Report February 2017

THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

FEBRUARY 2017 £2.50

Strengthening our

voice

The ATL and NUT general secretaries address members’ hopes and fears around the new union JOIN THE DEBATE

A SKILL FOR LIFE

How to encourage listening and communication in all children

PROFILE

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

PTA UK’s Emma Williams on engaging parents more in school life

FINAL WORD

A PATH TO EMPATHY

Author Bali Rai on how fiction can create deeper understanding

—

So advanced you’ll only ever touch the surface Our latest Android powered operating system has been designed to reflect the tablet interfaces that we are all familiar with, allowing you to simply turn on and teach.

The Clevertouch touchscreen can dramatically enhance your classroom dynamic. Bursting with full ad-free versions of your favourite apps, as well as a comprehensive software package for lesson building and collaboration, all for free for the life of the product, Clevertouch is the full solution.

The Intuitive Digital Experience Made for Education

#clevertouch

Manufacturer of the Year

clevertouch.co.uk | +44 (0)20 8319 7777 | info@clevertouch.co.uk

Contents 18 GUIDE

UPFRONT

4 UPDATE

ATL warns against pursuing grammar school plans, and comments on the unfair funding formula

7 AGENDA

Strategies to improve the communication skills of all children

19 JOIN THE DEBATE

Politics affects every part of our lives and should be taught in schools

Mary Bousted on why she wants you to vote yes to a bigger, stronger union

9

WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND

Rachel Curley on better identification of children who need more support, and Mark Langhammer on working closely with all unions

30

FINAL WORD

Author Bali Rai on the ways fiction can help develop empathy in young people

F E AT U R E S

10

NEW UNION

General secretaries Mary Bousted, of ATL, and Kevin Courtney, of the NUT, answer the key questions on the new union, while ATL members from various sectors explain why they support it

16

PROFILE

Executive director of PTA UK Emma Williams calls for better engagement with parents

Report is the magazine from ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD Tel 020 7930 6441 Fax 020 7930 1359 Email report@atl.org.uk or membership@atl.org.uk Website www.atl.org.uk Editors Alex Tomlin and Charlotte Tamvakis Report is produced and designed for ATL by Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH Tel 020 3771 7200 Email info@thinkpublishing.co.uk Sub-editor Justine Conway Art editor George Walker Designer Alix Thomazi Advertising sales Michael Coulsey or Anthony Bennett 020 3771 7200 Account manager Kieran Paul Managing director Polly Arnold

Y O U R AT L

21-29

Use the USEFUL CONTACTS to get in touch; get expert LEGAL ADVICE on getting leave to care for a dependant; read other MEMBERS’ VIEWS; complete the PRIZE CROSSWORD to win a £50 M&S voucher; get the latest union events and info in NOTICEBOARD; plus newsletters for support staff, independent members and those working in FE in RESOURCES

ATL accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication.

While every reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, ATL can give no assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances.

The views expressed in articles in Report are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect ATL policy. Official policy

statements issued on behalf of ATL are indicated as such. All rights reserved.

Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of ATL.

Welcome SHELAGH HIRST, ATL NATIONAL PRESIDENT

As an educator and active trade unionist, over the years I have appreciated more and more the importance and value of working together with colleagues to strengthen our collective voice on the issues that matter the most to us. This has proved invaluable in workplaces, local authorities, multi-academy trusts and at a national level, both for the education profession and the students.

With the education sector facing uncertain times ahead, this is more important than ever before.

So it should come as no surprise that forward-thinking unions like ATL and the NUT have explored coming together to form a new, stronger union. A voice in our workplaces that speaks loud and clear would enable a whole-workplace approach in addressing issues of concern for support staff, teachers, lecturers, heads and principals, to the benefit of all staff and students. How could any Government ignore the concerns of an education union with almost 500,000 members? What a difference a stronger union would make to our profession and our students.

At the end of February, ballot papers will arrive on your doorstep and it is imperative that all eligible members cast their vote in deciding the future for ATL and its members. It is recommended you vote yes. Encourage colleagues to vote yes too. The ballot closes three weeks later, so don’t forget to return your ballot paper and make sure your vote counts.

Cover illustration: Jorge Martin

JOIN THE DEBATE…

report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

U P D AT E

PHOTO: PETER FOTHERGILL

“BACK OFF” FROM GRAMMARS Rather than extending opportunity to everyone, Government plans to expand grammar schools would create a two-tier system, ATL believes.

In its response to the Government’s consultation on its ‘Schools that Work for Everyone’ paper in December, ATL warned that the plans to allow selective schools to expand and new ones to open would write off most children at 11 and would not address the recruitment and retention crisis.

ATL’s response set out how improving social mobility through the expansion of grammar schools is not supported by evidence, and how the Government proposals do nothing to address the issues currently facing the profession. These include the crisis in recruitment and retention of teachers and leaders; the lack of funding resulting in certain subjects no longer being taught; the loss of support staff roles; and teachers’ crippling workloads.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “Faced with the overwhelming evidence from international sources, from research and from the effects of selection in England, a Government interested in evidence-based policy would back off from a bad idea. There is so much the Government could do to increase the educational attainment of poor pupils investing properly in early years education would be the best start.”

The Government also wants independent schools to support state schools, open new ones or offer funded places. Universities would be asked to sponsor or set up new schools in exchange for charging higher fees, while new faith free schools select up to 100% of pupils based on faith, making make sure they include pupils from different backgrounds.

ATL’s responses to consultations are at www.atl.org. uk/responses.

4 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017

Happy talk

0 ATL vice president Niamh Sweeney speaks to student and newly qualified members of ATL at a day of CPD addressing happiness and mental health issues

A restructure of key stage 3 is needed to reduce the stress experienced by pupils when they move up to secondary school This was the message from ATL policy adviser Anne Heavey, one of a range of speakers, including campaigner and writer Natasha Devon MBE, at a day of CPD for trainee and newly qualified members around mental health issues.

Around 40 members attended the ‘Happy2Learn’ event organised by ATL Future in Birmingham in December, where Heavey explained: “We know there is something really wrong with the way key stage 3 works. You get brilliant, excited, optimistic human beings leaving primary school, then they hit secondary school and something happens.”

Moving from primary school, where pupils have one teacher and one classroom, to

secondary, where they may have 14 teachers and are “bottom of the heap”, can be difficult for students, she added, before praising the model adopted by Stanley Park High School in south west London, which eases the transition by ensuring students have one tutor delivering most lessons in Years 7 and 8.

Devon spoke of how education reforms have seen students’ mental health get worse, because critical thinking and coping mechanisms such as sport, art, drama and music have been forced out of classrooms.

To find out more about ATL Future, see www.atl.org.uk/atlfuture.

To find out more about Stanley Park High School and other case studies, see www.acurriculumthatcounts.org.uk.

Minding the pensions gap Further raising the state pension age will see more people financially “fall down the gap” between retiring and receiving a state pension, ATL has cautioned.

It made the warning in its response to an independent review of the state pension age that will make its recommendations to the Government later this year.

ATL policy adviser Suzanne Beckley said: “Further raising state pension age (SPA) does not fit with people’s lives and finances; there exists a lot of mistrust of Government pension policy by the public after all the recent change. The normal pension age of public sector schemes should not be linked to the SPA.

“We are also worried about people ‘falling down the gap’. For many, there is a time lapse between finishing paid work for whatever reason – health, redundancy, a lack of part-time options, the reluctance to employ older workers, among others – and the date their state pension is payable.

“If SPA is increased, this time gap will widen and people whose incomes are not sufficient will start to spend savings to plug that gap. For those with savings, benefits may not be payable and will disincentivise saving, while for those without, the financial burden to the state is increased and the savings made by increasing the state pension age for that group are eroded.”

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

U P D AT E

Unfair funding formula Cuts to funding for schools in England will be worse than expected The new schools national funding formula was unveiled in December by education secretary Justine Greening, with the aim of addressing gaps in school funding between different geographical areas.

Despite the Conservative Party manifesto saying there will be a real-terms increase in the schools’ budget, the new funding formula will see 87% of schools experience real-terms cuts in Government funding between 2015-16 and 2019-20, while 98% of schools will have a real-terms loss in funding per pupil during the same period.

ATL believes that, although a new national funding formula can address disparities in funding between schools facing similar challenges, the total budget must be sufficient before there is a chance of being fair to all children.

Adrian Prandle, ATL’s director of economic strategy and negotiations, responded: “As the Government has not increased the overall pot for financing schools, this new schools funding formula will not give schools sufficient funding for children’s education.

“School budgets are already cut to the bone, with many schools already cutting staff. As the National Audit Office has confirmed, their costs have gone up by more than eight per cent because of increases in contributions to pensions and national insurance, and many will also have to pay the Government’s new apprenticeship levy.”

The funding formula is currently under consultation. The website www.schoolcuts. org.uk shows the impact of the formula on schools in England.

Branch first for independent members More than 1,300 ATL members working in schools run by the Girls Day School Trust (GDST) now have their own ATL branch – the first of its kind in the independent sector Kester Brewin, the ATL rep at Sydenham High School, London, and chair of the GDST staff side of the national joint consultative group, said: “This exciting new initiative emphasises the importance ATL attaches to workplace democracy.

