Think back a week to before the NUT strike day. Jim Knight, Schools minister, is quoted as saying;
"I think parents are bewildered because they hear that the average teacher earns about £34,000"
Quite an interesting statement, as the maximum salary for a teacher on UPS3 is currently £34,281.00. We teachers teach averages, and we know that if there are newly qualifieds earning much less than £34k, then some teachers must be doing the impossible and earning much, much more. Surely the average should be lower - somewhere between £20k and £34k. £27k maybe?
Well, it's both a yes and no. Yes, the average salary will be £34,000 when you factor into the calculations the salary of headteachers and deputies, but No it would not be if you only count teachers pay (and remember his quote said "average teacher").
Government spin to make it sound like teachers are better off than they are? You decide!
