Every city secondary school and the vast majority of primary schools will be forced to close as teachers strike, unions warn.

Seven Brighton and Hove secondary schools have already announced they will be shut on Thursday October 17 along with 27 primary schools and six special schools.

With the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) representing more than 90% of the teachers in Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne and Hastings, thousands are expected to take industrial action.

The teachers’ mass walk-out has been widely supported by members, leading to schools being forced to close on safety grounds.

Click here for an up to date list of schools set to close.

Ron Gordon, assistant secretary for Brighton and Hove NUT, said: “We’re pretty confident that with so many teachers involved it will lead to every secondary school being shut.

“It’s a bit more difficult to tell with the primary schools, but we expect the vast majority of them to be closed and even the ones that are open will be partially closed.”

Both unions have revealed the support for industrial action is “very strong” and the strike comes “as a result of the coalition Government’s failure to enter into meaningful talks to resolve the dispute over pay, pensions, job cuts and workload”, according to the NUT.

Phil Clarke, Secretary of Lewes, Eastbourne and Wealden NUT, said: “Our members are responding in great number to the strike call.

“Strike action is a last resort for teachers but anger at school closures must be directed at the government.

“Without genuine negotiations Michael Gove has introduced divisive pay systems that set teacher against teacher, torn up pensions so teachers will be in the classroom to 68 and is now planning to remove our right to proper planning time, limits on workload and even our hard fought for right to a lunch break.

“We have been left with no choice except industrial action if we are to defend teacher professionalism and educational standards.”

While some teachers will picket at their schools, rallies have been planned for Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.

The Brighton march will begin at the Pavilion Gardens at 10.30am, the Hastings rally will take place outside the White Rock Theatre at 11am and the Eastbourne march will also begin at 11am outside the Town Hall.

How will you be affected by the strike? Email gareth.davies@theargus.co.uk.

Keep up to date with the latest news on the strike as it happens on our website.

Visit our dedicated section with news and views on the walkout and a full list of closed schools.

We have also launched a hashtag for Twitter, #sussexschoolstrike to help people find out what is happening at their school.