Sign to Save School Sports Partnerships !

The NUT is encouraging teachers, head teachers and members of the public to add their names to a national petition against cuts to school sports.

The Government is planning to cut the £162 million that has helped to support the work of the 450 School Sport Partnerships that have done so much to provide an infrastructure for school sport. These cuts also threaten the jobs of specialist advisers for school sports.
The Government should be building on the opportunity provided by the 2012 Olympics, and England's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018, rather than cutting direct funding for school sports.

The NUT opposes all cuts to front line education services, including school sports, music and specialist services such as those to support the achievement of children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Sign the petition

Young Ambassadors representing the School Sports Partnerships hope to deliver over a million signatures to the Secretary of State for Education on 7th December. The NUT urges all those who support an entitlement for all children and young people to have high quality opportunities in PE and school sports to support this campaign.

Please sign the petition here by Monday 29th November 2010.

Executive Report: November 2010

The full executive met on November 11th.

Prior to the formal meeting, the executive members received an update on the pensions position from Assistant Secretary (Salaries, Superannuation and Conditions of Service) Andrew Morris. He gave detailed models of how the suggestion that is coming from Hutton's report on "career average" pension contributions and how this would compare to the current final salary scheme. A number of questions were raised by the executive members, including a key point about the disproportional effect on women members, who may have taken a career break to have children, and often sought promoted posts later in their career. There will be a briefing paper available for Division Officers shortly.

The Executive voted to nominate Max Hyde for election to the TUC Women's Committee.

Christine Blower reported. She commended Andrew for his work on Pensions, and noted that there was a motion on this issue later on the agenda.

Christine praised the high profile of the NUT at the TUC lobby of Parliament and the rally on the eve of the Spending Review (I was present with trade unionists from Eastbourne, representing NUT, Unite and Equity) The union got a great deal of publicity and appearances on television, radio and print news.

Christine felt that the Spending Review demonstrated the determination of the coalition government to dismantle the welfare state. People are being bombarded by the coalition line that there is no money and we can't afford welfare and public services. She regretted that the opposition to this agenda seemed rather lacklustre from the Labour opposition, so it was vital that trade unions made the case for the alternatives to the swingeing cuts- including the Robin Hood tax, closing tax avoidance options, and to make clear the historical position of government debt against GDP to respond to the ridiculous claims that Britain was facing bankruptcy !

Christine’s participation in BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions on the eve of the Spending Review was praised: it shows the strength of the union’s public profile that our General Secretary is being invited to speak on behalf of trade unionists. Christine clearly touched a nerve of fellow panelist, the right-wing commentator Fraser Nelson of The Spectator, a lonely cheerleader for the Government’s Free Schools proposal !

Christine highlighted the need to build for the TUC’s major demonstration against the cuts in March, but pointed out that there were already a variety of other events going on to protest against the cuts to jobs and services, in many different locations.

This week had seen the success of the Schools Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, organized by Music for Youth and the NUT is a major sponsor. Many of the “great and the good” from the education establishment attend the concerts, and Christine noted how pleasing it is “to have a chance to cheer the name of the NUT in the Albert Hall !” It is important to be supporting the work of organizations such as Music for Youth, especially as music services face such uncertainty as a result of the savage cuts to central education services. We have also become a major sponsor of the School Sports awards, alongside Aviva.

In the questions to the General Secretary, I raised the issue of Christine’s participation in the One Society Many Cultures conference in London next month, being organized by former mayor Ken Livingstone. While welcoming any high profile event to celebrate diversity, I- and several colleagues from the TUC LGBT Committee - had raised concerns about the conference’s pledge to defend “freedom of expression, religion and culture..” yet there was no mention whatsoever in the materials about LGBT equality, nor any speakers at the event who were clearly associated with the LGBT community. Was there a coded suggestion of justifying homophobia on religious or cultural grounds ? Christine assured me that this was not the case, and she was certain that there would be support expressed for LGBT rights.

After Christine’s address, there was a debate on a motion to prepare the union for a campaign to defend teachers’ pensions against the cuts that are likely in light of the Hutton review and the comments made by George Osborne. It was agreed to draw up a timetable for a plan of campaigning and action to build a strong and united campaign in defence of pensions- hopefully alongside other education unions where possible. It was pointed out that as well as the usual other teachers’ unions, members of UCU, the Scottish education union EIS and the Welsh UCAC were also affected by changes to School Teachers’ pension arrangements.

The pensions campaign will be one of the biggest challenges that the union has faced in recent memory, and it is important that all NUT members get involved, to defend future and also current pensioners, who will feel the effect of the change in calculation (from RPI to CPI: if you
haven't e-mailed your MP on this, click here !)

