MPs urge 'super teacher' plan

Unions and ministers clashed today over calls for a new breed of "super teachers" on higher pay to solve the crisis in inner-city schools.

Teaching unions hit out after an all-party group of MPs urged a sweeping overhaul of pay and career structures in schools to tackle staff shortages and raise standards.

In a new report, the Commons Education Committee recommended more flexibility for schools to set pay and said teaching should stop being seen as "a career for life".

The plan for super teachers would enable schools struggling to attract top-quality staff to pay more to experienced staff willing to take charge of the most challenging children.

The report said: "Where there are persistent problems of recruitment it is surely right, in the interests of children's education, that financial incentives are available to attract teachers."

Labour MP Barry Sheerman, who chairs the committee, said: "If we have shortages, why shouldn't we be able to pay extra money to get teachers?"

But unions hit out at the plan, which would undermine national pay rates and traditionalbargaining. The Professional-Association of Teachers attacked it as "divisive and counter-productive". And Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Creating false divisions won't deal with that problem."

David Hart of the National Association of Head Teachers said: "I actually worry very much about the idea that you keep identifying so-called super teachers and thereby ignore the fact that we need to make sure all teachers are properly paid."

School standards minister David Miliband said the Government was "looking at" the issue of local pay. He said: "Teachers' salaries already operate on a regional basis. We are looking at local pay in the discussions between the department and its pay partners."

The Government has already allowed more flexible deals to fill teacher shortages. Schools are also able to attract teachers in key subjects such as maths by offering "golden hellos" worth ?4,000 to ?5,000. Shadow education secretary Tim Collins said the report pointed "in the right direction". But he said: "It will, if implemented, create a two-tier system."