So says Tusker as it calls on the new government to close the current loophole which means that state-maintained school teachers are excluded from accessing salary sacrifice car schemes – or “car to work” schemes.

Such schemes give employees a brand new, environmentally friendly car with the added bonus of fuel, income tax and National Insurance contribution savings of around £1,300 per year. This saving dwarfs the 1% pay rise most teachers can expect to get this year which for a classroom teacher will be a maximum increase of around £300. The scheme could, however, save teachers four times this over the course of a year.

The Government has now said it will consider changing the rules so that state-maintained school teachers can take advantage of the scheme.

Lee Helyer, a teacher at Shaftesbury High School and the NUT Divisional Secretary for Harrow is also keen for change. "It could be done tomorrow,” he said. “Let maintained school teachers have the same benefits as those in academies and help them get to work. It doesn't cost anything and would make a huge difference to many teachers busy working lives and as a result the young people they teach."

David Hosking, chief executive of Tusker, a leading provider of salary sacrifice car schemes, said: “If we are going to retain the very best teachers for our children, we shouldn’t be excluding them from one of the most popular employee benefits – especially one that will not cost the Government anything over time.

“We hear from teachers in our customer areas every day about how unfair it is that they are not able to access our schemes, but any other profession can – this needs to change.”