Teaching is a vital profession that needs to be respected, rewarded – and done properly, says Katharine Birbalsingh.

By Katharine Birbalsingh 8:22AM BST 27 Apr 2011

How much do you think a teacher earns? The more I talk to people, the more I realise that the public think teachers are really poor. It has come as quite a surprise for them to learn that hundreds of head teachers earn more than £100,000 per year, which is partly why the NASUWT teaching union was yesterday calling for more transparency in their salaries.

Once upon a time, of course, teachers did earn a pittance. But the recent Labour government changed all that. While it was in power, spending on education doubled; it now costs more than £80 billion a year to educate (rather badly) our lovely children. An ordinary London teacher, if good, can become an advanced skills teacher and earn well over £50,000 a year. A head of department or head of year doesn’t even have to be good, and they’ll be paid between £40,000 and £50,000. Assistant and deputy heads earn between £50,000 and £75,000, and heads can make just over £100,000.

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