“It is testament to the organisation and commitment of ATL members working in GDST schools. It will also help raise the profile of members in the independent sector on a more general level.”

John Richardson, ATL’s national official for the independent sector, said: “This reflects the strength of ATL membership in GDST schools, both in numbers and, more importantly, in the active role that members play in determining their terms and conditions.

“Members’ success is based on organisation, ATL recognition and a good relationship with the employer. The new branch is an acknowledgement of the value that ATL places on the relationship with GDST.” ATL is the recognised union speaking on behalf of all 3,400 GDST staff, teachers and support staff.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

Pay warning as crisis looms With a growing recruitment and retention crisis in teaching, ATL is calling for the Government to break the restraint on teachers’ pay and allow it to be set at a realistic level.

ATL contributed evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) as it considered its recommendation to the Government on teachers’ pay for 2017.

“In its last report, the STRB said if recruitment and retention didn’t improve, teachers would need an increase significantly higher than one per cent,” said ATL general secretary Mary Bousted. “Things have not got better. They have got worse.

“More teachers left the profession last year than in any previous year and the Government has again failed to fill initial teacher training places in 14 out of 18 subjects. Teachers’ pay is being outstripped by inflation and pay rises in the private sector.

“Now is the perfect time to break with imposing this level of restraint and allow the STRB to set teachers’ pay at a realistic level.”

RISE IN PAY PROGRESSION REFUSALS More teachers are being denied pay progression than ever before, a joint ATL and NUT survey has revealed The snapshot of teachers’ pay completed by 13,000 ATL and NUT members in November also shows that secondary teachers, teachers in academies, black and minority ethnic (BME) teachers and part-time teachers were all more likely to have been turned down for progression.

Among members eligible for progression, 21% of those notified of their pay decision by the time of the survey had been denied it, an increase from 19% in 2015. As in 2015, more secondary (21%) than primary teachers (18%) had been turned down, while teachers in academies were again more likely to have been denied progression than those in local authority-maintained schools.

Teachers from BME backgrounds were again more likely to have been denied progression. Asian/Asian British teachers were the group most likely to have been denied it (26%), ahead of black/black British teachers (23%). Eligible part-time teachers were more than twice as likely to be denied progression (38%) than their full-time colleagues (18%), an increase of six per cent since 2015.

ATL senior policy adviser Simon Stokes said: “ATL and the NUT warned that the Government’s proposed extension of PRP across all pay ranges – a ‘reform’ for which no equality impact assessment was conducted by the STRB or the DfE - would lead to discriminatory outcomes. The results of this and other surveys by the unions, along with Freedom of Information requests to individual employers since 2014, have since demonstrated the validity of our warnings.”

The survey also found that 79% of schools still use a six-point main pay scale and three-point upper scale, while less than six per cent said their school had moved away from this approach, suggesting the majority of schools do not want the flexibility to adopt different pay structures.

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 5

Inspire young people outside the classroom NCS is the country’s flagship youth engagement programme for 15-17 year olds and it needs you to help deliver an amazing journey this summer.

NCS is delivered by hundreds of grassroots organisations, so wherever you’re based in England or Northern Ireland, there will be a paid opportunity to make a difference and further develop your own skills.

Visit NCSYES.CO.UK/JOBS to find out more and search for the right opportunity for you.

AG E N DA

I WROTE THIS COLUMN at the start of 2017, on my first day back at work after the Christmas break.

When I think about the year ahead and what it could mean for ATL, I feel a variety of emotions – the predominant one being a sense of challenge. Because at the end of February, you, the ATL members, will be asked a very important question. Do you want your union to amalgamate with our sister union, the NUT, to form a new union – the National Education Union (NEU)?

I hope that you will vote yes to this proposal. And I want to give you my reasons why.

I have been general secretary of ATL for 12 years. In that time, I have seen the union grow in membership and in influence.

ATL has a track record of member protection, of policy-making and of political engagement that is second to none. ATL punches well above its weight and is a force to be reckoned with by other education stakeholders and the Government.

But if you, ATL members, were to ask me, have we honestly achieved enough for our membership, I would have to say no, we have not. And neither has any other education union.

In the past 12 years, I have witnessed the growing power of the Government and the diminishing of professional power and expertise of teachers, lecturers, school leaders and college managers. Too often, our concerns have been dismissed, our collective voice has been ignored and the profession has been punished as it has been required to implement the latest ill-considered whims of politicians.

The results of this cavalier approach by Labour, coalition and Conservative Governments are now clear. The country is facing a teacher supply crisis as graduates decide that they could do other things with their lives than work a 50-hour week on a low starting salary. Experienced teachers and lecturers are leaving the profession in droves as they come to the conclusion that their punishing workload, comprised of bureaucratic tasks that add not WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

The case for a new union ATL general secretary Mary Bousted urges you to vote yes to a new, stronger union one jot to the quality of their teaching, is not going to lessen or become manageable while the Government’s policy tsunami continues to break over their heads.

Remarkably, more than half of England’s teachers have less than 10 years’ experience in the classroom. The profession is being hollowed out by excessive and punishing workloads and unsustainable rates of change – which are not only devastating for schools and colleges but irreversibly damaging for our pupils and students.

It is this reality that led ATL’s Executive Committee to seriously consider what could be done to better protect you, the members, and the children, young people and adults you educate. One key conclusion was that old union adage: unity is strength. We need to join other like-minded professionals to become a stronger force, speaking up for and defending our profession.

The negotiations with the NUT have been long and complex. It is no easy task to contemplate the amalgamation of two unions with long and proud histories. But what

JOIN THE DEBATE… report@atl.org.uk

@ATLReport

facebook.com/ ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

we discovered through these intense negotiations was that much more unites than divides us.

Together, as the fourth-largest union in the TUC, our voice will be stronger. The NEU will, without doubt, be a force to be reckoned with. This is something Government ministers are well aware of, and concerned about.

Some members of ATL joined because they did not want to be part of the NUT, so it is understandable that they may feel uneasy about the two potentially merging. That is why it is important for members to realise the NEU will be neither the NUT nor ATL – it will be a new union, fit for the 21st century, with greater combined resources to do more for our members. The NEU will provide more support at work, more advice and guidance, more CPD close to the workplace, and more rigorous engagement with the Government to stop bad policy being imposed on education professionals.

The NEU will recruit and support all the current ATL membership – including support staff, FE lecturers, independent school members, and school and college leaders – all of whom would have their own committees, their own CPD and events, and their own dedicated professional staff to make sure their concerns and issues are clearly understood and taken forward.

No member of the NEU will be required to take industrial action if they do not want to. A conscience clause is written into rules to this effect. Nor will the NEU become engaged in frequent bouts of national industrial action.

The new union rules state that indicative ballots must be held before any action can be taken to ensure the widest support of members.

So much has changed in the world of education over the past 12 years that I am now convinced ATL must change too. This ballot is a once-in-a-generation chance to make a difference. I urge you to vote yes to forming the National Education Union.

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 7

Enhance your teaching with Pearson We are recruiting teachers to work as Examiners for our GCSE and GCE qualifications Benefits include: • Improve your understanding of assessment, as well as your subject knowledge.

• A defined career path; Team Leader roles and a range of senior examiner positions are available.

• Earn some extra money in a part-time role, alongside any fulltime commitments you may have- from the comfort of your own home.

• Network with like minded professionals in your field.

To find out further information, please visit www.edexcel.com/aa-recruitment

THE VIEW FROM… WALES / NORTHERN IRELAND

Wales

Northern Ireland

RACHEL CURLEY

MARK LANGHAMMER

More stability is needed for allocating the PDG

What will the proposed new union mean in Northern Ireland?

WHEN CABINET SECRETARY Kirsty Williams took up post in June 2016, she was tasked by the First Minister with expanding the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG). Since then, she has announced her intention to double the Early Years Pupil Deprivation Grant. Williams wants the PDG to remain key in driving up standards for our poorest pupils.

ATL Cymru welcomes the continued commitment to this essential funding stream for schools in Wales.

However, we worry about how it is used and allocated as too many children fall in and out of eligibility

on a regular basis. We are therefore arguing the use of the Ever 6 seems a fairer way of capturing children who are eligible for free school meals, which are widely used as the measure for deprivation. Using the Ever 6 in Wales, as happens in England with pupil premium funding, would allow stability for schools in Wales, providing longer-term funding and would mean that parents don’t need to apply every year.

ATL Cymru has been clear that adopted children need extra support and should be eligible for the Ever 6. The issues in terms of achievement and well-being do not end the day children leave the care system.

If the Ever 6 captured those children who have previously been looked after, the funding could be devolved to schools and interventions could be planned for the following six years.

The allocation of the PDG should be based on those children who are eligible through their circumstances, not on the school’s ability to obtain consent for the child to have free school meals.

AS THE ATL MEMBERSHIP prepares to cast votes on the proposed new union, what effects will that have in Northern Ireland?

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) does not organise or recruit in Northern Ireland but does have a partnership with the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU) and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).

Members will be aware that ATL has worked closely with UTU and INTO in recent years, within the Northern Ireland Teachers Council, on policy matters and, most recently, in balloting members for industrial action in relation to the pay dispute. ATL, UTU and INTO have long promoted the concept of ‘teacher unity’ and are committed to working closely to achieve the best pay, terms and conditions for members.

