THE average teacher is paid more than £38,000 a year, while heads can rake in over £109,000, analysis shows - despite union claims of low pay.

A report found top teachers can earn more than £67,300 a year while education funding across the board has seen huge increases of up to 80 per cent between 1997 and 2015.

3 The average teacher is paid £38,000 a year — despite union claims of low pay Credit: Getty - Contributor

The Taxpayers’ Alliance analysis found teachers’ gross pay had risen by 1.6 per cent over the past year.

And schools in England spent almost £300,000 on average on teaching assistants last year.

The report found there was no evidence to show they improve education outcomes for typical pupils - only children with learning difficulties.

It comes amid growing clamour from unions for teachers to get a 5 per cent pay hike.

3 John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: 'This is completely unfair at a time when public sector workers are already better off'

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Whilst we are constantly hearing trade unions calling for more spending, this has largely gone on salary increases.

“This is completely unfair at a time when public sector workers are already better off, on average, than those in the private sector.

3 The report is 'complete nonsense', according to Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union

“Teachers in particular have seen generous salary increases when moving up through pay bands, and this comes off the back of those taxpayers in the private sector.

“Schools should deliver value in their budgets before teachers see higher pay, rather than demanding that the government increase spending.”

But Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, branded the report “complete nonsense”.

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She said: “The independent School Teachers’ Review Body has recognised that the level of pay is adversely affecting teacher recruitment and retention, and average starting and profession-wide salaries are considerably lower in teaching than in other graduate professions.

“Since 2010, successive governments have subjected teachers to continuous pay freezes and pay caps, cutting their pay by 15% in real terms - despite rising earnings elsewhere in the economy.”