Teachers unions in Northern Ireland will go on strike for a full day on Wednesday 26 April.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) joins four unions that staged a strike on February 21.
Most schools in Northern Ireland are expected to close on April 26 as almost all teachers are likely to go on strike.
The actions of the teachers’ unions are mainly due to a dispute over pay.
Members of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) working in further education (FE) colleges in Northern Ireland will also join their peers in schools for the first time in the current dispute.
Northern Ireland has been at a deadlock over a teacher pay deal for over a year.
In February 2022, unions rejected a salary offer from employers for 2021-2023 as “insufficient”.
Since then, the cost of living has skyrocketed with inflation exceeding 10%.
But with Stormont’s education budget under severe pressure, it’s not clear how much money is available to make teachers a salary offer that the unions would accept.
The unions striking on April 26 are NASUWT; the Irish National Teachers’ Organization (INTO); the Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU) and the National Education Union (NEU).
They will be joined by NAHT, which represents many school leaders who did not take part in the previous action on February 21st.
It is the first time in its 125-year history that NAHT members have gone on strike over pay.
Northern Ireland NAHT President Liam McGuckin said in a statement to BBC News NI that strikes were “the very last resort”.
“Our members have reached the absolute last bit of their patience with a system that is failing its schools, its workforce and most importantly its young people,” he said.
“Without accelerated significant investment, we will see a profession that holds much of the fabric of society together damaged beyond repair.
“Our children deserve better.”
Justin McAmhill. who is the NASUWT national official, said that NAHT’s involvement was “really important.”
“It shows that it’s not just teachers in the classroom, it’s teachers at the executive level,” he said.
Mr McCamphill said the continued action showed union members were “taking the long view” and urged the department to work with the government to secure a better pay rise.
He added that the salary on offer in Northern Ireland would also affect the country’s ability to hire the best teachers.
“The reality is, they’re going to look at their salaries somewhere else on the one hand, and they’re going to look at their gas bill, their prices, their grocery bill on the other, and they’re going to say, quite simply, I can’t afford to live here.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the five unions said their members had “waited far too long for a satisfactory offer from employers”.
“Teacher salaries have fallen by nearly a quarter in real terms in the ‘lost decade’ since the 2010-11 pay freeze,” she continued.
“We are now stepping up our campaign for a fair deal for all teachers.
“Our members have watched governments in other jurisdictions make offers that result in wage levels well in excess of what is available in Northern Ireland.
“Together, the five recognized unions say ‘enough is enough’ and that government and employers must act now to reach a wage agreement that recognizes the real wage losses teachers have suffered for more than a decade.”
In a separate statement to schools notifying them of the action, UTU said that “UTU reserves the right to conduct further strikes if the serious concerns of our members are not addressed”.
Many teachers in England will also go on strike on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.
The NEU, the largest education union in England’s schools and colleges, turned down a salary offer of a lump sum payment of £1,000 this year and a 4.3% increase next year.
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