That collaboration has spread to joint training for union officials and joint CPD for members, which have become more commonplace.

One change can make a difference ATL’s work-life campaign is already having a positive impact in improving workload in schools and colleges. n Share

using #make1change the one thing you would change to improve your work-life balance

n Use

our work-life tracker to track your working hours and analyse what drives your workload

n Check

Time to tackle workload WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

out our help and advice on managing your workload better

www.atl.org.uk/abouttime #make1change

If ATL members choose to form a new National Education Union, what will that mean, in practice, in Northern Ireland? For ATL it will mean a better resourced offer to members, better legal support, better membership benefits and all the economies of scale associated with a membership base of close to half a million educators. Our collaborations with UTU and INTO will be accelerated and the goal of teacher unity will be pressed ever more firmly.

Facing austere education budgets throughout this Assembly mandate, there is really no alternative but to work with our colleagues in UTU and INTO for the safety and security of our members.

it’s about time...

make 1 change ATL’S WORK-LIFE CAMPAIGN

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 9

SPOTLIGHT ON… NEW UNION

Uniting in strength

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted and NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney answer important questions on the upcoming ballot to form the National Education Union

PHOTOS: DANNY FITZPATRICK; ILLUSTRATION: JORGE MARTIN

Q

WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE NEW UNION WILL ACHIEVE? MARY BOUSTED: At the moment, education unions do a good job for their members. But look at what’s happened to teachers’ pay, and the exodus from the profession in the past few years. Divided, we haven’t been able to stop initiative after initiative, and that’s had a cumulative effect on the profession.

Teaching has become a profession that is hard to think about doing for life. The key reasons are endemic overwork, pressure and stress. Most teachers and lecturers like being in the classroom, spending time with pupils and students, but when it is overwhelmed by bureaucracy and regular 60-hour weeks, the job isn’t worth doing.

We need a stronger, collective voice to do that. I’m very proud of ATL; Kevin is very proud of the NUT, but we’re both now saying to our members we want you to come with us on this journey. We want fewer education professionals leaving exhausted and demoralised; we want education to be a profession you can stay in for the long term, with good working conditions and good rates of pay.

KEVIN COURTNEY: Teachers and many other education staff are highly qualified people, yet they have a system of assessment imposed on them they don’t agree with, and a system of inspection

“THE NEW UNION WILL GIVE EDUCATION THAT VITAL INFLUENCE WITH POLITICIANS ” 10 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017

they have no faith in. The fact that teachers aren’t listened to about these fundamental things is where the problem of workload comes from. Mary is right – both our unions are doing a good job, but we’re looking to do something more together than we have been able to do individually.

Q

WHY A NEW UNION AND WHY NOW? MB: It’s so important all education professionals have one place that they can speak with one voice. This will be the National Education Union (NEU). The largest part of it will be teachers, but we will also have FE lecturers, school leaders, college managers and support staff. Everybody who works in a school and college will have a place in the NEU. KC: I’ve thought for a long time that we need one union. Now, with the break-up of education into academies, with decisions being made at individual school level, all education staff need a voice both on the national stage and at school level.

Being united makes the voices of education professionals stronger. The NEU will be by far the biggest education union in Britain, in Europe.

the DfE are already considering what a force we are going to be. If we achieve the NEU it will be a game-changer in terms of a union for education professionals.

KC: The new union won’t be ATL or the NUT. It will be new and it will develop its own voice. We want the new union to genuinely represent all education professionals – support staff, leaders and those working in FE and independent schools.

Q

WHAT WILL THE NEW UNION’S APPROACH BE? MB: In unions, leverage requires legitimacy, and a large part of legitimacy is how many members you have and who you speak for. A union that speaks for more than 450,000 members – well, that figure alone makes a huge difference. But behind this number, working together, we’ll have a big policy unit, a big research department, a big communications department; we’ll have the capacity to involve a wide range of members’ voices in policy-making. Government ministers and WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

Q

“WE’RE LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING MORE TOGETHER THAN WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INDIVIDUALLY ”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO MEMBERS WHO ARE WORRIED THEIR VOICES WILL BE LOST IN A NEW UNION – FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE WORKING IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS? KC: When I was NUT branch secretary in Camden, I represented members in independent schools on many occasions. It’s vital the new union understands the different pressures on members in independent schools and can effectively represent them.

Independent school teachers will have a valued and valuable part in the new union. Combined, NUT’s and ATL’s independent membership will increase by as much as 50%, which, far from losing voice, will give it a louder one.

I am really committed to a union that represents members in every part of education.

through and continues to go through a tsunami of policy changes. The sector is facing the biggest challenges now with the new funding regime and the area reviews, a casualised workforce and lots of zero-hours contracts.

KC: There needs to be a huge voice for sixth form colleges and FE, to defend that crucial sector of education.

Q

Q

WHAT ABOUT THOSE WORKING IN POST-16 EDUCATION? MB: For the last 10 years, FE has been

AND SUPPORT STAFF? KC: The NUT has for some time been a union for qualified teachers only,

and some people may think we don’t value the role of teaching assistants (TAs), but that is far from being true we have members working as TAs. For so long now, TAs have been a vital part of the education team; all teachers believe that. We’re getting so many messages from NUT members in Durham asking how they can stand up for the TAs there who are being treated badly.

Q

AND, FINALLY, LEADERS? MB: We want the union to be for all members at every stage of their career, and we want to support members who go into leadership to do it well. We recognise it’s a really difficult job to do. The new union will have treble the number of leadership members – that immediately becomes a huge force.

KC: I think the Government is asking the impossible of leaders in education.

We need to support leaders to be able to manage in a way that doesn’t create workload. One union that represents the whole workforce can see the workload drivers and speak out about the pressures on leaders.

MB: All these sections of membership will have dedicated staff, their committee, the right to bring motions to Annual Conference; they will retain their own conference.

Q

ISN’T THE NUT A MILITANT UNION? KC: I don’t think of the NUT as militant. I think it’s a union that tries to speak out for teachers. The new union will operate under new industrial relations rules, where you can only take action if 50% of the electorate have taken part in the ballot and 40% of the entire electorate have voted yes.

Any industrial action that meets those criteria will be action that members really want to take – you don’t get those figures easily. Where teacher unions are most united there is often less industrial action, because they can get their voices heard in other ways.

Q

IS THIS REALLY AN NUT TAKEOVER

BY ANOTHER NAME? MB: If it was an NUT takeover, we wouldn’t have all the guarantees we’ve agreed – preserving rights for support staff, independent, FE and AMiE for leaders. No member of the NEU will be required to take industrial action if WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 11

3

SPOTLIGHT ON… NEW UNION

“DON’T RELY ON OTHER PEOPLE TO DO IT. IF YOU WANT A STRONGER UNION, VOTE FOR IT ”

they do not want to; a conscience clause is written into the rules, which also state indicative ballots must be held before any action can be taken to ensure the widest support of members. We will also have joint general secretaries until 2023.

KC: Most union amalgamations happen because one union is in financial difficulty and needs to amalgamate to survive. That’s not the case here. We’re both robust in terms of finances and membership. It’s not cowering together in weakness, it’s joining together in strength.

MB: The most effective way of making sure ATL and its values play an important part in the new union is for members to be involved in it.

Q

WHAT WILL THE NUT BRING TO THE NEW UNION? KC: The NUT has a network of activists, which, because we’re bigger, is stronger. But we can combine our networks to cover more workplaces to ensure more education staff have immediate access to a trained person from the NEU. The NUT is proud of having seats on its Executive for disabled, black and minority ethnic and LGBT-plus teachers WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

– having these voices ensures issues won’t be ignored, and we’re very pleased that the new union will have those reserved seats as well.

People might not know the NUT is not party political affiliated and never has been. We do have a political fund that we use to influence politicians of all parties.

It’s important to maintain relationships with MPs from all political parties, to exert influence wherever we can, to get member voices heard in Parliament.

The new union will have even more resources to give education that vital influence with politicians.

Q

WOULD YOU WELCOME OTHER UNIONS TO BECOME PART OF THE NEU? MB: Both ATL and the NUT believe that if we had one education union speaking for all education professionals, it would be an even greater force to be reckoned with. We’ve made a great start but we invite all the other unions to come on this journey with us too.

KC: The move we’re making is a huge step towards there being one education union. We are open to other unions talking with us about that.

JOIN THE DEBATE… report@atl.org.uk

@ATLReport

facebook.com/ ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

Q

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO MEMBERS NOW, AS THEY ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE THEIR BALLOT PAPERS? MB: If you want a stronger voice, if you want a National Education Union, it’s a minute’s work to fill in the ballot paper. Don’t rely on other people to do it. If you want your voice heard, vote.

KC: You need a union that will speak up and you can start by speaking up to vote for it. Please use your voice and vote yes.

Your vote, your future With the ballot on the new union about to begin, ATL members from different roles and sectors have their say

ATL Future member LAURA HUSSEY, 24, a newly qualified health and social care teacher at a secondary school, Buckinghamshire “If I wasn’t an ATL member, I wouldn’t know about many big issues. Being in a union is really important when there are so many challenges in education at the moment. And with those challenges, I fully support a new union.

