THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
JANUARY 2017 £2.50
Strengthening our voice
A new union to secure the future of our profession
JOIN THE DEBATE
MARTIN LEWIS
The money-saving expert calls for better financial education in schools
PROFILE
A QUIET REVOLUTION
Dame Alison Peacock’s ambitions for the Chartered College of Teaching
FINAL WORD
NO LAUGHING MATTER
Comedian Shappi Khorsandi on the need for improved sex education
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Contents 17 GUIDE
UPFRONT
4 UPDATE
The latest on the Durham TAs’ action, a successful local asbestos campaign, and members at ATL’s independent sector conference
7 AGENDA
Mary Bousted on successes when unions work together
9 WALES AND
Advice on protecting young carers from being bullied
18 JOIN THE DEBATE
Money-saving expert Martin Lewis on the case for better financial education
30
FINAL WORD
Comedian Shappi Khorsandi on the need for improved sex education
NORTHERN IRELAND
Rachel Curley and Mark Langhammer on the effects of a potential new union
F E AT U R E S
10 NEW UNION BALLOT
Report explains the journey to this spring’s ballot and answers some of your questions
14
PROFILE
Dame Alison Peacock outlines her ambitions for the College of Teaching
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
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Welcome SHELAGH HIRST, ATL NATIONAL PRESIDENT
If you only make one New Year’s resolution for 2017, I urge you to find out more about the proposal to create a new education union with the NUT. The article on page 10 is an excellent place to start. ATL has been committed to working with other education stakeholders to further the interests of education and our members. There is a long history of ATL and NUT working closely on a number of issues of interest to our members, such as assessment, which has led to the joint position statements, advice and guidance for members. This joint work led us to the realisation that ATL and NUT members have many concerns and issues in common, and that working together is beneficial to both unions. Previously as ATL vice president and now as president, I have been involved in the detailed negotiations that have led us to this proposal. In particular, it was agreed that the proposed National Education Union will encompass members in all sectors of education – from early years to higher education, trainee to management – so including support staff, teachers and lecturers across all settings. Please take a look at the ATL website to find out the latest information and encourage your colleagues to explore what difference the new union would make in your workplaces, and in local authorities and multi-academy trusts, as well as nationally.
Cover illustration: Jorge Martin
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U P D AT E
ATL’s TA members in Durham strike against planned pay cuts in November
with action short of strike action and have not ruled out additional strike dates in 2017. Instead of paying them the going rate in the north east, Durham County Council wanted to force a pay cut on all its TAs – offering them a choice between a cut of up to 23% if they did not agree to working longer hours, or a 10% pay cut if they agreed. The cuts would make TAs in Durham some of the lowest paid in the north east. Emma Parker, ATL’s district secretary in Durham, said: “None of our TAs wanted to go on strike, and they certainly didn’t want to disrupt children’s education, but the council left them with little option. Durham County Council has suspended plans to cut teaching “If the council doesn’t rethink assistants’ pay by up to 23% after two 48-hour strikes in November its deeply flawed plans, it will lose thousands of dedicated, More than 140 ATL members After the action, Durham County hard-working TAs, with some took part in four days of strike Council said it was suspending leaving to work in higher-paying action along with Unison the plans while it reviews the neighbouring areas, and children colleagues, in response to matter, with the review likely to in Durham will lose out.” the local authority’s plans to be completed by September. Three Follow the campaign on Twitter re-employ its 2,700 teaching further days of strike action in #ValueUs and @TAs_Durham. assistants (TAs) on term-timeDecember were subsequently called Follow ATL’s activity in Durham only contracts from January. off – but members are continuing @ATLnorthern and @ATLunion.
TA pay cut suspended
ATL EVIDENCE ON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS ATL gave evidence during a round-table discussion on the balance between knowledge-centric education and soft skills in Parliament in October. ATL policy adviser Janet Clark said: “The way teachers work with children and young people in the classroom develops many employability skills, but this way of teaching will be put at risk by increasing curriculum and syllabus content, as teachers will be forced to deliver information rather than employ a range of techniques that help children learn facts and, at the same time, develop these skills. 4 REPORT | JANUARY 2017
“There seemed to be consensus among other attendees that teachers are subject to increasingly excessive workloads, and the Government should not give them the extra work of teaching employability skills.” The session formed part of an inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education into how well British schools are preparing young people for their future careers. It is also looking at the quality and effectiveness of current careers advice and guidance, and whether schools should prioritise the study of STEM subjects.
