About 1,000 of London's 2,000 schools closed their doors as 40,000 teachers walked out in a protest over cost of living allowances.

They look after our children and they deserve to be looked after

Kate Nabawanuka, mother

Good Shepherd Roman Catholic School in Acton was among the schools that remained open.

But parents walking their children to class Thursday morning said they would back the school's teachers if they opted to join the strike.

"[Industrial action] is justified, because it really is expensive to live in London now," said mother Jane Burnand, after dropping off her five-year-old daughter.

Jane Burnand supports the strike

"Five years ago you would have been able to afford a place on a teacher's salary, but not any more.

"Teachers deserve a decent living. If this school had been on strike I would have supported them."

A Department of Education spokesman had warned teachers that a walk out would undermine their status and "damage parents and pupils".

But the parents at Good Shepherd disagreed.

Important role

Kate Nabawanuka, who has a four-year-old daughter, said the potential benefits of getting the teachers' message across were worth the price of a day's lessons.

"Our children depend on these teachers for learning and studying," she said. "They look after our children and they deserve to be looked after - they deserve more than they are getting."

Kate Nabawanuka believes teachers deserve more

Agnes Petit, who was ferrying her three-year-old son to school, said more money was needed, not just for the teachers, but for the education system in general.

"They need to have more money for education to improve everything," she said.

"Certainly the teachers themselves deserve more. I would have supported them if they had joined the strike."

About 450,000 pupils across London were affected by the walk out.