Our unions, a lot of the time, are singing from the same hymn sheet. We want what is best for pupils and we come across the same obstacles to achieving this. Together, we would have a bigger voice putting across our ideas to the Government. We can do more as one. We can share ideas and expertise to create a union that is bigger and better than the one we have now.

There will definitely be a few challenges.

Long-standing members of ATL and the NUT may be concerned about change and the loss of culture; they may feel it isn’t their union anymore. But without acting now to protect us, the newest teachers, we will leave the profession - and where will that leave our pupils? We must look to the future.”

3 FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 13

Helping you implement the new D&T GCSE in Sept 2017 CPD – Spring term 2017 Ensure your schools’ training programme is in place.

What’s happening and where

Book places on our exciting programme of CPD for 2017.

Image copyright of Redpix

D&T Summer School 6th & 7th July 2017, De Montfort University Two-day event to support teachers implementing the new D&T GCSE, develop subject knowledge and pedagogical skills.

The Textiles Industry: A Focus on High Performance Textiles & Footwear 2017 10th & 11th April 2017, De Montfort University Exciting residential course which will expand your textiles knowledge on materials and material properties, differences between fashion and hightech fabrics and the diversity of careers.

Planning to teach the new GCSE in design and technology Course runs: London 23/03, Liverpool 02/13, Nottingham 28/02, Plymouth 21/03

Electronics and Programmable Components for KS3 & GCSE Course runs: West Midlands 08/02, Nottingham 09/05

£195 (members) and £250 (non members) – per person per day If you can’t find your required course at a venue near you, please contact us.

Hosting a course at your school may be an option.

For more information go to www.data.org.uk, or call us on 01789 470007 or email on events@data.org.uk

Resources to support GCSE D&T Find over 300 resources on our website to help support D&T teaching Many items are free to D&T Association members. We stock books, CDs, DVDs as well as downloads covering all aspects of Design and Technology. Here is just a sample:

Preparing a GCSE Scheme of Work Are you ready for the new D&T GCSE? Members – £118.50 Non-members – £162.00 Seven CPD resources including a scheme of work for a five-year course and a number of ‘tools for change’ to help address all aspects of the new D&T GCSE. Includes contextual challenge, control systems, choosing materials, new technologies and generating design ideas.

Projects on a Page – six additional primary planners A national scheme of work for design and technology at KS1 and 2 Members – £19.98 Non-members – £30.00 Six additional planners to supplement the original fifteen Projects on a Page. Two can be taught as alternatives to existing planners and each should be read alongside Side 2 of the equivalent planners in the original scheme of work.

Look out for CPD on: • Subject Lleadership • Teaching STEM • Iterative design process • Planning schemes of work for KS3 & GCSE • Engineering workshops

Iterative Designing in Action Critical to students’ understanding of the process of good design Members – £99.00 Non-members – £123.00 A flexible collection of CPD resources to support key aspects of the new D&T curriculum.

SPOTLIGHT ON… NEW UNION

Your vote, your future SIMON HOLLAND, geography teacher and rep at a Nottingham sixth form college “I joined ATL more than 12 years ago. In the sixth form sector, we have faced huge funding cuts leading to restructures, redundancies and cost savings, which increase workload and often set back professionalism.

The constant year-to-year funding crisis makes long-term planning – vital to the sustainability of the sector – very difficult, as there is no certainty.

Trying to engage and organise members is difficult when they are under so much workload pressure. A new union with a louder voice may allow us to finally get the message across to the Government, media and society that there is a looming education crisis.

None of the education unions are currently making the case loudly enough, despite all our best efforts. As well as making our voice louder, pooling our resources in matters such as recruiting members will save lots of time.

Our size should encourage more education professionals to join up, strengthening the union further.”

RICHARD VANSTONE, ATL branch secretary for Bath and north east Somerset “Independent members’ support and profile would be enhanced through the new union, not only through structures such as a dedicated committee, a conference and seats on Executive for independent members, but also by combining the two unions’ independent memberships.

As a rep, I found undertaking union work alongside teaching placed a lot of demands on my time. In a new union, I’d look forward to ATL and NUT reps coming together as a team to give the broadest support on workplace issues, union learning, and health and safety.

The new union would also make a difference in providing support and advice on issues that matter most in the independent sector – such as compliance over safeguarding and boarding, workload and performance management procedures.

No strike action in the new union would be called until an indicative ballot has been held to demonstrate strength of feeling, and no members will be forced to go on strike. You can’t be called to go on strike over issues that don’t directly affect your terms and conditions.”

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

ANNE MILLIS, primary school principal, Belfast “I have been a member of ATL for 26 years. In Northern Ireland, we face the same issues as England, with budgets cuts and lack of investment, and we have heavy workloads that limit the time members have to get active in the union.

A new union would bring together members across every role, in every workplace, to look for positive ways forward for themselves and their pupils. And, of course, having more members strengthens our voice and influence with decision-makers.

At a time when cuts have affected CPD budgets, a new union would bring together the resources and experience to provide learning and development for members.

Of course, any change creates uncertainty.

Some members will feel unsure about losing our identity and will be concerned they will need to be more ‘militant’. A bigger union does not have to mean ‘militant’, indeed a larger membership brings a stronger voice that needs to be heard and does not need to take action unless it’s the very last resort.”

KATHRYN BOOTH, teaching assistant at a maintained primary school, Dorset “I joined ATL in 2001. I appreciate its clear, reasoned, informed voice and its wholeworkforce approach. The support given to the Durham teaching assistants (TAs) and development and promotion of professional standards for TAs is indicative of ATL’s attitude.

There are so many challenges in education.

The shortage of and retention of teachers, workload, the difficulties facing new heads, the lack of a national pay structure, and sufficient access to CPD for support staff are just a few. Underpinning this are cutbacks in funding. These issues detract from our ability to do our best for children and they impact on the most vulnerable pupils.

We have a lot in common with NUT members.

A new union would give us additional negotiating strength at all levels, making it more likely that disputes can be resolved at an earlier stage before resorting to ballots for strike action. As an important sector in the new union, support staff would benefit and would be able to build on the positive relationships we have already created through ATL. As the largest education union, we would ensure that Government takes our concerns seriously. We would all benefit from an increased number of active members.

Education needs a united voice.”

ED LOFT, chair of ATL’s Further Education Sector Advisory Group “The current education climate in FE, with area reviews, cuts to funding, stagnant pay and redundancies, has led ATL to consider how best to support and represent you. A larger union would combine resources, enhance support and advice, and strengthen our voice.

It would have a bespoke section for post-16 members, complete with a dedicated conference and committee, a guaranteed seat on Executive, plus six guaranteed places and a motion at Annual Conference. ATL has always taken a collegiate approach, and in the post-16 sector, ATL and the NUT have worked together to secure the stability and progress of teachers’ pay and conditions in sixth form colleges, finally succeeding in our campaign to gain parity with school teachers.

Creating a new union from two already successful and influential unions gives us a once-in-a-generation chance to bring together our diverse strengths to work together to support each other and our students.”

HELEN PORTER, member of ATL’s leadership section, AMiE “I’ve been an ATL and then AMiE member for 34 years. A new union will provide even more opportunities for our leadership members – a dedicated section for leaders and managers; more policy research and campaigns; more support, advice and CPD; and a stronger voice in the education debate through conferences and events designed specifically for them.

For the independent sector in particular, with increasing workloads, stagnating pay and problems with the recruitment and retention of staff, a new union would strengthen our influence both in schools and with decisionmakers. ATL already works closely with the NUT on policy development and campaigns, such as over keeping independent sector teachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

The best way for ATL to retain its core values and culture in a new union is for more ATL members to get involved in shaping the future.”

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 15

Parents as

PARTNERS Emma Williams, CEO of PTA UK, speaks to Charlotte Tamvakis about parent-teacher relations in schools “SAY ‘PTA’ AND you’ll think of the Christmas or summer fair. They’re important – but they’re not all of what parent engagement is or could be,” says Emma Williams, CEO of charity PTA UK. “Parents play a very important role in their child’s education – all the research says so. Kids do better when parents are involved, yet parents are not supported or championed in terms of playing that role.”

PTA UK was set up just over 60 years ago by activist parents who wanted a voice in education and conversations between home and school. More recently, it has been known for its support of PTAs around the country, which largely focus on fundraising and community events.

But Williams is now taking it back to its roots.

“We’ve realised we want to be able to support parents in all the ways that they want to engage, and that this has changed over the years. While fundraising and community events are really important, they are not the only thing that parents should be doing. We want to engage, support and champion parents. I strongly believe that if parents were involved early on in conversations, both at school and Government level, then things would perhaps look quite different now,” she says.

Engagement is about “tooling parents up”, so they understand all the changes to education, what their role is and how important parents are in their child’s education. Support is in the form of guidance, advice and toolkits, which is already provided

via PTAs, but is being expanded.

Championing is through a top-down approach – talking to policy-makers and Government about listening to parents.

“The picture is very mixed. Some schools are doing the home-school relationship brilliantly, they really understand the value of the parent community, and the parent as stakeholder in their child’s education.

When that happens and there is a true partnership, it’s fantastic – but it’s patchy. There are other schools and heads where it isn’t so much of a priority because they have 20 million other priorities,” Williams explains.

