Teachers are poised for a summer showdown with Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove over his attacks on pay, pensions and the future of their profession.

Britain’s two biggest teaching unions — with over half a million members — are likely to strike next term unless Mr Gove backs down.

Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) are today expected to vote for a national walkout in the week beginning June 23 that could for the first time go beyond a single day.

And they could be joined by members of NASUWT after leader Chris Keates yesterday won a mandate to call strike action.

Any action would come ahead of changes in September that will force teachers to work longer hours for smaller, performance-related pay packets.

Teachers will also have to make bigger pension contributions but retire later.

NUT treasurer Ian Murch said teachers must continue to stand up for education in the face of “Dalek” Education Secretary Michael Gove.

He said: “We need a secretary of state that believes in treating teachers properly and respecting their professionalism.

“And instead, what have we got? Michael Gove.

“Michael Gove, the sick joke against teachers.

“Michael Gove, the man that knows that he knows best.

“Michael Gove, the demented Dalek on speed.

“He wants to exterminate anything good in education that came along since the 1950s.”

Ms Keates said her union was ready to make a “strong stand” but would not yet name a date in order to keep the government on its toes in talks.

FROM P1: And she said that teachers may take action over pay locally.

“We’re preparing ourselves during the summer term for what we think is going to be considerable casework in schools and possibly escalation of action at school level where we find that schools have depressed teachers’ salaries for arbitrary reasons but the head-teacher’s salary is increasing.”

Herefordshire teacher Neil Jeffery argued at the NASUWT conference in Birmingham the motion was “a little bit too safe.”

Ms Keates insisted later though that “the pressure isn’t on us as a union, the pressure is on Michael Gove.”

The Tories and Lib Dems — whose support among teachers has fallen from 27 per cent to 8 per cent since 2010 — were reminded that there are over 1,000 teachers in every constituency.

And the NUT has called a mass lobby of Parliament on June 10 and teachers will also join the People’s Assembly national demonstration against austerity on June 21.

The Department for Education claimed that strikes “will only disrupt parents’ lives, hold back children’s education and damage the reputation of the profession.”

Talks between teachers and the government will continue after Easter.

An amendment to a motion at the NUT conference calling on the union to commit now to four days of strike action in the first term of the next academic year was defeated.