Voice Community conference Saturday 19 June 2021

Theme: The Futurefacing are you of Educationissues what matter no corner your in union A The programme

Welcome – Voice Section President Joy Rowley

Presentation of annual report

Installation of new officers

Roy Rickhuss – Community General Secretary

Keynote speech – Baroness Doreen Lawrence

Panel discussion and Q&A – Martin Hodge, Senior Professional Officer Voice Community – Education Policy,

Kaisra Khan Chair of English Executive Committee – Voice Section of Community,

Dr Noel Purdy Director for research in educational underachievement Stranmillis University College Belfast

and Northern Ireland Executive Committee and

Peter Kyle MP – Shadow Schools Minister.

Chair: Voice Section President Chris Wilson

Vote of thanks from Vice President Teresa Bottomley

Close of conference. Biographies

Roy Rickhuss CBE Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE – General Secretary Baroness Doreen Lawrence was awarded the OBE for Roy is a lifelong trade services to community relations in 2003 and since then unionist, first joining one she has been made a life peer in the in of Community’s founding 2013. She has won praise for her tireless dedication to unions in 1979, and has community, anti-racism and other causes close to her been General Secretary heart and she was recently named the most powerful of Community trade union woman in the country by the BBC. since 2013. He represents Her spirit and resilience and demand for a better way have Community on the TUC General genuinely changed an institution at the core of British life. Council and is the President of the General Federation of Trade Unions. Doreen Lawrence continues to advocate and provide a voice for He was invited to join the government’s Industrial Strategy the voiceless with her continued commitment to inequalities in societies globally and Council in 2018, and in the 2019 he was supports many good causes and travels initiatives that provide opportunities to young awarded a CBE for services to the steel industry. people that were tragically denied to her son Stephen by his senseless murder in 1993.

Her efforts in seeking justice for Stephen’s murder has seen her on-going commitment lead to an investigation into claims of police corruption and, for her, the changes in policing remain ‘only partly done’ in her wish to see Britain become a fairer, just and tolerant society for all.

Despite setbacks in her campaign, Baroness Lawrence is able to inspire an example of leadership as a powerhouse of courage, quietly persuading young people to have the confidence to overcome the barriers and hurdles that they face in life.

Following 22 years as the Founding Trustee and President of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, she stepped down to establish the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation where she is continuing to provide ‘a legacy of hope’ for young people, in particular boys of colour and disadvantaged communities with educational opportunities, community cohesion and career advancement. Biographies

Joy Rowley – Voice Section, President Teresa Bottomley – Voice Section, Vice President I became a teacher as a second career after deciding that I wanted a more rewarding I joined (PAT) Voice in 1976; my mum career than sitting in an office. I have was already a member because we were worked mainly in special schools across a both inspired by a local activist. During range of ages. a recruitment drive to set up a network of student representatives by National I have been a member of Voice for most Officers, I joined the Student Executive of my teaching career. I initially attended Committee as the representative for my annual conferences and from my contacts teacher training college. I also a became an there became involved as a Field Officer, initially in Warwickshire and now in Yorkshire and active member of the local Federation. the North East since relocating in 2005. I have continued to be an active Committee member of my current local Federation. I have been a member of Voice Council for about 9 years. During I am honoured to be President and I am looking forward to working with the that time I have been a member of various Committee’s of Council, including other National Officers to lead the union. Volunteers’, Events, Employment and Personnel and Finance at different times. I am also a member of the England Executive Committee, this is one of the vital links that enables its members to discuss issues that only pertain to the English education system, just like its counterparts for the other three devolved nations.

I have also been National Chairman of Voice. This time I am instead Vice President of our Voice Section within the Community Union. I am committed to ensuring that our full transfer into Community continues to be based upon Voice Community’s values, and awareness of the concerns of our members within the field of education.

I currently teach children with special needs part time in a primary school. Biographies

