parents and pupils marched in their thousands against his backward policies.

Mr Gove has dodged the strikes by taking a little-heralded "fact-finding" jaunt over in the US this week, but massive protest rallies across England sent a message he couldn't avoid.

Hundreds of schools were reported closed. Over 12,000 people took part in a noisy procession through the streets of central London while thousands more turned out in Bristol and Durham.