“For many, a really useful starting point would be asking parents what communication with them should look like – how, why and when.

I heard recently about a school that decided it wanted to improve its communication with parents, so the school spent hours with the governing body and all the teachers on redesigning parents’ reports.

“After three terms doing this, they were really pleased with themselves, and they presented them to their parents’ council and the PTA parent group. But the parents were not happy at all. They didn’t understand it; they asked what all the charts meant.”

However, despite many a headteacher’s plea for one, she says there is no magic wand. “To do it well you have to know your parents, know how they wish to be communicated with, what their circumstances are, their availability, and what their worries and concerns are. As you would in any partnership.”

A recent PTA UK survey found that 85% of parents want the opportunity to have a say and to be involved in their children’s education.

“The schools that do it well involve parents in the discussion at the beginning, and that’s when you find that the teachers talk differently about their parental engagement. They talk about the parent being an asset, rather than being a barrier,” she says.

Then there’s the bigger picture – the education landscape and the changing circumstances of parents.

“From where we started 60 years ago, parents’ circumstances are very, very different. You have lots of families with two working parents, which means their engagement with the school has to be different,” Williams says.

“There are lots of blended families and families for whom the school isn’t local – there are many different considerations. I don't think the home-school relationship has necessarily been updated to take into account the pressures from the family side or from the school side. The challenges the teaching profession has faced in recent years have been immense, so maybe there has been less time to consider the home-school relationship, and little consideration at Government and policy level around the home-school relationship,” she adds.

“WHILE FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNITY EVENTS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY THING PARENTS SHOULD BE DOING. WE WANT TO ENGAGE, SUPPORT AND CHAMPION PARENTS ”

16 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

IN PROFILE… EMMA WILLIAMS

Another challenge for teachers is handling difficult conversations with parents. “I’ve heard some really good practice where teachers take a moment at the beginning of each term to introduce themselves and make sure the lines of communication are open, so they are kept informed and empowered,” says Williams.

“A lot of the problems parents have with the home-school relationship are around confidence and barriers because of their own experience in school life, and so it’s about reframing that. If a teacher and a school can break down these barriers and strengthen communication, they are much more likely to get the support they need and be able to have any difficult conversations.”

And what about how parents choose a school; about performance tables; Ofsted?

“In 2014 we were invited to a roundtable discussion chaired by the Education Select Committee in WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

the Houses of Parliament called ‘Empowering Parents’,” she explains.

“At first I thought: ‘this is really great, really interesting’; yet when we dug into it we found that nobody had talked to parents at all.”

The Open Public Services Network – based at the RSA to provide independent assessment of Government and public services performance data – was then invited

by Williams to use PTA UK’s network to find out what information parents actually use to choose a school.

"Unsurprisingly, they don't really care about performance tables,” Williams says. “Some do, but it’s really not a motivator. The biggest reasons are peer-to-peer – what other parents say – and visiting a school to get a feel for it themselves. Once they have done that, they do use Ofsted ratings, but it’s not an absolute.

“There seems to be a belief in policy circles that parents put a huge amount of store on Ofsted ratings,

2 Emma Williams wants to give parents a greater voice and support the role they play in their children's education

but actually my belief is that’s not true, and some of our research backs that up. They want a way to understand whether a school is performing well, and Ofsted is a simple way of doing this, but time and time again we hear that parents won’t make it a defining factor.”

She finds schools’ resulting preoccupation with Ofsted disappointing. “It’s not a criticism; it’s totally understandable. Teachers have so many pressures and it is really difficult for them. I hear it from schools all the time, that the ‘outstanding’ rating is not helpful because people just get so concerned with chasing it. Then once they’ve got it, they don’t want to do anything to displace themselves, and that this is quashing innovation.

“I truly believe that if schools had a much stronger relationship and partnership with their parents and their community that would give them the confidence to maybe think a little less about Ofsted.”

The media also has a role to play, she believes. “It has been much more interested in the parent-teacher relationship in the last 10 years. There is a lot of unhelpful commentary about the parent-teacher relationship in the press.”

Meanwhile, social media means many more people have a voice. “The whole communication piece has to be very different, and both schools and parents have to work out together how they’re going to do it effectively,” says Williams.

“When it’s done really well, and we come across great examples all the time, the headteacher and the governing body really do see the value of having parents as partners and there are usually pupils in that mix as well,” Williams says.

PTA UK is already well under way in its journey to this broader parent focus – with a newsletter, a new website, and a parents’ Facebook group. Next up are more resources and advice in 2017. “At the end of the day, parents want their children to be happy, healthy and do their best, but they often just need some support to do that.”

To find out more about PTA UK and how it can support schools, see www.pta.org.uk.

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 17

GUIDE

A foundation of good communication skills will benefit children in all areas of school life, says Mandy Grist of charity I CAN FAR TOO MANY CHILDREN are not ‘school ready’ according to the recent State of Education report from The Key. Even more concerning is that 78% of headteachers feel this is a result of children lacking the speech, language and communication skills they need.

Children’s language skills are widely recognised as crucial to later academic, social and emotional development – and to their wider life chances. Language is a fundamental life skill.

Evidence shows that children with good language skills do well academically, but also develop good social relationships, which mean they engage well with school.

Yet many children in the UK struggle to develop these essential skills. More than one million children have speech, language and communication needs that require long-term specialist help. Many more have delayed language, behind that of their peers, and need extra support to help them catch up.

Supporting the language skills of children in the classroom, and identifying those who are struggling is crucial.

Adopting communication-supportive practice into everyday teaching will ensure the best opportunities for children’s language skills to thrive.

Supportive practice F Teach the key behaviours behind ‘good listening’ and make it clear what you mean. Make time to practise and reinforce good listening behaviours such as looking at the speaker, sitting still and thinking about the topic being discussed. Remember, large amounts of background noise can make it much harder for children to listen to others.

F Help children to develop an awareness of when they don’t understand and promote a question-friendly environment that allows for clarification.

Spoken language runs through the school environment, so it is crucial that children are able to understand what they see and hear.

F Use questions effectively. Many teachers ask upward of 400 questions every school day and there is no doubt that questioning is a useful tool for checking children’s understanding. Careful, effective questioning can have a strong impact, ensuring understanding and providing the best opportunities for children to contribute. Closed questions also have their uses. For example, used as a quick test of factual recall. However, if you ask a closed question, could you ask a follow-up question? Will it take

Strategies such as these will benefit all children in your classroom. All children need strong language skills in order to thrive, however, there are some who need more.

Targeted interventions aimed at boosting children’s language skills such as Talk Boost KS2 can help those with delayed language to catch up with their peers, making learning in the classroom easier.

If we give children the opportunity to develop their language skills, they will improve in literacy, in their social development and their ability to engage in their learning.

Mandy Grist is the communication adviser for I CAN, the national children’s communication charity.

See www.ican.org.uk.

18 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

ALAMY

Communicating for life

thinking to a higher level? Consider the complexity of questioning and what information you want to get out of it.

F Allow adequate ‘thinking time’ to enable children to answer questions.

Establishing the expectation that there will be a quiet pause after asking a question, possibly combined with the ‘think-pair-share’ approach (think on your own for a few seconds; discuss with a partner; share your ideas with the class), will ensure children have enough time to plan their response. Some children need a long time to process information, plan what they want to say, and find the right words. How about having a ‘no hands up’ rule for 7-10 seconds after a question has been asked?

F Help children develop a deep understanding of words as this is an important part of building their vocabulary. They need to be able to learn both the meaning and the phonic makeup of a word. Explore meaning by asking questions such as: where do you find it, what do you do with it, what is it similar to, can you describe it? Think about the sounds in a word; what does it start with, what does it rhyme with? It has been well researched that children learn and remember words more effectively if they receive both semantic information and phonological information such as this.

Think about how vocabulary teaching forms part of the classroom environment - is key vocabulary for topics up on the wall? Visual supports can help children develop a more robust understanding.

F Monitor the communication skills of children in your class. Early identification results in the best outcomes for those who are struggling.

JOIN THE DEBATE TEACHING POLITICS

Getting political

Matteo Bergamini, the founder of Shout Out UK, offers advice on teaching politics in schools

WE LIVE IN A NATION that is eager to voice its opinion at the slightest chance during a political discussion. Yet only a small percentage of us understand politics and are literate in it. Many of us were not taught politics at school, often seeing it as boring, or simply never had a chance to learn it.

Educating young people on political literacy should be a priority to ensure that the next generation understands fully what it is that, whether we like it or not, dominates all aspects of society. Politics has a say on how we work, study, our clothes and even our beliefs. Look at France and its ever more aggressive stance on women’s religious clothing with the ban on the ‘burkini’. Politics involves everything and everyone. We, as facilitators and educators, must take it upon ourselves to give the next generation the tools we weren’t given: the tools to understand and fully engage with politics.

Political literacy would not only further young people’s interest in and understanding of the subject, but also develop their debating, public speaking and emotional resilience. All of which can be taken on and implemented in any career.

There are several ways teachers can engage their students in some form of political literacy education: • Discuss the news or a current affairs topic during form time.

