SCHOOLS across Hampshire are braced for a teachers’ strike next week, with a handful of closures already announced.

The walkout on Tuesday will affect end-of-term celebrations and fun events as well as transfer days for younger pupils.

But staff at Thornhill Primary have called off any potential action after flooding led to a five-day closure.

A major music event bringing school groups to St Mary’s Stadium is also going ahead, with many participants shelving their strike to take part.

At the time of going to press Woodlands Community College, The Hamble School, Fareham Academy and Oak Lodge School had announced full or partial closures.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is protesting deregulation of pay and conditions as well as real-term cuts to school funding.

Picketers will also voice opposition to recently shelved plans to force all secondary schools to become academies. The strike was backed by 92 per cent of participants in a national ballot.

Teachers at Thornhill Primary, which reopened on Wednesday after heavy damage from flash floods last week, have told union leaders that they will not be taking part but have voiced support for the strike.

Some 24 Southampton schools are due to take part in Sounds from the Stadium on Tuesday. The NUT believes some teachers will cancel their strikes to attend, though organisers were unable to confirm.

Many schools in Hampshire were due to hold transfer days, where younger children spend time in their future classroom to meet new teachers and peers.

The Hamble School’s Year 6 induction will go ahead with support from some Year 9 students.

In a letter to parents, headteacher Lisa Croke said: “The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that July 5 is our Year 6 induction day which requires a substantial amount of additional cover. I am not able to change the date of this day as our feeder primary schools have other events planned in the run up to the summer holidays thus making the coordination of a new date impossible.”

A visit by children’s author Andy Briggs to Thornden School, attended by pupils from Hamble among others, is going ahead.

Oak Lodge, the special school in Dibden Purlieu, will close entirely but had already set its transfer day for Thursday.

Pete Sopowski, Southampton’s NUT secretary, said: “It will be disruptive but transfer day can be got around.

“We do not want to close schools but enough is enough, and politicians need to start listening to parents, teachers and even local government.

“On the issue of school funding the Conservatives have made a false promise.”