School leaders' union NAHT has responded to the government's move to block a proposal by academy trust United Learning to let teachers swap the Teachers' Pension Scheme for an alternative which would increase their salary in return for lower employer contributions to their pensions.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT's general secretary, said: "We were clear from the start that this was a bad idea and not in the best interests of teachers and leaders.

"There is no doubt that pay erosion has put many professionals under real financial pressure, but suggesting that they should sacrifice their long-term financial security was always deeply misguided.

"We are pleased to hear that the government has listened to the arguments we presented and decided to intervene, and we will continue to call out any attempts to weaken or threaten our members terms and conditions.

"The government now needs to show it is serious about tackling the serious recruitment and retention crisis facing schools by agreeing successive, properly-funded pay increases over this Parliament. These should restore salaries to 2010 levels following severe real-terms cuts over more than a decade."