Some of the most interesting and

awakening times in my school were when our teacher would spark debate on a topic from the news, getting us fired up for the day and more informed as we exchanged debate before class in the mornings. This could be done by simply beginning to engage some of the more talkative or provocative students with a topic of interest, for instance the Black Lives Matter campaign or Donald Trump…

• Assemblies are perfect times to engage in school- or year-wide activity. If it’s a school-wide assembly, activities such as morning debates between certain students on topics can be implemented. If a teacher has the inclination and considers himself or herself a bit of a comedian, they could do a morning round-up of the day’s news with a humorous twist.

I remember in my high school, we had a teacher who did this and it was very engaging for everyone.

• If it’s just year assemblies, debates can be organised properly as you’d have a smaller group. Videos, from YouTube, for example, would be great to supplement this.

“A TEACHER COULD DO A MORNING ROUND-UP OF THE DAY’S NEWS WITH A HUMOROUS TWIST”

• You can bring in specialist speakers from outside the school every week, as this helps teachers and the school by highlighting certain topics. We at Shout Out UK go to schools to participate in assemblies via talks or workshops.

• A fter school can also be a great time to engage students. Creating studentled councils or a simple debating society would be a way to engage and inform the next generation in politics.

Plus, this would be good PR for the school as democratisation in schools is a very hot topic currently. Debating societies, if nurtured, can do very well at improving a school’s image by winning competitions.

Public speaking and debating – key elements in politics – make the teaching of political literacy possibly one of the most interesting subjects for young people, if done right. Also, as society and education move towards the idea that learning is for the benefit of future employment and not for the sake of expanding one’s understanding, we must all learn how to adapt, and people skills are something that many employers complain are lacking in the next generation.

There is a growing hunger for political literacy; young people are beginning to understand how important it is to be engaged with society and Westminster.

Now is the time for schools to give them the tools they need to fulfil their desire to engage. If we don’t, we risk turning this interest and hunger to be engaged into anger and frustration because of a lack of understanding. n For more information on Shout Out UK, visit www.shoutoutuk.org and follow on Twitter @ShoutOut_UK. FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 19

YOUR ATL… CONTENTS AND CONTACTS

Your ATL

REMEMBER TO PASS YOUR COPY OF REPORT TO COLLEAGUES WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN IT

EXPERT ADVICE, TEACHING TOOLS, MEMBER BENEFITS – AND YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY IN THIS SECTION

23

25

LEGAL GUIDE

CROSSWORD

Our legal team on requesting time off to deal with an issue with a dependant

Your chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher by solving our tricky cryptic crossword

27 NOTICEBOARD Details of the new union ballot, plus the election for ATL’s next vice president, and information on national reference tests

24

29

YOUR VIEWS

RESOURCES

ATL members on having a classroom of one’s own, unhappy girls, and the emotional effects of smartphones

A bumper crop of newsletters for members in independent schools, those working in post-16, and support staff

29

USEFUL CONTACTS If you need help with matters related to your employment, your first point of contact should be your school or college ATL rep, or your AMiE regional officer if you are a leadership member. You can also contact your local ATL branch. If they are unable to help, contact ATL member advisers on the general enquiries number below or you can call our out-of-hours helpline between 5pm and 7pm Monday to Friday on 020 7782 1612.

General enquiries: 020 7930 6441 info@atl.org.uk Belfast: 028 9078 2020 ni@atl.org.uk Cardiff: 029 2046 5000 cymru@atl.org.uk

AMiE members: Call the employment helpline on 01858 464171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk Membership enquiries: membership@atl.org.uk Pension enquiries: 020 7782 1600

RESOURCES ATL’s relaunched guide to using play in the classroom

If you are not a member of ATL and would like to join, please contact us on

0845 057 7000 (lo-call)

Personal injury claims: 033 3344 9616 Call Morrish Solicitors LLP, ATL’s appointed solicitors, or go to www.atlinjuryclaims.org.uk. This service is open to members and their families, subject to the rules of the scheme.

TERMS OF ATL’S SUPPORT ARE OUTLINED IN OUR MEMBERS’ CHARTER, AVAILABLE VIA WWW.ATL.ORG.UK/MEMBERSCHARTER. WHEN EMAILING ATL FROM HOME, PLEASE INCLUDE EITHER YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER OR HOME POSTCODE TO HELP US DEAL WITH YOUR ENQUIRY MORE EFFICIENTLY.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 21

Trade Union Services

HAVE YOU HAD AN ACCIDENT? AS A UNION MEMBER, WE’LL GUARANTEE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 100% OF YOUR COMPENSATION Changing government legislation means many legal firms now keep up to 40% of your Personal Injury compensation to cover costs. But at Morrish Solicitors, we believe that every penny you’re awarded should go to you.

As an ATL member, you and your family members can enjoy friendly, professional legal advice from Morrish Solicitors, including our FREE Personal Injury service.

So if you’ve been injured and it wasn’t your fault, talk to us today.

For your FREE Personal Injury Service call

033 3344 9616

Complete a claim form at atlinjuryclaims.org.uk Or for more member benefits visit morrishsolicitors.com/atl

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE • CONVEYANCING • WILLS AND PROBATE • FAMILY MATTERS

YOUR ATL… LEGAL GUIDE

How much time off can I request?

You are allowed a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off to deal with the urgent situation.

In most cases this is likely to be between a half-day and two full days.

Dependants leave ATL solicitor David Rommer explains your rights when requesting time off to deal with urgent situations involving a dependant ALL EMPLOYEES HAVE the right to dependants leave, including full-timers, part-timers and those on temporary or fixed-term contracts. The legal position of agency, sessional and casual workers can be more complicated. Self-employed people do not generally have a right to dependants leave.

SHUTTERSTOCK

When can I request dependants leave?

• If you need to provide help when a dependant falls ill, gives birth or is injured or assaulted.

• If you need to make care arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured.

• If you need to make arrangements due to the death of a dependant.

• If there has been unexpected disruption to the care arrangements for a dependant.

• If you need to deal with an unexpected incident at school involving your own child.

Who is classed as a dependant?

Dependants include your spouse, partner, civil partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or someone else who lives in your household and depends on you for care.

In certain situations it may also include people who are not related to you and do not live with you, such as a disabled neighbour who relies on you.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

When should I approach my employer, and what should I say?

You must contact your employer as soon as you reasonably can, ie as soon as you become aware of the situation. State why you need time off and how long you are likely to need. Examples include: • “My babysitter just texted to say that she’s ill and can’t come in today or tomorrow. I need to stay in with the baby this morning and try to make arrangements for someone to come in this afternoon or tomorrow. May I have time off?”

• “My mother has been unwell since yesterday evening. I am waiting for the GP to come. May I have today off, but maybe also tomorrow morning? I’ll let you know ASAP.” If possible, contact your employer by email or text message so that you have a record of your request - just in case there is a dispute. If you need to make contact by telephone initially, it is useful to follow up with an email.

Keep your employer informed of any developments, especially if it turns out that you need more time off than you first anticipated.

Can my employer refuse my request?

Yes, if: • you have known about the problem for some time • you did not request leave as soon as possible • you have not explained the situation properly or not indicated how much time off you are likely to need • your request is unreasonable • you are ineligible for dependants leave.

Your employer cannot refuse simply because work is busy.

Can I request dependants leave more than once?

There is no set limit, although problems may arise if you take time off so frequently that your work is affected.

Do I get paid for time on dependants leave?

Not always. Your employer only has to pay if your contract or your employer’s policy says so.

Can I take dependants leave for a bereavement?

Dependants leave normally only covers time needed to deal with the immediate aftermath of a death and to make funeral arrangements. It does not normally cover time off to recover emotionally.

These answers above describe the minimum legal rights that all employees must be given. If there are additional rights in your contract or in your employer’s policy, your employer must honour these.

Other types of leave may be available, such as parental leave, compassionate leave or annual leave. Discuss the situation with your line manager or HR department.

If your employer refuses your request for dependants leave, or you are treated badly, disciplined or dismissed for taking time off, you may be entitled to compensation. Any legal action would have to be started within three months of the date of the problem.

Seek advice from ATL using the details on page 21.

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 23

YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS

Letters When a teacher has their own classroom, they can set their space up in the way that works best

students and start the lesson by establishing order. I’m forever logging in and out of computers, ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT altering my plans because Despite the workload, I love teaching and, like most teachers, equipment that was working last time is now out of order, and I strive to put my all into my moving desks and chairs. work, because I love my subject Frankly, the whole thing is (English) and working with exhausting and it’s the young people. Given children who lose our commitment, it out. When a astounds me The author of this letter wins teacher has their how school £100 in book tokens. If you want to own classroom, leadership voice your opinion on issues raised in Report or any other aspect of education, they can plan teams fail to please send a letter or email to the ahead. They take the simple addresses below, including your can set their measures that phone number.

One letter will be chosen space up in the would make every issue to win way that works our lives the tokens. best for them and immeasurably their students. They can more comfortable. create beautiful and inspiring I’m specifically addressing the displays that reward and importance of teachers being recognise students’ hard work. In given their own classrooms. short, they can take ownership Increasingly in secondary of the space, keeping things tidy schools, the demands of and in good working order. squeezing different-sized I understand the pressures on classes into different-sized management teams to organise rooms across a two-week timetable leaves staff constantly and ration their resources, but there is no excuse in this world moving around. of underused smartboards, It is physically impossible for failed software rollouts and me to carry all the resources I plush executive conferences not would like with me from one to provide each full-time teacher lesson to another. I used to have with the basic resource that all my dictionaries, thesauruses always has been and always will and other books in my be a necessity: a decent classroom. Where once I had classroom. time to set up my room, now I A Williams, Watford arrive at the same time as my STA R L E T T E R

GETTY-IMAGES

WIN!