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SESSIONS ON SUPPLY ATL’s supply teacher members took part in a day of specialist training at a conference jointly run with the NUT in Cheshire in the autumn. The conference in Ellesmere Port focused on the new curriculum and supply teachers’ skills. Speaking afterwards, ATL member Barbara Chantry, from Manchester, said: “It was a great day’s CPD, one of the best
I’ve attended. It’s great to feel supported while doing supply. “I’m hoping to ‘keep calm and remember I’m the adult’ after hearing ideas on managing disruptive pupils within a class, and to work even harder on developing relationships.” If you are interested in finding our more about ATL’s work and CPD for supply teachers, email Peter Morris at pmorris@atl.org.uk. ATL and NUT supply teacher members take part in a day of CPD
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UPDATE
PUTTING ASBESTOS ON THE AGENDA
3 ATL member Danielle Miles with her motorised chair
ATL members in Norfolk who started a campaign about the dangers of asbestos in schools are calling for members around the country to raise awareness of the issue in their area Bob Groome, ATL Norfolk branch and district secretary, is working with other unions to campaign on the issue in the county. They want the Government to pay for the removal of asbestos from all schools, after a freedom of information request revealed the scale of the problem in the area – including the schools containing asbestos and the incidents of exposure between 2011 and 2016. He said: “National campaigns, unfortunately, have a limited audience. If the issue is raised at a local level, and MPs are contacted not only by unions, but also by parents, pressure will build. If branch secretaries liaise with their counterparts in other unions to show solidarity, it will give more strength to the campaign. “We need to let LAs, trusts and headteachers know that this is not
an attack on their schools, but a campaign to save them money and take away the risk of life-ending disease.” The campaign group has so far met with Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, headteachers, local authorities (LAs) and leaders of school trusts to publicise the issues. To sign a petition calling on the Government to prioritise asbestos removal from schools, see you.38degrees.org.uk/ petitions/protect-our-childrenand-teachers-from-asbestosexposure-in-schools. The Joint Union Asbestos Committee, of which ATL is a member, has produced an advice sheet for health and safety reps in schools and colleges – see www.juac.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2013/11/JUAC-AdviceSheet-for-Safety-Reps-2016.pdf.
MEMBER HELPED BY ATL TRUST ATL member Danielle Miles has been able to return to full employment after ATL’s Trust Fund paid for a motorised chair to increase her mobility at work. The ICT lecturer at Ifield Community College, Crawley, West Sussex, said: “The pain from my fibromyalgia was increasingly preventing me from making my way around a very large school site. “Thankfully, my headteacher, ATL regional official and ATL rep worked together to support my application to the trust, and now I can concentrate my energies on doing my job as well as I ever did. I’m so grateful for their support.” For more information on the fund and how ATL can help members in need of emergency assistance, visit www.atl.org.uk/trustfund.
New teachers need support
TEACHERS PICKET OVER PAY
The importance of supporting and guiding new teachers in the face of a recruitment crisis was the focus of a speech by the president of ATL’s leadership section, AMiE, to teachers and education leader members at the union’s first ‘LeadMeet’ session in the autumn. Highlighting the retention crisis facing the sector, AMiE president Julia Neal said: “Newer teachers coming in are getting more and more responsibility thrust on them at an earlier time and they need more support.” She also described the burden of unnecessary workload faced by teachers, before explaining how leaders had introduced several new initiatives designed
ATL members were among hundreds of teachers who protested against a pay offer in Northern Ireland in a picket line at school gates. Teachers from 60 primary and secondary schools took part in the lunchtime protest in November after 13 months of talks between the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland and the Education Authority broke down, and unions walked out over the offer of a one per cent pay rise for 2016-17, with nothing for the year before. Four unions – ATL, INTO, UTU and NAHT – are fully supporting the teachers in a bid to shine light on the pay crisis. Mark Langhammer, director of ATL in Northern Ireland, said: “ATL traditionally is a moderate teaching association. That recent ATL indicative polls show more than 51% in favour of strike action and 89% in favour of bolstered industrial action short of strike action illustrates the depth of feeling among ordinary teachers. “The case for decent pay for teachers is an unimpeachable case. It is just a matter of priorities, not money.”
