Teachers should be offered the same deal as nurses as both sides look for a way to avert summer term strike chaos at schools, unions have said.
Unions are preparing to shut down all state schools in England for several days in the summer after they rejected a pay offer from the Government.
However, the action could be called off if teachers are presented with an NHS-style deal, unions have indicated.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said he would "be prepared to put a positive spin" on a similar pay deal offered to NHS workers including nurses if it was offered to his members.
Separately, a National Education Union (NEU) source said that its members could accept a similar deal to nurses if it was fully funded so it does not erode existing school budgets.
Deal offered to nurses
Nurses in England were offered a 5 per cent pay rise for next year, and a one-off bonus for the current financial year of between £1,655 and £3,789, depending on a worker’s pay band.
The Royal College of Nursing has recommended the deal to its members.
Teachers were offered an average 4.5 per cent salary increase next year, a £1,000 one-off bonus this year, and the creation of a workload task force. The pay rise would be partially funded with new money from the Treasury.
Teaching unions rejected the offer, describing it as “insulting”.
Asked if he would back a deal that is similar to the one made to the NHS, Dr Roach said: “On a negotiated deal or offer, yes, I’d be prepared to put a positive spin on it. Why wouldn’t I?”
He added: “We go into negotiations surely in good faith and with some integrity.
“We sit around the table, throw stuff out. We're not going to get everything we're going to be looking for and we understand that.
“But frankly, if you've got something which looks good enough and smells good enough, why would I not put that to my members with a positive spin?”
The average teacher salary in England is £39,500, compared to £35,000 for nurses.
An NEU source said that its members could also be prepared to back an NHS-style deal.
The union source said: “The fully funded aspect of the pay offer is absolutely crucial…Even the much poorer NHS deal could get across the line - but only if it were genuinely fully funded for every school.”
Speaking at NASUWT’s annual conference in Glasgow, Dr Roach called on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to “get back around the table and negotiate a proper deal on pay” or “deal with the consequences”.
If the NASUWT secures a mandate to strike from its members, it would look to coordinate strikes in late June or early July with the NEU.
If both unions organised strikes on the same day, Dr Roach said it was “inevitable” that all schools in England would close.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "After costing children almost a week of time in the classroom and with exams fast approaching, it is extremely disappointing that unions are re-balloting for more strike action.”
They added: “NEU, NAHT, ASCL and NASUWT’s decisions to reject this offer will simply result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers today."
Threats to teachers
The news comes as the NASUWT school leaders' conference heard that threats of sexual violence are becoming increasingly common in schools.
Wendy Exton, a teacher and member of the NASUWT executive, said: “Threats of sexual assault are becoming increasingly common due to the abuse of online p*rn, COVID lockdowns and their inability to understand acceptable and appropriate behaviour.”
She said that one teacher at a special needs school was threatened with rape and being stalked by a teenager on the school minibus, and that another colleague told her a brick was thrown through the classroom window of a student who identifies as gay.
“Students have said to her that if they found out that a member of staff was gay, then they would hunt them down and kill them or burn them alive.”
She added that up until five years ago violent incidents were extremely rare, but she has seen a significant increase recently.
