School support staff strike: information for parents and carers became an urgent question for families after action was planned at 28 Merton schools for Friday 9 October.

The plans were part of a continuing dispute over the difference between inner and outer London pay for school support staff.

The information provided does not confirm whether the planned action went ahead or how each school operated that day.

For families trying to piece together school strike arrangements, the distinction matters: a borough-wide announcement does not tell you whether your child’s school was open.

Merton Council said individual schools would contact parents and carers directly about any full opening, partial opening or closure.

Families seeking confirmation about a particular date should check messages from their child’s school rather than assume the same arrangements applied across all 28 sites.

That uncertainty can be especially difficult for households juggling work, childcare and a child’s usual routine.

The council said it was working with affected schools to limit disruption and provide operational, safeguarding and SEND support.

It said vulnerable pupils and children with additional needs were a particular priority in those preparations.

At the heart of the dispute is inner and outer London pay, a long-standing difference that support staff say needs to be addressed.

These workers help keep school days running, supporting pupils’ learning, wellbeing and access to the classroom.

When their pay becomes the subject of industrial action, the consequences reach staff rooms and family kitchens alike.

The GMB asked the council for a one-off payment to affected staff, according to the council’s account of the talks.

The council said the union accepted that it could not use its General Fund to increase school support staff salaries.

Merton Council rejected the proposed one-off payment, arguing that it would use substantial council resources without changing salaries in future years.

A temporary payment, the council argues, would leave the underlying pay gap untouched.

It also raised concerns about the potential effect of a significant spending commitment on other council services and residents.

The council says it supports fair pay but believes a lasting settlement must come through national pay negotiations and the funding arrangements behind them.

Since earlier industrial action in May, it says it has raised the issue with the Government and worked alongside other London boroughs facing the same disparity.

The council leader also wrote to the education secretary seeking faster progress and greater clarity on London weighting.

Merton has pledged to argue for aligned inner and outer London rates through the new Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body, a national forum for support staff pay and conditions.

That route may address the pay structure, but it does not remove the immediate strain that strike plans place on families.

The council urged the GMB to call off the planned action while work toward a permanent agreement continued.

For parents and carers, the practical message remains straightforward: school closures and partial openings must be confirmed by the individual school.

For staff, the larger question is whether national talks can deliver a lasting answer to a dispute that has already unsettled school communities.