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
to cut workload at Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, where she taught for 38 years, including half-termly assessments, while the marking of exercise books was scrapped and written reports were abandoned. The scale of the staff retention challenge facing leaders was also the subject of a speech Ms Neal gave to an AMiE leadership seminar in November, when she and other speakers presented leader members with suggestions for staff retention through staff engagement and well-being. For information about AMiE, see www.amie.atl.org.uk, and you can follow AMiE on Twitter using @ATL_AMiE.
JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 5
U P D AT E
INDEPENDENT FOCUS
PHOTO: SARAH TURTON
How to make a difference was the focus of ATL’s independent schools conference in November Workload and the creation of a new education union were among topics under scrutiny during a day of discussion, debate and CPD for ATL’s independent sector members. ATL president Shelagh Hirst introduced the day, before ATL general secretary Mary Bousted spoke of members’ achievements and outlined the strategic challenges faced by the union. She explained how ATL’s inclusive approach is enshrined in the rule book of the proposed new union, with dedicated staffing, activities and budget guaranteed for independent sector members. Mark Edwards, ATL rep at St Peter’s School in York, said: “I know from my own experience the benefits of having one inclusive union for all staff. The prospect of a much larger union representing teachers and support staff that, with greater resources, would be able to further promote this goal, is great news.” Deborah Parren, 0 Members take part in a chair of ATL’s elected session led by Ed Hollamby at independent sector ATL’s independent schools conference member advisory group, IPSAG, said: “The new rule book enshrines ATL core beliefs into the DNA of the new union. This will be of great reassurance to any member who might be worried that ATL values or the interests of a particular sector would be lost in a bigger union.” Trainer Ed Hollamby then spoke about how to be resilient and make the best practical decisions, including sections on ‘unhelpful thinking’, the feeling ‘I could always do more’, and tackling workload. There was also a session on how members can use ATL’s ‘Make one change’ campaign to challenge excess workload. ATL policy adviser Anne Heavey and chair of ATL’s Support Staff Advisory Group, Graham Easterlow, led a discussion group on the implications of the new SEND Code of Practice. If you are interested in joining the ATL SEND network or would like to discuss how ATL might be able to assist members in your school, contact Anne Heavey at aheavey@atl.org.uk or follow her on Twitter @atlanneh.
6 REPORT | JANUARY 2017
Independent teachers work excessive extra hours More than 90% of teachers in independent schools are working over their contracted hours each week, while almost three quarters (74%) say their workload has increased over the past year, an ATL survey has found ATL polled 730 teachers and found nearly a third (32.7%) are working up to 10 hours over their contracted hours every week, more than a third (36.5%) are working between 11 and 20 hours extra, and almost a quarter (23.3%) are working over 21 hours extra. While 81% said the extra hours are because their workload demands it, 20% said they work extra hours because their school demands it of them. An ATL member from the south west said: “I moved from full- to part-time work as I was working over 70 hours per week and I burned out.” Another member, a teacher in the south east, said: “I have regularly worked four out of five evenings in the week and at least one and a half days on the weekend.” Many respondents also reported that changes to the GCSE and A-level syllabuses have generated extra workload. One teacher said: “So many more initiatives are generating paperwork, boxticking, etc – all taking time away from the key tasks of planning, delivering lessons and giving feedback to students.”
Many independent teachers are also expected to ‘be on call”, with 20% saying they are expected to respond immediately when parents contact them directly. At the same time, 27% said they have been asked, or have been expected, to teach outside their specialist subject — and 60% of this group didn’t feel they were adequately supported or trained to do so. Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: “Too many schools are not taking work-life balance seriously enough. Independent schools need to encourage a better work-life balance as a heavy, unmanageable and unrealistic workload is leading to increasing numbers of experienced and valuable staff leaving the profession. “ATL will continue to work to help teachers tackle workload. ATL’s work-life campaign, ‘It’s about time...’, gives members the help and advice they need to start taking action for themselves, and with colleagues.” See www.atl.org.uk/abouttime.
Speaking up for new teachers Two members of ATL Future, the group for new teachers, will play a key role in contributing to the new Chartered College of Teaching. ATL Future steering group convenor Louise Atkinson and former convenor Krystal Ketcher will be ambassadors for their regions, liaising between the College and its members. Louise said: “I am very excited about being an ambassador in the north west. The College has the ability to raise the professional status of teaching by offering teachers who demonstrate excellence chartered status, and by promoting teaching as an evidence-informed profession. For more information about ATL Future, see www.atl.org.uk/atlfuture. Find out about the Chartered College at http://chartered.college.