A MATTER OF OPINION I was interested in Mary Bousted‘s ‘Agenda’ article about girls’ mental health (Report, November/December 2016).

Social media, social change, the job market, increasing focus on mental health, pressure at school, and the overzealous crusading of the feminist movement are, I am sure, all factors.

Certainly, I remember my school days (several decades ago) as being unhappy and I do not think that was unusual. Are children unhappier at school now than they were then? All people, especially teenagers, have anxieties and insecurities. Would it not be healthy to counsel them that this is normal, that it does not necessarily mean they have mental health problems?

Teenage girls perceive they are being judged by teenage boys, but that does not mean that they are. Let us teach that the harshest critics of ourselves is ourselves and we all feel we are being judged, it is part of the human condition. If we lived in a genderless society we would still feel judged. We must not demonise boys.

Perhaps we should teach that happiness will be best achieved by young people finding a path that they live comfortably with. If that is an academic path, that’s to be encouraged; but if it’s a less pressurised, more vocational, skills-based path, then that is equally as valuable and worthy of respect.

Name supplied

JOIN THE DEBATE…

HOOKED TO THE SILVER SCREEN I have noticed a worrying trend; not that young children are addicted to their mobile and electronic devices, but that their parents are. During the decade since I left the classroom, I have seen fewer and fewer adults interacting with the babies and toddlers in their care.

If brains are like the old computer discs that needed to be formatted before use, then we in the teaching profession will find it necessary to do that formatting to enable young children to access education.

We have to hone the ability to listen with concentration, and teach comprehensible pronunciation, how to extend and develop sentences – how to convey information orally.

Story time assumes a vital importance, as it teaches concentration and encourages memory; following an entire story from a book is not just about encouraging the enthusiastic readers.

We must also remember to listen. The saddest comment I ever heard from a toddler was: “Mummy never listens to what I say; she’s always on her phone.”

In some cases, we may be the only adult who listens.

But the most important task facing teachers is to instruct children in the skills of social interaction. I see more and more babies and toddlers, in their forward-facing buggies, with faces devoid of expression.

They make no eye contact and they don’t respond to a smile, and their carer doesn’t either, being totally absorbed in the little silver screen. They, like the child, are silent and unresponsive.

M Smith, Bedfordshire

report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

24 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

YOUR ATL… PRIZE CROSSWORD

WIN!

Prize crossword ACROSS 1 Teach without Head of English, indeed, in house that stands alone (8) 5 Little Maureen has the right to be a parent (6) 9 USA trips arranged on the floor above (8) 10 Sulphur and aluminium used to make footwear (6) 12 Food item – baked base is hard (4) 13 Commonplace and unimaginative – or is cap to be redesigned? (7) 17 Clumsiness of piano duet in E – it is rewritten (10) 19 One found in vicinity of children’s hair? (3) 21 Initially Cambridge University takes reduction in funding? (3) 22 Miss Jones involved with a performance improvised by musicians (3,7) 24 Government handout – fine when wasted in wager? (7) 25 Natural thread-like strand made from hydrogen and mainly oxygen/ nitrogen mixture (4) 28 A university teacher is an extremely handsome young man! (6) 30 This kind of choice might be given in exam – pull item out (8) 31 Sounds like senior army officer is a bit of a nut…(6) 32 …while this foreign officer puts me beyond new danger (8)

A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

DOWN 1 It’s beaten with end of rod, and some spirit! (4) 2 Starts teaching each summer term with a short exam (4) 3 and 23 down Film about Cambridge runner Harold Abrahams – and, oh, is race-fit for a change (8,2,4) 4 Planet engulfed in nuclear threat? (5) 6 From the floor, a Tory speaker (6) 7 Kept out of sight during match, ideally (3) 8 At once girl is moving, moving to a new site (10) 11 Passed out in a suit? (6) 14 I need a translation of Vergil epic (6) 15 Boycott on cricket field that is completely dark? (5-5) 16 Fresh weight given to his study of gravity? (6) 18 Raises a glass to the reorganisation of SATS! (6) 20 Helped sets said to need revision (8) 23 See 3 down 25 See 29 down 26 Knocks up to argue? (4) 27 Old monk partly described ecclesiastical history (4) 29 and 25 down Madness is associated with the part of the school to which we belong! (3,5)

1

2

3

4

5

9

6

7

8

10 11 12

15

13

14

16

17

18

19 20

21

22 23

24

25 26

28

29

31

27

30

32

HOW TO ENTER

Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL February crossword competition, Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH. The closing date is 3 March 2017. If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here: The winner of the February competition will be announced in the April 2017 issue of Report.

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 9 Anthology 10 Dress 11 Dined 12 Koala bear 13 Faculty 14 Informs 17 Issue 19 Poe 20 Riled 21 Trieste 22 Artisan 24 Music shop 26 Loans 28 Purse 29 Reassured Down: 1 Bard 2 Ethnic 3 Gondoliers 4 Donkey 5 Dynamite 6 Idea 7 Cerebral 8 Tsar 13 Faint 15 First class 16 Sedan 18 Scissors 19 Pie chart 22 Appeal 23 Stairs 24 Mope 25 Crew 27 Side CONGRATULATIONS TO NOV/DEC’S WINNER – MRS JOANNE WHITE, BRANDESBURTON

CREATE YOUR OWN TOP TEACHERS Give your staff more than QTS with Straight to Teaching.

Our online and in-school professional development programme is a bespoke, low cost alternative to initial teacher training that leads to QTS. Personalise the course to fit your staffs’ existing experience, and your school’s needs, with tailor-made content, course lengths and start dates.

Best of all, they can qualify without leaving your school.

As the largest Assessment Only provider in England, you can trust our experienced team. Over 450 schools already have.

You could be next.

Visit: tes.com/institute/report | Call: 020 3194 3200

YOUR ATL… NOTICEBOARD

NOTICE BOARD NATIONAL OFFICER ELECTIONS 2017 You will have already heard a lot about the ballot for a new union, but there is another important ballot coming up. National officers are union members nominated by their peers and elected into office to serve at the most senior level in what is a democratic, memberled organisation. Once in elected office, national officers are members of ATL’s Executive Committee. Elections must be undertaken in accordance with the union’s rules and trade union legislation.

This year there is an election between Kim Knappett and Robin Bevan for the position of vice president. To find out more about the candidates, see www.atl.org.uk/hustings.

Ballot papers will be despatched around 2 February 2017. Please complete the paper and return it in the prepaid envelope to the independent scrutineer, Popularis Ltd, Nutsey Lane, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RL, no later than 12 noon on 28 February 2017.

ATL is proud of its member-led tradition and this is an opportunity for all members to be involved in choosing someone to take the union forward.

VOTE IN BALLOT FOR A NEW UNION The ballot to vote on the creation of a new union with the NUT, the National Education Union (NEU), opens on 27 February and closes on 21 March. To be eligible to vote in the ballot, members must have been in ATL or AMiE membership – including NQs, lecturers, teachers, support staff, leaders and managers, retired, associates, life and fellow members – on 31 January 2017. Trainee members are not eligible to vote as they are not standard members unless they qualified as an NQ and we had payment details on or before 31 January 2017.

Voting papers must be returned by post; a second class freepost envelope addressed to Popularis will be provided. If you are eligible and do not receive your ballot paper during the week commencing 27 February, please email newunion@atl.org.uk or call the ballot helpline on 020 7782 1616. The ballot helpline will be open from 27 February.

NEW UNION ROADSHOWS In February and early March, ATL is holding a series of meetings and roadshows around the WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

country where members can hear a senior ATL spokesperson present the case for creating a new union with the NUT. They will provide an opportunity to ask questions and discuss your hopes and concerns about the proposal. See www.atl.org.uk/newunion.

NEW REFERENCE TESTS Last year Ofqual introduced the new national reference test (NRT) to provide additional information to support the future awarding of GCSEs. The NRT will provide information on changes in performance over time and will be based on results from a nationally representative sample of students who will take the test before taking their GCSEs. For an updated version of the information for schools, see www.gov.uk/government/ publications/national-reference-test-2017information-for-schools.

ATL welcomes the fact that NRTs could in the future allow GCSE grades to rise in line with a genuine improvement in pupils’ performance. Results from the NRTs are unlikely to be used until 2019, therefore it will be some time before we will know whether they will work to put an end to the strict statistical limits on national rises in GCSE grades.

There are some additional points to note about the NRTs: • Although the first proper tests will take place this March, they won’t have any impact on GCSE awarding as yet; results from NRTs will first be used in 2019-20 and will provide a national measure of performance.

• They will be used as a benchmark for future awarding, along with the comparable outcomes approach.

• They will provide additional information about English and maths learning.

• Questions will remain similar from year to year and the model will be similar to the PISA tests.

• They will be focused on GCSEs not IGCSEs. • The content domain will be GCSE, with GCSE-style questions.

