PARENTS are bracing themselves for the first national teachers' strike in 21 years tomorrow.

More than 280 schools across the region face closing and a further 207 will be telling some of their pupils to stay at home.

It will be a massive headache for working mums and dads, many of whom were today trying to arrange last-minute child care.

And companies are still preparing themselves for mass absences because of the) one-day walkoutby the National Union of Teachers over pay and conditions.

The union yesterday (TUES) defended the strike and said it sent a warning to the government that teachers were serious.

Christine Blower, the acting head of the NUT , said: "It will make clear to the government that we are very serious about this pay campaign.

"I hope it will make them realise that paying teachers below the rate of inflation cannot go on."

About a quarter of schools in England and Wales are set to be disrupted by the walkout. There has been a national rush to find childcare places.

Education officials at local authorities across Greater Manchester were on Tuesday still working to assess the exact number of schools that would be closed or partially closed.

But the ten authorities in Greater Manchester were predicting that 282 would be completely closed and a further 207 would be closed to some classes or year groups.

Some 74 schools will be closed for the day in Manchester, with a further 10 partially closed.

Salford's education officials said they were of 29 schools that intended to close and one further school that will be partially closed.

Closed

In Bolton, 16 of the authority's 17 high schools - with the exception of Bolton Muslim Girls' School - will be closed.

They are among 44 schools across the borough that will close completely. A further 22 schools will be partly closed.

And in Tameside, there are 16 schools that have informed the authority they intend to close and a further 12 where some classes will be cancelled.

Six schools will close in Bury and a further 34 will be partly closed.

In Oldham, 35 schools looks set to remain closed and a further 28 will be partly closed.

Twenty-three schools will close in Rochdale and a further 37 will be just partially open.

In Stockport, 25 schools plan to close and a further 21 will partially close. Education bosses in Trafford expect 23 schools to close and 26 to partially close.

Rose Bridge High School - one of seven schools to close in Wigan - is offering year 11 pupils 'independent learning packages'. A further 16 schools will be partially closed in the borough.