0 ATL Future convenor Louise Atkinson is an ambassador for the Chartered College of Teaching
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AG E N DA
THERE HAVE NOT, unfortunately, been too many examples recently of the professional concerns of teachers being heard by Government ministers. The ATL and NUT campaign, ‘Better Without Baseline’ is a rare and honourable exception (see www. betterwithoutbaseline.org.uk). In 2015, against almost unanimous and united professional opposition, the Government decided to introduce baseline assessments for children starting school — in order, so it argued, to measure their progress through school. ATL, the NUT and others argued that baseline assessments could not be used to predict or measure future attainment because there is no such thing as linear pupil progression. Children change a lot between four and 11, and there is no evidence at all that you can predict future attainment on any assessment carried out within six weeks of starting school. Our concerns were not limited to validity and accuracy. We were also concerned about the very young children who received low scores and the strong possibility that this would result in low expectations being set for them throughout their school career. And how would baseline account for children with English as an additional language, or children born in summer who were a full six months younger than their nursery classmates? Six months is a long time when you are four years old. ATL and the NUT argued that an assessment based on a ‘yes/no’ deficit model – which encouraged a focus on what children can’t do within a high-stakes accountability regime – could be vulnerable to gaming. One scheme told teachers to “err on the side of caution and score low” to get a low baseline so maximum progress could be achieved later. If these sound educational arguments were not enough, the Government insisted on bringing competition into the equation and commissioned three commercial companies to produce baseline assessments, with schools being free to ‘choose’ which one they WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
Baseline battles ATL and NUT worked together to defeat the first incarnation of baseline assessment, explains ATL general secretary Mary Bousted wanted. In vain, ATL and the NUT argued that three markedly different baseline tests would invalidate any common baseline standard. It was for these compelling reasons that ATL, working with the NUT, commissioned researchers Dr Alice Bradbury and Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes to undertake a research project into the implementation of the reception baseline in autumn 2015. The report was published in February 2016 and the baseline accountability policy abandoned by the Government in April 2016. Alice and Guy won a BERA impact award for this research. The key findings of this research were striking in the scale of the profession’s concerns about baseline. Only 7.7% of respondents to the survey agreed the data was an “accurate and fair way to assess children”, because of the wide range of variables in the assessment process. Many teachers and school leaders doubted the use of measuring progress from reception to Year 6 given the problems of assessing accurately at age four and the variability of children’s patterns of progress and
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development. And only 6.7% of survey respondents agreed it was “a good way to assess how primary schools perform”. Respondents believed baseline assessment had little use in terms of identification of additional needs, but that its imposition had a significant effect on teachers’ workloads, particularly where schools were continuing to use their old on-entry assessment system that fitted better with data-tracking systems or with the existing early years foundation stage profile. It was while I was speaking at a joint ATL and NUT seminar on the research findings that the news came through: the Government had abandoned the baseline assessment. It had come to the conclusion (having been well forewarned) that it was impossible to establish a valid and accurate baseline using the results of three different tests, provided by three different commercial providers. The fact that, in the process, the Government had spent more than £3.5 million merely compounded its embarrassment. Just think what £3.5 million could achieve in early years education if it were spent wisely. Two lessons can, perhaps, be taken from the baseline debacle. The first is that, working together, ATL and the NUT, alongside early years campaign groups, were able to mount an informed, intelligent, coherent opposition to bad Government education policy. The opposition was ultimately effective and the Government had to abandon its baseline plans. The second lesson is that working together, ATL and the NUT were able to commission strong, award-winning research that supported strong educational arguments. The professional knowledge of ATL and NUT members, supported by research, proved to be a powerful force against a bad idea. But the battle is not yet won. The Government will, we expect, shortly begin a consultation on baseline mark 2. We must keep working together to oppose a bad idea to which the Government is, inexplicably, committed. JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 7
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THE VIEW FROM… WALES / NORTHERN IRELAND
Wales
Northern Ireland
RACHEL CURLEY
MARK LANGHAMMER
New union ballot represents a great opportunity
New union, new approach
MEMBERS FROM ACROSS Wales attended the special ATL conference held on 5 November, which took the historic decision to ballot members on the creation of a new union with the NUT. The new union will be neither ATL Cymru nor NUT Cymru. This is a great opportunity to create a union ready to meet the current challenges facing members in Wales and able to speak with authority to the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government as the voice of education professionals. It will bring together NUT Cymru’s large teacher membership in state schools with ATL Cymru’s membership across state
and independent schools, FE colleges, and among teachers, support staff and leadership. If members vote to create a new union, it will come into force in September 2017 and there will be a transitional period until January 2019, during which ATL Cymru’s district and staffing structure in Wales will remain the same. From January 2019, structures of the new union would be brought together, and the new union, like ATL Cymru, will retain a dedicated national committee to represent the views and concerns of members in Wales. We want to hear from you; your hopes and fears around a new union. There are two new union roadshow events planned: Saturday 21 January in Cardiff and Tuesday 31 January in St Asaph, as well as other events held across Wales in schools and colleges. Please do come along and make your views heard. For the latest information, see www.atl.org.uk/ newunion. If you would like to organise a meeting in your workplace, email cymru@atl.org.uk.
