SCHOOLS across Reading were forced to shut their doors or turn classes away as teachers went on strike.

The National Union of Teachers led teachers across the country to the picket lines over cuts to education funding.

Kevin Price, picket leader outside Waingels College, in Woodley, said the Conservative government funding cuts were hurting pupils' education.

"The money they would have received isn't there.

"Currently across Wokingham in particular there have been redundancies.

"There has been a big effect on pupils. Class sizes are going up and there's pressure on teacher time."

Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote a letter to the strikers accusing them of 'playing politics with children's futures'.

" I would urge you to reconsider this damaging industrial action," she wrote.

"Instead we should all be focused on giving children the best start in life and spreading educational excellence everywhere.

"We are investing more than any previous government in our schools. This year the schools budget will total around £40bn, an increase of around £4 billion since 2011-12."

Mr Price, who teaches at the Waingels Road school, said: "Our response is they are the responsible party.

"The government are spending £100m on structural changes, making schools academies, which has not benefit for pupils."

Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "The NUT is aware that strike action can be disruptive to parents and carers and for that we wholeheartedly apologise.

"Equally, teachers do not take strike action lightly. The problems facing education, however, are too great to be ignored and we know many parents share our concerns.

"The strike is about the under funding of our schools and the negative impact it is having on children’s education and teachers’ terms and conditions. Schools are facing the worst cuts in funding since the 1970s. The decisions which head teachers have to make are damaging to our children and young people’s education.

"Class sizes going up, school trips reduced, materials and resources reduced, and subjects – particularly in the arts – are being removed from the curriculum. Teaching posts are being cut or not filled when staff leave. All of this just to balance the books.

"No parent wants this for their children. No teacher wants this for their school or pupils. With political parties in turmoil since the EU referendum, it is imperative that education is put to the forefront of every election campaign.

"The problems schools face need addressing immediately. We must not let the education of the next generation be side lined."