PARENTS are bracing themselves for a teachers' strike scheduled for Tuesday next week.

Members of the National Union of Teachers have voted 9-1 in favour of industrial action meaning schools across Dorset and Hampshire could be forced to close at the last minute.

Union members are under no obligation to let head teachers know whether they plan to strike or not.

So school heads will have to make a decision in advance in order to give parents warning of their plans or wait until the morning of the planned strike.

Emma Rawson, head teacher of Stourfield Junior in Southbourne, has warned parents she will be making a decision on the day.

In a letter to parents, she said they should keep an eye on the school website on Tuesday morning and should expect to receive a text message.

She added: "Rest assured that we will do our best to provide as normal a service as possible."

The union said its demands are to increase funding to schools and education, guarantee terms and conditions in all types of schools, and to resume negotiations on teacher contracts to allow workload to be addressed.

In a letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, the union called for "meaningful" discussions to tackle issues it said were negatively affecting education.

Acting General Secretary Kevin Courtney said: "No teacher finds taking strike action easy but the situation in our schools needs to be urgently addressed.

"School budgets are being cut to the bone. The effect on children's education is clear.

"Class sizes are going up, subjects are being removed from the curriculum, especially in the Arts, while teaching posts are being cut or not replaced.

"Teachers' terms and conditions are being deregulated and worsened through the academy programme. Head teachers are spending time on school negotiations which should be spent on education. This is unnecessary, time wasting and ineffective."