THE DECISION TO move to a ballot for a new union will not radically affect Northern Ireland, where the NUT has no presence. However, the drivers behind the new union are all present here – years of austerity, school budgets squeezed, year-on-year redundancies, with the resultant work intensification for teachers and staff remaining. Add to this a target-driven, results-based accountability system and an ‘always-onduty’ expectation, and the outcome is a highly stressed workforce. The need for intelligent, responsive, effective trade unionism has never been more relevant. That is why ATL is working ever more closely with the Ulster Teachers Union and the Irish National Teachers Organisation within the Northern Ireland Teachers Council. Our latest joint campaign is the protest over teachers’ pay, which is close to 15% lower, in real terms, than in 2010-11. Last year, the Government sought to introduce performancerelated pay (PRP) in place
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
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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
of automatic incremental progression. ATL, with other unions, fought this on educational grounds. All the available research told us PRP is damaging, particularly to professional collaboration. Our devolved Government did not engage with our arguments on PRP, instead choosing to attempt to impose poor, ideologically driven policy. After more than a year of negotiations, the Minister imposed a zero per cent settlement for 201516, with one per cent awarded in 2016-17. The ‘savings’ from the 2015-16 non-award were transferred to the schools budget for the purpose of a cheap, temporary headline. A new union in England would help unions work ever more closely in Northern Ireland. Bring it on.
it’s about time...
make 1 change ATL’S WORK-LIFE CAMPAIGN
JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 9
Securing our future, A new union for education professionals
Why it’s time for a new education union The view from ATL general secretary MARY BOUSTED
ILLUSTRATION: JORGE MARTIN
I have been general secretary for 12 years and have seen ATL grow, supporting and representing the whole workforce, articulating your concerns through policy-making and engaging decision-makers, and encouraging collegiate working for the benefit of members and learners. However, has ATL, or indeed any other education union, achieved what it needs to achieve for its members? I say no. Working separately as six unions, splitting our resources and competing for members, we have allowed divide and rule to weaken our influence. Our resources are divided and our voice is weakened. No one can be in any doubt that the education profession is in crisis. In England, we have one of the OECD’s highest proportions of teachers under 30: 52% of teachers have less than 10 years’ experience and a worryingly high number of teachers are leaving the profession very early in their careers. I think we know the reason why teaching is no longer a profession for life. Half of England’s teachers work between
“SAFEGUARDS WOULD PREVENT INDUSTRIAL ACTION WITHOUT A CLEAR MANDATE” 10 REPORT | JANUARY 2017
40 and 58 hours a week, and a fifth work 60 hours or more. Teachers are massively overworked – with far too much time spent on petty, mind-numbing bureaucracy. Into this toxic mix, we can add pay – or, rather, the lack of it. Teachers and school leaders in England and Wales have, since 2011, been suffering austerity pay rates: a two-year pay freeze imposed in 2011, followed by a one per cent pay cap until 2015-16, which has now been extended for a further four years. In this period, accounting for inflation, teachers have, on average, faced a realterms pay cut of £2,273. And if the pay situation for teachers is bad, for FE lecturers and support staff it’s even worse – as is their job security and satisfaction. It is time to pool our resources, deliver a broader range of support, advice and CPD, and strengthen our voice – especially as the education system faces its greatest challenges of workload, funding, pay freezes, assessment chaos and a recruitment and retention crisis. A new education union would secure our future and strengthen our voice. A whole-workplace approach would mean support for every education professional in every workplace, bringing together nearly half a million members; speaking together, shaping policy, demanding to be heard. Guaranteed representation for support staff, independent and post-16 employees, as well as for new professionals and leaders, would benefit all staff and their students. Safeguards would prevent industrial action without a clear mandate, so there would be no ballot or action without an indicative ballot of members first, with a clear yes vote. What a union it would be – a union with the resources to do much more for its members, more CPD, more legal support, more advice, better organising, more resources, and more members, with louder voices, who can take part in the union’s democracy, and shape it through their views and experiences.