Chris Wilson – Voice Section, Incoming President Martin Hodge, Senior Professional Officer, Voice Community – I have been a committed trade unionist since age Education Policy 17 (a long time ago now), and I have represented Northern Ireland Voice members on National Martin qualified as a teacher of Council, and have served on a number of national Music at Birmingham Central committees, including: Events, Volunteers and (as University 2001 and subsequently Vice President), Employment and Personnel and worked in secondary schools in Finance Committee as well as serving alongside the East Midlands teaching Music, other National Officer colleagues. Drama and Performing Arts and ICT. Martin always had a passion for helping I re-established the Northern Ireland Executive others and when the opportunity came to Committee, and currently chair the same. I combine my Voice work for Voice the Union he eagerly applied. Community role with church ministry (in a lovely rural setting) and part-time tutoring Martin is the Senior Professional Officer for the Voice Sector (mainly History) and various bits and pieces of other trade union work as presidential of Community Union which has recently involved leading the and professional responsibilities allow. union’s response to the Coivd-19 pandemic, providing advice and interpreting official guidance for colleagues and members as well as providing policy response to the Government. He is involved Peter Kyle MP – Shadow Schools Minister in surveying members to inform and drive policy decision and to Peter Kyle is the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade since reflect those decisions in the stakeholder groups he represents the 2015, the Shadow Minister for Schools since May 2021 union on. Over the past seven years Martin has worked closely and the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups with Government and other stakeholders on projects including the on Further Education and Lifelong Learning. Peter 2016 independent report in reducing teacher workload. overcame difficulties with severe dyslexia to return https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-teacher- to school aged 25 and achieve a PhD in community workload-marking-policy-review-group-report economic development from Sussex University. Prior to his election Peter was head of youth employment charity Martin lives in the East Midlands. He is married to a deputy head Working for Youth and chair of governors of Brighton and has three sons. Aldridge Community Academy. Biographies

Kaisra Khan, Chair of England Executive Dr Noel Purdy MA, MA (Ed.), MEd, PhD, PGCE, Committee, Voice Section of Community PGCCET, SFHEA, FLF, FCMI, CMgr

After successfully completing my PGCE Dr Noel Purdy is Director of Research and at Leicester University, I started teaching Scholarship and Head of Education Studies secondary science in various state schools at Stranmillis University College, where in Leicester. I have experience in both he is also Director of CREU (the Centre for middle and senior leadership roles. Research in Educational Underachievement). He lectures at undergraduate and I am most passionate about inspiring postgraduate level and has a particular research others to be great classroom teachers, who interest in educational underachievement, special can motivate and inspire young people to reach educational needs and tackling bullying in schools. beyond their set targets. I have held the position of He studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University before co-ordinator of teaching and learning to drive change through coaching and teaching French and German in two post-primary schools (one all-ability, one mentoring training courses. I also enjoyed my role of Community Cohesion grammar) in Northern Ireland. He has also taught in Germany and Switzerland. co-ordinator, which provided opportunities to broaden minds. He has been the northern co-chair of the all-Ireland Standing Conference on Having completed almost 40 yrs in teaching, I still love my craft. I teach Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS) since 2016. He is a member in an autism special school, which is very rewarding. However, in my spare and former chair of the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF 2013- time, I am vice chair of governors in a special school & I am on the Council of 2016) and was President of NASEN in Northern Ireland (2014-2016). Recent the Voice Section of Community Union; I am the Chair of English Executive research projects include a two-year Erasmus+ project working with 4 other EU Council too. Almost 7 years ago, I represented this union to help set up the partners to address cyberbullying in schools, a study of parental experiences of Chartered College of Teaching, which is our professional body. I have been an the SEN system in Northern Ireland funded by NICCY, two surveys of parental Ofsted inspector as well. experiences of lockdown home-schooling in Northern Ireland in 2020 and 2021, and a report on loyalist and republican former prisoners’ attitudes to educational underachievement. He is Deputy Editor of Pastoral Care in Education - An International Journal of Personal, Social and Emotional Development. He chaired the Expert Panel on Educational Underachievement (established by Northern Ireland Education Minister Peter Weir) whose final report and action plan A Fair Start was launched on 1 June 2021. Useful links

EXPERT PANEL ON EDUCATIONAL UNDERACHIEVEMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND

A Fair Start – Final Report and Action Plan a fair start.

FINAL REPORT & ACTION PLAN MAY 2021

April 2021 Educational Underachievement in Northern Ireland Review of Research 2021 CREU Review of Research 2021

Jonathan Harris, Noel Purdy, Glenda Walsh, Sharon Jones & Anne Rowan

NORTHERN IRELAND SURVey OF PARENTs/CARERS ON Home-schooling during THE covid-19 crisis Home Schooling Report 2021 – CREU 2021

Noel Purdy, Jonathan Harris, Jill Dunn, Ken Gibson, Sharon Jones, Bronagh McKee, John McMullen, Glenda Walsh, Mark Ballentine

The Future of Education – Voice Community A union in your corner no matter what issues you are facing

Friday 30 Julywww.voicetheunion.org.uk 2021