As the National Union of Teachers began its annual conference in Brighton, its traditionally warring factions were uniting behind an emergency motion to declare a one-day strike in the summer term as a first step towards withdrawing co-operation with the Government's programme of action for improving school standards.
The move sets the union on a collision course with David Blunkett, the Education and Employment Secretary, who is to address it today on the anniversary of rowdy scenes at the NUT conference in Blackpool four years ago, when jeering demonstrators forced him to seek cover in a side office.
Mr Blunkett will remind the union of that occasion by claiming success for his policy of cracking down on failing schools, which provoked the earlier protests when he was shadow education secretary. His message today will be that the union got it wrong then and will repeat its mistake now if it does not accept a government offer of 10 per cent pay bonuses for teachers who are performing well.
Doug McAvoy, the union's general secretary, said left and right factions on his executive were giving unanimous support to an emergency motion to boycott the new system of teacher appraisal. The motion says the union should also 'prepare for other forms of industrial action, including a further ballot for a one-day strike during the summer term'.
Mr McAvoy forecast that the national strike would be timed to avoid disruption to GCSE and A level exams, but there could be no guarantee it would not coincide with national tests of pupils aged seven, 11 and 14, 'because teachers don't see the ongoing education of the child being determined by [those] tests'.
A spokeswoman for Mr Blunkett said: 'Parents will be horrified at the thought of a teacher union recommending strike action when the Government is offering up to 2,000 pay rises to reward good teachers'.