It would mean better protection of our members – you – from poor Government policy and from bad employers. It would mean the creation of better professional practices and better working lives for all our members who deserve dignity and respect at work. I think the arguments for a new union are overwhelming. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
SPOTLIGHT ON… NEW UNION
strengthening our voice On 5 November, ATL delegates voted to ballot eligible members about the creation of a new union with the NUT, which would be called the National Education Union (NEU). NUT delegates agreed the same decision on the same day. Next month, eligible ATL members will receive a ballot paper to vote on the creation of this new union, as will NUT members in a separate ballot. The ballot opens on 27 February and closes on 21 March.
A new union would secure our future NIAMH SWEENEY, ATL vice president If you’d told me four years ago I’d be recommending that all our members vote yes in a ballot on a new union, I would have laughed you out of the room. I joined ATL not because it wasn’t the NUT, but because a rep asked me to, and I stuck with ATL because it stuck with me. I’m only still in the profession I love because of ATL. Yes, there’s the great CPD, the advice and the guidance, but mainly it’s the invaluable contact with other professionals who care WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
about children, young people and their education, as well as our own esteem and conditions. But, quite frankly, the educational environment is bleak, and becoming more so. Thousands of our colleagues are leaving, and the number of those entering the profession is falling. We now have an environment where employers think it is a legitimate saving to sack all its teaching assistants and reinstate them on 23% less pay. There’s a crisis in the recruitment of school leaders. And the average classroom teacher has less than 10 years’ experience. My sister, a primary teacher, is the longest-serving in her school at just three years.
I became active in ATL because I want all my colleagues to have the same opportunities and support I have, and I want all young people to have the education they deserve. I desperately disagree with the ways the current system is bringing our profession to its knees. Now, I want to help ensure the culture, values and ethos of our members become the fundamental building blocks for a new union that is fit for the 21st century. And I do mean of all our members – including support staff, leaders, those working in post-16 and those new to the profession, who would have guaranteed representation in the new union. And within our culture, values and ethos is the issue of strike action: there would be no strike action in the new union without a clear mandate from members. Those in the profession deserve this; those coming to the end of their career deserve this, but most importantly, it is those who haven’t yet even considered entering the world of education as a professional who are more than ever going to need a union with the ability to influence, persuade and support — like 3 ours, but even better.
“I WANT TO ENSURE THE VALUES OF OUR MEMBERS BECOME THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A NEW UNION” JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 11
SPOTLIGHT ON… NEW UNION
A new union � your questions answered WHY DO WE NEED A NEW UNION? We’ve been exploring how to secure our future since 2013 when we analysed how the rapidly changing education sector was impacting on our ability to support members. Academisation has led to a greater number of employers with more diverse employment practices, while budget cuts have led to restructuring and pay freezes, stretching our team of union negotiators and case workers. Changes to assessment and curriculum, increased demands for data, and rocketing workloads have stretched our policy-making and campaign resources to the limit. The subsequent recruitment and retention crisis has created a churn in membership levels, and put pressure on all the unions to maintain numbers. We have worked closely with other unions to improve your working lives and have achieved some success, including over workload and assessment. But we have not achieved enough. The arguments for creating a new union to pool resources, to enhance your support and development, and to strengthen your voice have become overwhelming.