• The ‘saw tooth’ effect may apply, ie when the specifications are well known, achievement goes up; when the specifications are new, achievement drops.

Ofqual will be monitoring this.

• The vast majority of schools ‘recruited’ this year are maintained.

• Only Year 11 students will take part in the test. There are very few students in FE that come into this category.

• The sample is representative of students, not schools.

• Ofqual will probably publish the results later in the year, avoiding GCSE/A-level results time.

If you have any queries or would like to provide feedback on your experience with NRTs, email ATL policy adviser Jill Stokoe at jstokoe@atl.org.uk.

SECONDARY CPD ATL is running a session of CPD for teachers in the Midlands working with 11- to 16-yearolds at Staffordshire University on 11 March.

‘Consistently great teaching and learning’ is a full-day course offering practical strategies to ensure every pupil in every lesson is supported and challenged to their full potential. Jam-packed with low-prep/ no-prep practical strategies to use immediately, this training will help teachers to feel confident about their classroom practice every day.

The session will be delivered by Isabella Wallace, co-author of best-selling teaching guides including Pimp Your Lesson! and Talk-Less Teaching.

For more information and to book a place, see www.atl.org.uk/cpd-and-events/ local-cpd/consistently-great-teachingand-learning.

PARTNER OF THE MONTH If you are looking for friendly, professional legal advice, along with welcome savings, ATL members receive a wide range of discounts and benefits from Morrish Solicitors.

In addition to the free personal injury service, ATL members can also enjoy exclusive rates on family law, wills and probate, and conveyancing services.

For further details call 033 3344 9600 or visit www.morrishsolicitors. com/atl.

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 27

Become an AQA examiner Apply now to mark summer 2017 GCSE and A-level exams

• build upon your professional development • receive training and support • enhance your CV • earn extra income ahead of the holidays

aqa.org.uk/apply AQA10831 ATL Report ad 183x126.indd 1

12/12/2016 14:25

Gain QTLS:

Advance your career A new enriched QTLS since September 2016 The benefits of QTLS · It enhances your career prospects · Recognition of your status as a professional teacher or trainer · QTLS continues to hold legal parity with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) · It demonstrates your commitment, skills and knowledge to employers · It is an excellent CPD opportunity that will build your confidence and enhance your skills

Apply for QTLS from April to 31 May 2017 * https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/qtls

* To be eligible to apply for QTLS, you need to be a member of the Society for Education and Training (SET).

IN P YOUR R O F IATL… LE RESOURCES

ATL RESOURCES

Newsletters There is a bumper crop of newsletters in this mailing of Report, with Independent Schools, ATL Support and Post-16 News all being sent out to relevant members. All three explain in detail the ballot for a new union with the NUT and the safeguards put in place to protect and enhance the influence of independent members, support staff and those working in post-16.

Away from new union matters, the post16 newsletter gives its regular update on pay negotiations in FE and sixth form colleges, and also offers advice on how union recognition works and can benefit you in the post-16 sector. There is also news on the publication of the last wave of area reviews, and about a successful training event for functional skills in the south west.

In the world of independent schools, there is news of the annual ATL independent schools conference, which featured much debate, beach balls, and the results from the union’s annual survey of pay and working conditions in the sector.

For support staff members there is news of the launch of the term-time working review, which was agreed as part of the

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

2016-18 pay agreement, plus an analysis of the effects of the SEND code of practice.

There is also a new factsheet with advice on dealing with workload for support staff in the independent sector, and yet another support staff member being elected to ATL’s Executive Committee to influence the union’s activities.

You can download for free the new edition of Playing to Learn from www.atl.org.uk/playingtolearn, while ATL members can also order a free hard copy from despatch@atl.org.uk.

Playing to Learn ATL has published a new, revised edition of its popular guide, Playing to Learn. This publication, part of the classroom advice series, focuses on the way in which children’s play can lead them, and their teachers, into deeper levels of thinking and learning. It considers the following important questions: • What do we mean by child-led play and learning, and how will we recognise it?

• How do we identify and articulate the value of this type of play?

What do we mean by adult-led activities?

• • Do we understand the connections between children’s play, thinking and learning?

How do we convince others of the power • of child-led play for learning and teaching?

FEBRUARY 2017 | REPORT 29

FINAL WORD… BALI RAI

A path to empathy

ILLUSTRATION: PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH

Award-winning author Bali Rai on why challenging fiction gives teens a greater understanding of other people’s lives TEENAGERS NEED FICTION to challenge them. To help them make sense of an increasingly uncertain and divided world. That belief informs my own writing.

Modern teenagers are bombarded with information, with virtually no safeguards over what they access.

For many, their first experience of big issues will be Google, Wikipedia, or a YouTube video.

The dangers are obvious. I’ve often challenged attitudes and beliefs that are based on ‘facts’ lifted from amateur-compiled, agenda-driven websites, and pseudo-scientific memes and ‘documentaries’.

More dangerous yet is unrestricted access to raw and explicit footage of war zones, violence, etc, without context or framework. Fiction provides that context better than anything else, bar education (and non-fiction, of course). Recent coverage of Syria’s conflict and refugee crisis is an obvious case in point.

But fiction also gives us something else. We can watch and read all the reports we like.

We can learn as much as is possible in classrooms and lecture theatres. Fiction gives us more.

It enhances the empathy so vital in understanding the suffering of fellow human beings. On their own, images of a dead baby washed ashore in Greece cannot fully explain the plight and desperation of refugees. A fictional account of their struggle to survive can, and does. Good fiction reaches into the mind and soul of a character, and gives readers layers of understanding almost impossible to find elsewhere.

That’s the key for me. Empathy, empathy and more empathy.

I recently consulted on a project called EmpathyLab, working with younger children on images and stereotyping. Those sessions showed how important empathy skills are. Teens are no different.

From racism to gender issues, through war, conflict and human rights, I've always found teenage audiences willing and keen to discuss ‘big’ topics. I suggest books first and foremost, or alongside

academic and non-fiction texts.

So reading Anne Frank’s diary would enhance a study of World War Two, but Paul Dowswell’s Auslander might add another layer of empathy. Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse would be an obvious choice for the so-called Great War, alongside more recent gems such as Tom Palmer’s Flyboy.

Finding the right novel isn’t especially difficult. Many of today’s teen and young adult writers explore tricky and complicated themes. There are problems around diversity and representation, but there is also some great writing out there. I am a frequent visitor to schools across the UK, and often find myself suggesting titles that explore tough subject matter.

Phil Earle’s Being Billy and Saving Daisy are excellent starting points for discussion around looked-after teens, as is Alan Gibbons’ The Trap, which delves into Islamophobia, British identity and terrorism, without the usual sensationalism.

At a time of increasing bigotry and intolerance, The Trap would suit any teenage classroom, to promote discussion of these topics. Think of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses in the context of studying the civil rights movement, slavery, or racial identity.

I could list many more writers and books (including Amnesty’s recent Here I Stand collection, of which I am part) but the titles are not the issue. The key is to introduce the subject matter, via the characters, and allow teens to engage with both. The former would create interest and provide context; and the latter would promote sympathy and empathy, leading to increased understanding. Debates or discussion, fact-checking and projects could follow on from this.

John Steinbeck said: “You can only understand people if you Bali Rai is the author feel them in yourself.” Great of many books fiction helps us to do just that. for teenagers Alongside literacy, imagination and and children and contributed to knowledge, empathy is a key skill, Amnesty’s book a core human attribute, enhanced Here I Stand: stories by reading fiction. And encouraging that speak for freedom. See www. greater empathy in our teenagers is amnesty.org.uk. both vital and hugely rewarding.

30 REPORT | FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

Junior

Engaging curious minds with the world around them

Brought to you by The Week magazine, The Week Junior is an award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14 year olds.

Filled with news, fascinating articles and thought provoking debates, it gets children reading, thinking and talking.

A trusted, inspiring resource to enhance learning across Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3.

Subscriptions available to suit your school: Subscriptions start from just £53.33 per year Save 33% or more on shop price (£1.99) 40 week term time subscriptions – no wasted copies Free delivery – every Friday, direct to your school

Junior “The Week hin g is the best t ted ven since Rubik in his cube!”

Jon Snow, r Broadcaste

START YOUR 2017 SUBSCRIPTION TODAY Visit theweekjunior.co.uk/schools or Call 01795 412 826

K17ATL1

IN PROFILE

Make

your backup plan.

You work hard every day to help prepare them for their future, but what about your future? If long term illness strikes, do you have a plan?

FREE CINEMA VOUCHERS ATL Protect is an innovative new plan designed specifically to provide a valuable income to ATL members who suffer loss of salary through long term illness.

Invite us to pop in to your school for a brief chat about ATL Protect and we’ll give - on the spot - two free ODEON cinema vouchers to each member we meet who is eligible for ATL Protect!

To invite us to visit you and your ATL colleagues in your workplace, please contact us at: phone

0800 138 1690

email

the-team@affinity.co.uk

web

affinity.co.uk/schedule-a-visit

Visit affinity.co.uk/cinema for full details of cinema voucher offer.

Please refer to the ATL Protect policy summary on affinity.co.uk for more information, terms, and conditions.

Affinity First Limited is an appointed representative of Irish Life Assurance plc which is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of Irish Life’s regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.

32 REPORT | SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK