Teachers accuse Gove of playing games

Michael Gove has made speech drawing attention to a poll by Polulus that shows 61% of people think schools should be allowed to set individual staff salaries based on the quality of performance as determined by annual appraisal.

"The most important factor in a child's education is the quality of teaching,” he said.

“That's why it's common sense to give schools the freedom to pay their best teachers more. It will make teaching an even more attractive career."

Mr Gove also branded teachers’ strikes planned for the autumn as "ideologically motivated teaching union leadership" that will “damage children's education, disrupt parents' lives and undermine the respect in which the teaching profession deserves to be held”.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

“The Populus opinion pollsters who have given a platform to the Secretary of State have simply failed to grasp the reality of pay and performance management practice in schools.

“The plain fact is that teachers’ pay is already linked to performance and this has been the case for many years.

“Strike action by teachers would not be necessary if ministers were willing to engage in genuine dialogue with the NASUWTand NUT on changes being made to teachers’ terms and conditions of service.

“We have made clear to ministers that we stand ready to engage in discussions. It is unfortunate that the Secretary of State does not recognise the urgency of the situation.

“Instead of engaging in continuing game-playing, the Secretary of State should make time to seek to resolve this dispute and avoid further escalation of industrial action.”

The NASUWTand the NUT, who together represent nine out of ten teachers, have agreed a coordinated campaign which will include national strikes in September and October and a one-day, all-out national strike before the end of the autumn term.