WHAT SUPPORT WOULD I GET IN MY WORKPLACE? The new union would support the same members as ATL and the NUT do now – teachers, lecturers, support staff, leaders and other education professionals – working in every sector across the UK, including independent schools, FE and HE. The new union would aim to strengthen our influence and enhance our support through the creation of rep teams. Each workplace would bring together current ATL and NUT reps to offer a wider range of advice and support on union learning, health and safety, and workplace issues. A wider rep team would reflect the new union’s ethos of a collegiate workplace, where colleagues would work together for the benefit of the wider membership and their learners. 12 REPORT | JANUARY 2017
WHY THE NUT? ATL and the NUT have very similar policies and have already worked closely together in securing Government rethinks on baseline assessment, forced academisation, workload management and the inclusion of independent sector teachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. A new union with the combined resources of ATL and the NUT would be the
WHAT ABOUT OUR DIFFERENCES OVER STRIKE ACTION? A new union would not replicate what already exists. It would be a chance to bring together the best elements of both ATL and the NUT. Both unions believe in dialogue before industrial action. The rules of the new union state that indicative ballots would have to be held before action could go ahead to ensure the widest support of members, and no member would be forced to take action or be penalised for not taking action. The rules also state “the union recognises the right of individual members not to be compelled to take part in industrial action following a ballot or suffer any detriment as a result”. Contrary to common perception, no such ‘conscience clause’ is included in ATL’s rules. In the end, members would determine how they wish to make their voice heard, and the union would respond accordingly.
FIND OUT MORE REGIONAL ATL ROADSHOWS AND MEETINGS ATL is holding a series of regional meetings around the country in the coming weeks to provide an opportunity for you to hear a senior ATL spokesperson present the case for creating a new union with the NUT. They will also provide an opportunity for you to ask any questions you have and discuss your hopes and concerns about the proposal. Venues include Aylesbury, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Devizes, Doncaster, Droitwich, Isle of Man, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle, plus sessions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They are all twilight or weekend sessions, and there are also dozens of local meetings around the country organised by ATL districts and branches. You can attend whichever is most convenient for you. See www.atl.org.uk/newunion for more information and to book a place, or email newunion@atl.org.uk if you have any questions.
largest education union in the UK, giving nearly half a million members access to enhanced support and representation, increased learning and development opportunities, and a stronger voice in local and national campaigns. Should you vote to create a new union, the remaining education unions would be welcomed into talks to widen the new union’s support and influence.
WOULD THE NEW UNION BE NON-PARTY POLITICAL? Both ATL and the NUT are currently independent of any political party. During transition, this would continue unchanged. Post-transition, the new union would “seek to influence the political agenda while maintaining independence from any political party”. HOW HAVE ATL MEMBERS BEEN INVOLVED SO FAR? The process leading to a special conference and now to a ballot of eligible members in spring 2017 has been member-led. There have been nearly three years of informal, then formal, talks through a joint officer group of ATL and NUT members, consultation with district and branch secretaries and Executive, and reports to Annual Conferences in 2015 and 2016, while member feedback has been sought through surveys and emails, and has shaped the negotiations around the new union. This spring, eligible members have the final say in the ballot.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? From 27 February to 21 March, eligible members of ATL and the NUT will be balloted separately over whether they wish to create a new union. Yes votes would lead to the NEU forming on 1 September 2017 with a transition period until amalgamation is complete on 1 January 2019. There would be joint general secretaries until 2023 and, until the NEU operated as one union, no current ATL or NUT member would pay a higher subs rate than they were paying before. If either or both unions’ members say no, then the new union does not carry on.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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.
“NINE AM ON A SATURDAY and it felt like a party!” This was the atmosphere at an event at Sheffield Hallam University, according to Dame Alison Peacock, where 500 teachers from the length and breadth of the country came together last year to discuss ways of assessing without levels. She recalls it as a significant moment in her decision to swap her role as a successful headteacher for that of CEO of the fledgling Chartered College of Teaching. The will to learn demonstrated at this event was echoed in focus groups held by the College prior to its launch, which showed a desire for personal learning, in contrast to the prevalence of whole-school training on an issue decided by the school leader or by Government policy change. “An individual might have a passion for their own subject, but have had no help developing that,” Peacock explains, highlighting the numbers of education staff who go to CPD on a Saturday to further their individual learning. “People feel in control, they have chosen to go to it and that’s quite liberating. I’m hoping that spirit will persuade people to join the Chartered College and pursue their own professional pathway.” There is a clear gap in the market, she believes. “We don’t have a professional body focused on building knowledge and engagement with research post-qualification. If