Teachers, school support staff, educational psychologists, midwives, probation staff and social workers are among those taking industrial action over government plans to change public sector pensions.
According to the Department for Education, most schools are closed or only partially open.
Members of teaching unions including the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the National Union of Teachers, the NASUWT and the National Association of Head Teachers are taking part in the strike.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, said her members were reluctant to strike nationally for the first time in the union’s 127-year history.
"ATL members do not want to go on strike, they would much rather be in their classrooms with their students," she said. "But the government has pushed them into this extreme action by refusing to treat them fairly or negotiate seriously for more than ten months.
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