Executive Pensions Motion in Full

The Executive recognises that:

1. the proposals of the Hutton Commission;
2. the decision to switch the indexation of pension benefits from RPI to CPI;and
3. the inclusion in the Comprehensive Spending Review of an assumption that public sector workers will pay 3% more of their salary in pension contributions

together represent a much bigger threat to our pensions that the proposals we fought in 2005.

The Executive instructs the General Secretary to bring to the December meeting of the Executive a timetable of campaigning and action to take place before the Hutton Commission produces its final report in Spring 2011.

This timetable should include:

1. The production and distribution of campaigning materials for use with members and the public;
2. Plans for meetings, rallies demonstrations and lobbying activities;
3. A ballot for strike action to take place in the spring term.
   

In order to support this work the Executive agrees:

1. that the Union should use its electronic facilities to inform members about this campaign and survey their views on all aspects of it;
2. that Executive members should work with Regional and Wales Offices in supporting divisions and associations in building this campaign.

Finally, the Executive recognises that the Union should seek the maximum co-ordination with other public sector unions in all of the above activities and instructs the General Secretary to approach other unions with a view to this and bring a report to the December meeting of the Executive.

Urgent Support pledged to Central Services members

As the savage cuts from the coalition government begin to bite, the NUT is prepared to defend our members. Particularly and immediately at risk are our members employed through Local Authority central services. These members often provide crucial services to support the most vulnerable children, and they are not protected by any pledges by the Government on maintaining “school” funding.

The Officers of the Union approved the following policy position on Central Services Staff:-

1. The union is aware that members employed centrally in a majority of Local Authorities across the country are at a risk of redundancy or dismissal and re-engagement on worsened conditions.
2. Members will be employed in a variety of capacities and on varying terms and conditions. These will, in general be Soulbury or STPCD, but other members may be employed by voluntary organisations or otherwise. Many central service staff provide critical front-line services, often for the most vulnerable pupils.
3. At present there is no co-ordinated campaign from TUC affiliates to respond to this threat. It is proposed that the Union take an initiative to seek a co-ordinated response.
4. The steps proposed are outlined below as recommendations.

It is recommended that:

1. The general secretary write to the GS of other unions who may have members affected by the proposed cuts to seek coordination in responding and to share information as appropriate.
2. The Union declare disputes where appropriate.
3. The Union produce guidance on local campaigning, lobbying and community engagement campaigning against proposed cuts to central services, including text for local leaflets.
4. Urge divisions to assist the Union in collecting, collating and disseminating material about the work of central services as the affect the work of schools directly.
5. Information be sought from Divisions and Associations via Regional and Wales offices as to the precise situation in all areas.
6. The Union to support action where it is requested by Divisions on the basis of the likelihood of success in ballots and where other avenues have been explored.
7. Consideration be given to the constituencies for ballots on a case-by-case basis.
8. Maximum co-ordination of any action strategy should be sought with sister unions and across geographical areas.
9. Detailed and up to date information be forwarded from Divisions via Regional and Wales offices to be held by the Union at Headquarters.
10. Maximum publicity should be given to any successes achieved in saving jobs and services.
    

EEPD Committee: SATS Campaign continues

Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary reported to the meeting, and there was a discussion on the way forward with the SATS campaign, in the light of the Review of Assessment that has been set up by the Government. An external review panel has been set up under the chairship of Lord Bew, a cross-bench peer and professor of Irish History at Queen’s University Belfast. He was also a historical adviser to the Saville Inquiry from 1998 to 2001.

The panel membership is:
Miriam Rosen, former executive director of OfSTED, (not noted for her sympathy to teachers while in office !); Ruth Miskin founder of Read-Write Inc, who has made a fortune through selling phonics programmes; primary heads Greg Wallace (Woodberry Down, Hackney) Helen Clegg (Shiremoor Primary, North Tyneside) Kate Dethridge (Churchend Primary, Reading) Lubna Khan (Berrymead Junior, Ealing). Two of the Primary Headteacher representatives did boycott the SATS in 2010, although Secondary headteachers are represented by the Head Teacher of an Academy- Sally Coates, head of Burlington Danes Academy;


We welcome the setting up of the panel, but it appears that the remit is already being skewed by Michael Gove and the Government who remain “committed to external testing”. There seems to be no indication that the Government recognises the validity of teacher assessment at all. It is sad that the Liberal Democrats appear to have fully signed up to this agenda, especially given that we had significant support given for the SATS campaign from both Norman Baker MP and Stephen Lloyd- the two Lib Dem members in my executive area.

We continue to campaign for the ending of the SATS, and our work with partner organisations who share our vision- such as the NAHT and ATL. There are discussions and consultation ongoing with our leadership group members in Primary schools, particularly in light of the NAHT’s decision not to ballot its members on a boycott this year. There is significant anecdotal evidence that there are many head teachers (both NAHT and NUT) who did not boycott the SATS last year would be prepared to come on board this year.