Headteachers who fail to tackle poor teachers should have their pay docked.

That is the view of Richard Cairns, head master of Brighton College, who said that weak teaching should never be tolerated.

He warns that headteachers have a responsibility to deal with staff who are failing, as bad teaching can be “life-threatening” to pupils.

In a speech at Brighton College’s annual conference today, Mr Cairns will say he believes that the people joining the teaching profession now are better qualified, trained and motivated than in the past.

But more needs to be done to crack down on those that fail to make the grade in the classroom.

He will say: “We as heads have got a responsibility to deal robustly with poor teachers.

“Too many of them are shuffled around within our own schools or palmed off on others. That must stop.

“If we really regard teaching as a life-changing profession then we must regard bad teaching as life-threatening.

“We would be shocked if hospitals turned a blind eye to incompetent doctors or nurses. Yet we are all aware of incompetent teachers in our educational system.

“Sometimes, of course, we get an appointment wrong. That is human and forgiveable. But what is unforgivable is failing to deal with it.”

At Brighton College pupils take part in teacher reviews and appraisals, Mr Cairns says, with many teachers finding it “immensely rewarding” to find out how highly students regard them. But for a minority, this can be a wake-up call that can eventually lead to a teacher departing, he adds.

“It is never easy. But it is the right thing to do. No headteacher should ever tolerate bad teaching. Yet up and down the land that is precisely what is going on.

“My own view is that where headteachers lack the courage to take on a poor teacher who has been clearly and fairly identified as such, they should themselves be called to account and their own pay should be docked.

“We can’t take on the rewards of headship if we are not prepared to stand up for the right of every child to be inspired by outstanding teachers.”

Brighton College is a private school for boys and girls aged three to 18.