Teachers’ real-term wages have fallen by more than 10 per cent in less than a decade, new government figures reveal.

The drop was revealed in evidence to the School Teacher Review Body as ministers pressed for further pay restraint.

The call for average pay rises to be capped at one per cent comes despite education secretary Nicky Morgan acknowledging that teachers have an “unsustainable workload”.

Unions say years of below inflation pay deals mean their members are “struggling to make ends meet”. Their calculations show an even steeper pay cut of up to 15 per cent in real-terms in just five years.

Headteachers have warned that continuing to hold pay down to levels below inflation is creating recruitment problems for schools and will create further workload issues.

There are also concerns about whether schools will have the necessary funding for even such a low settlement, as pension contributions are increased.

The Department for Education says further pay restraint is needed to reduce the budget deficit.

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