TEACHERS could strike at three schools in a dispute over payments to staff in some senior posts.

A ballot of NUT members will be held at Darton High on Monday and a series of open-ended strikes could start as early as Thursday, January 31.

Another strike ballot will be held at Joseph Locke primary, Shaw Street, and members at Priory sports college, Lundwood, are also likely to be ballotted.

Teaching at the schools would be badly disrupted if the dispute continues, even though teachers who are not in the NUT would not be involved.

The situation has arisen because the NUT and schools' management have reached an 'impasse' over pay for teachers who have extra responsibilities, such as head of year.

Barnsley NUT secretary, Pete Bevis, said: "If we get members' agreement the action will be discontinuous, meaning it won't just be a one-off but could be a series of strikes which would affect the schools badly.

"We would rather that not happen but we have come to an impasse."

He said the strikes would be open ended.