Teachers' starting salaries are to rise to £30,000 within three years under plans announced by the Government.

The £6,000 pay rise by 2022, which ministers say is the biggest reform to teachers’ pay in a generation, is aimed at boosting the appeal of the profession to graduates.

The move follows rising concern about recruitment and retention of teachers, against a backdrop of soaring student numbers. Last year a Government report warned that there is a "growing sense of crisis" in teacher recruitment.

Ministers have failed to "get a grip" on teacher retention, a Public Accounts Committee said, adding that it is "particularly worrying" that the number of secondary school teachers has been falling since 2010.

At the same time, secondary school pupil numbers are due to increase by 540,000 - almost 20 per cent - by 2025, according to the Department for Education’s (DfE) official forecast.

Announcing the pay rise on Monday, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said: "I want the best talent to be drawn to the teaching profession and for schools to compete with biggest employers in the labour market and recruit the brightest and the best into teaching.

"Teachers should be in no doubt that this government fully backs them in every stage of their career, starting with rewarding starting salaries, and giving them the powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying and continue to drive up school standards right across the country."