National Union of Teachers

NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS Graham White EXECUTIVE MEMBER Brook Farm, Pooley Street, South Lopham, Diss IP22 2JX DISTRICT 15 Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk [email protected] Tel: 01379 687293 Mobile: 07917 445851 Executive Report February 2016

Professional Unity Committee 24 February As previously these discussions are confidential. There continues to be ongoing discussion with the intention of creating a single union for teachers. The NUT is seeking to work closely and collaboratively with other unions. A report in the form of a priority motion will come to the 2016 Annual Conference where delegates will have a chance to approve of progress made.

Resource Management 24 February Minutes were agreed and there were no matters arising. In respect of property matters the contract for catering is going well. There is to be some refurbishment of the kitchen and food preparation areas, cost being shared between the caterer and the Union. Meeting room income continues to exceed the target. The lift issue at London Region is being investigated and a thorough test will take place on 10 March. The Artex coating at SE Region is being managed. The Union is following HSC advice as well as other experts. The conference APP is on target and going well with delegates getting the live release on 18 March which is a week before Conference. The CBC nomination period has closed and there are ten candidates.

On ICT issues the WAN tender is on target and it is likely that there will be four bidders although of these one is nearly twice as expensive as the others. The Union is developing video conferencing facility for Executive, which can then be rolled out to regions and probably divisions.

Personnel Report – There are still vacancies on the Advice Line as there is staff turnover. The Casework Organiser posts, one year fixed term, are still not all filled. The remaining vacancies are being advertised externally with a closing date of 2 March. Vacancies are Northern, Eastern, South East, South West. The committee did question the pay grade requesting an increase but the Assistant General Secretary for Organising and Membership felt that it was graded correctly.

The election for Executive, including equality seat holders, closes Wednesday 16 March.

Salaries and Superannuation. 25 February We started with a briefing on the Education and Adoption Bill. Things to note included all failing schools and inadequate schools must become an academy. Any school that fails to meet the government attainment targets and progress measures over a three year period is designated ‘coasting’ and will become an academy. The Regional Schools Commissioner can force academisation on any school deemed to be underperforming. Academisation does not require any consultation with parents, staff or others, either in terms of if it should become an academy or the identity of the sponsor. The sponsor will be selected by the Secretary of State although in practice by the RSC. TUPE consultation rights are unaffected. Academies causing concern can have their funding agreement terminated and a new sponsor brought in. Good and outstanding schools should become sponsors. A secondary school will be coasting if in 2014 and 2015 fewer than 60% of pupils achieve 5 A* to C including English and Mathematics and they are below the median level of expected progress in both English and Mathematics, and in 2016 their progress 8 score is below a yet to be defined threshold. A primary school will be coasting if fewer than 85% of its pupils achieve level four or above in reading, writing and mathematics and below the median percentage of pupils making expected progress. It might have been easier if they had said that all schools become academies whether they like it or not.

On teachers’ pensions the NUT has submitted a paper on scheme membership. This would include supply teachers in those who can join the scheme. The Working Longer Review set up by the government has met twice. The Report includes a summary of responses submitted by unions. An 11,000 responses Joint Union Survey (ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NUT, VOICE) was objected to by the NASUWT and so this evidence cannot be included in the report. The three DfE working parties, as part of this review, are likely to report soon and it is believed there will be some helpful suggestions.

The NUT submitted oral evidence to the STRB on 9 February. Evidence included restoring real pay, improving recruitment and retention, arguments in favour of a £2000 flat rate increase, restoration of pay reference points, opposition to stepping down and opposition to extending pay flexibilities.

We discussed Conference motions and proposed some amendments including a suggestion for a need to combine amendments on workload, teacher shortage and funding (Motion 9).

Pay negotiations in sixth form colleges – we agreed to accept the pay offer of 1% payable for full year from 1 September 2015 and to increase the shadow scales being used for transition to the new structure by the same amount.

We agreed to ratify the Trade Union Recognition Agreement for AAT (Aspirations Academies Trust). It is not a helpful academy but it was felt better to have a recognition agreement than no recognition agreement. It should not be taken to mean that we either agree with academies or with this particular academy chain. National Executive 25 February The minutes were agreed. The accounts are looking good although it is very early on in the year. In he General Secretary’s report Christine recommended members to see and publicise the Edukid video. Christine led a delegation to Turkey which she said was quite harrowing. She reported that the Steve Sinnott Foundation will bring teachers over from Sierra Leone. There are still major issues in Columbia which the Union continues to have concerns about. Christine said that the majority of sexual assaults which allegedly have been committed by newly arrived refugees in Germany had now been proven to be untrue. The NUT would continue to campaign against The Trade Union Bill and will work closely with the TUC in terms of its implementation.

The Deputy General Secretary, Kevin Courtney, gave a brief update on the Small Heath dispute which is ongoing and the potential for further strike action. In relation to the sixth form college dispute Nicky Morgan is saying our ballot and dispute is illegal which we had anticipated but have been taking legal advice throughout from John Hendy. The year two and year six assessments are unreasonable and we are actively campaigning for their cancellation.

The Standing Committees and SFC reports were all received. We also received a report on Unite from the meetings in both June and October.

Urgency reports were received from Professional Unity Committee where we approved the motion to Conference. The Urgency Report from the officers related to amendments to Annual Conference for motions 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 27 and 58, which was agreed. Education and Equalities urgency we approved Conference motion amendments to 30, 31, 32. SSECR urgency – we agreed amendments to motion 9 and 49. O and M urgency – we agreed the winners of the National Representative and Officer of the Year awards. An objection was received from Roger King and Betty Joseph in respect of the Cuba delegation. The Committee had said that the delegates should pay for themselves. The objection said that the Committee needs to re-look at this proposal. The objection was carried. There was a general motion from Annette Price and Ian Murch on transphobia. It was proposed by Annette with Ian seconding on the basis that this was an important issue and it was important that it got debated. An objection in the name of Max Hyde and Dave Harvey deleted all after ‘free speech’ and added some at the end. The phrase ‘the Executive does not condone hate speech’ was therefore deleted as was ‘the Executive resolves to condemn this attitude and discourage any involvement of anyone as a guest speaker, with similar views, from NUT events that are controlled by the National Union HQ’. This was in relation to media figures such Germaine Greer who claimed that transgender women aren’t women. The objection added ‘the Executive believes that it is necessary for a discussion about transphobia to take place in LGBT Advisory Committee, Gender Advisory Committee and Equalities Committee and that the Union’s policy to challenge transphobia be brought back to the Executive through appropriate channels.’ This was carried very largely as was the amended motion.

The next meeting of the Executive is 16 and 17 March 2016 at Hamilton House.

Graham White February 2016