Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has written to union leaders asking teachers to notify their principal if they intend to join Wednesday’s strike.
Ms Keegan said notifying which staff were stepping out would help schools avoid “unnecessary disruption”.
The National Education Union (NEU) has planned a series of national and regional strikes for February and March.
Joint general secretary Mary Bousted said schools should plan actions by all union members on their staff.
On Wednesday, all NEU members in England and Wales will go on strike, with the union saying it expects more than 150,000 of its members to attend and over 20,000 schools to be affected.
A vote followed with the action receiving support from 90.4% of members in England and 92.3% of members in Wales.
Further strikes by all members in England and Wales are planned for March 15th and 16th, while strikes affecting only certain regions are planned for February 14th and 28th and March 1st and 2nd.
In a letter seen by the BBC, Ms Keegan conceded that striking teachers were not required to notify school leaders ahead of time, but said notification would allow leaders to “make important operational decisions to protect children’s learning”. .
“I understand the importance of upholding teachers’ right to strike, but I hope this important right can be protected while minimizing the impact on children – particularly in the context of the disruption they are facing due to Covid” , she said.
“With this in mind, I am calling on the National Education Union to encourage its members to notify their principal if they intend to go on strike on Wednesday.
“Your cooperation would help prevent our dispute from causing additional and unnecessary disruption.”
- February 1st: All schools in England and Wales
- 14th of February: All schools in Wales
- February 28: North and North West England, Yorkshire and Humber
- 1st March: East Midlands, West Midlands and the Eastern Region of the NEU
- 2nd March: South East and South West England and London
- March 15 and 16: Two-day strike across all schools in England and Wales
The government has asked schools to remain open during the campaign, but it is up to school principals to decide.
The NEU has stated that no single school will be affected by more than four of the seven dates of the strike.
In her reply to the letter, Ms Bousted said the Headmasters already knew how many NEU members worked at her school.
“They should plan on that basis for union members to follow the union’s request to withdraw from work that day,” she said.
“We don’t want individual members to be put under pressure and intimidated.”
Ms Keegan is expected to meet with representatives of the NEU on Monday to discuss issues such as teacher pay and workload.
Executives from the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers will also attend the presentations.
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