Thousands of pupils across the UK have walked out of class to raise awareness for the issue of climate change, demanding a change in policy.

Organisers said strikes are taking place in 60 towns and cities, with youngsters carrying banners bearing slogans saying: "There is no planet B".

Youth Strike 4 Climate movement have helped organise the movement across the country and they have gained support from a number of influential backers.

Other signs read: "When did the children become the adults?" and "Why should I clean my room when the world is in such a mess".

Thousands of UK pupils from schools, colleges and universities took part

At one protest outside Cambridgeshire County Council's offices, a demonstrator led chants of "Whose future? Our future" and "Hey, ho, fossil fuels have got to go."

Jasper Giles, a six-year-old pupil at University of Cambridge Primary School, attended with his mother Alissia Roberts.

She said: "I think it's worth taking a day off school to show support for this movement, I think it's really important and it will gather momentum."

Ten-year-old Zachary Hird, a pupil at Cambridge's Newnham Croft Primary School, was at the protest with his mother Diane Hird.

He said: "We don't want climate change and people just have to change their ways as we don't want the world as it is right now.

"We just want to make people aware of it.

"We were talking about it in our class so we just came along."

Asked how he felt about missing lessons for the day, he said: "I feel climate change is more important - the world dying is a lot more bad than just, yeah."


Children also gathered in Brighton, with some waving banners refusing to take exams and calling for immediate action on climate change.

The protesters also took the cause to Westminster, descending on Parliament Square to demand change.

Dressed in their school uniforms, some broke into chants of "Save our planet" and "Now, climate justice".

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "Young people know that their lives are going to be changed dramatically by the impacts of climate change.



Who opposed the strikes?

However, the strikes were not welcomed by school leaders and Education Secretary Damian Hinds, who said missing class was not the answer.

Mr Hinds said: "I want young people to be engaged in key issues affecting them and involving themselves in causes they care about.


Where did the idea come from?

The movement has already seen school strikes in Australia and European countries including Belgium, and was inspired by teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests every Friday outside Sweden's parliament to urge leaders to tackle climate change.



Students in the UK are demanding the Government declare a climate emergency and take active steps to tackle the problem, communicate the severity of the ecological crisis to the public and reform the curriculum to make it an educational priority.