we’re a profession that’s all about learning, we need to be learning.” The College will occupy a very different space to the defunct and often unpopular General Teaching Council for England, which Peacock herself recalls resenting for automatically taking money out of her account (even though the fee was later reimbursed). Crucially, joining the Chartered College is optional and those who wish to pay the joining fee will do so. “In terms of reputation, the College has a long way to go to prove that it doesn’t want to stamp on anybody’s turf or tell people what to do,” she says. “It’s about building a professional voice. It’s voluntary, so people who don’t like it don’t have to join. “The idea is to enable the profession to be more connected with big ideas, with research; to be more collaborative,” she explains. “For an individual teacher to feel connected beyond their own classroom and be able to share ideas.” Looking beyond individual classrooms and schools in the wider education world is a key facet of her
A quiet
REVOLUTION
Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, tells Alex Tomlin about her ambitious plans for the new organisation
0 Dame Alison Peacock wants to nurture confidence and bravery in the teaching profession
ambitions. Peacock had a view of the bigger picture from an early age, even when stacking shelves as a 17-year-old in Woolworths. “I would tell my friends how the stock system wasn’t good enough and I wasn’t sure about the pricing,” she recalls. “I was worried about the overall profitability of Woolworths. And look what happened to Woolworths!” Previously the headteacher at the Wroxham School in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, Peacock was a member of the Royal Society Education Committee, a peer member of the Teaching Schools Council and a trustee of both the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors and of Teach First. She also wrote Assessment for Learning without Limits, and was a key member of the commission on assessment without levels. Now, as CEO of the Chartered College from January 2017, she is looking to improve education and schools across the board. “When schools are great, life is better,” she states. “But it’s not just the responsibility of the College of Teaching – the future of the profession rests or falls on whether we can collaborate. We, the profession, can gather together and say what works for us, rather than waiting for the Government or anyone else to tell us what to do.
14 REPORT | JANUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
IN PROFILE… DAME ALISON PEACOCK
“That feels much more worthwhile and empowering. Even a bit revolutionary; a quiet revolution.” Something needs to change, Peacock says. With spiralling workloads and associated recruitment and retention problems besetting the profession, staying the same cannot be an option. “The real vision would be that in 10 years’ time people across the globe say ‘my goodness, look what’s happened in England. It’s moved from a profession that was riddled with fear, with real retention issues, where people don’t want to train, to becoming the place to be because it’s a vibrant community where people feel able to share, to engage with research, contribute to research’. “And the Chartered College would have been a part of that, as the voice of the profession on pedagogy and research findings, so people feel more confident talking about making decisions that are not just intuitive, but research-informed.” Peacock talks a great deal about wanting to nurture confidence and bravery in the teaching profession. Education staff are currently terrified of the accountability and testing regime, so it is no surprise it helps shape the way they teach, often to the detriment of students’ learning. This is apparent in the teaching of writing at key stage 1 and 2, Peacock says, where a focus on grammar and punctuation can distract from the purpose of writing. “The way writing is being assessed and moderated, and the amount of grammar children are expected to overtly know about; that risks compromising the quality of experience of what it is to be a writer at seven or eight,” she says. “The only way, as a profession, we can square that circle is to be braver about engaging with evidence about what enables children to be good writers. We need to be confident that the way to enable children to write well is to give them real things to write about and give them the skills to be able to structure a piece of prose in such a way that they know how to use grammar to construct a compelling piece of writing. “If we’re not careful, we could say we’re so worried about naming parts of a sentence that we haven’t got time to talk about the overall purpose of writing in the first place. We want children to want to write, not to see it as a mechanical process, to which you can somehow, magically, bring ideas later.” Peacock is careful to position the Chartered College of Teaching as a positive force, rather than one that simply complains about Government policy. “I don’t think the purpose of the College is to criticise Government,” she says, “but I do think it is to provide an authoritative voice
“WHEN SCHOOLS ARE GREAT, LIFE IS BETTER. THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION RESTS OR FALLS ON WHETHER WE CAN COLLABORATE”
that is sometimes contrary to what Government is saying and be able to evidence this. “Over time, it would be seen as not ideologically led, but based on evidence. Together with other professional associations, we can make the argument more powerful. When we are better informed, we can make better decisions.” Evidence and sharing ideas could help change the culture of excessive workloads causing so much damage to the education profession. “Sometimes we try to outdo each other with the amount of work we do,” she says. “The narrative needs to shift. We need to be braver and prouder about saying ‘I found this and it really seems to work and it meant I didn’t work till midnight’. “Sometimes it feels like you don’t have time to look up and see other ways of doing things. The irony is if you can’t see what else there is, you can’t get off the treadmill you’re on. “At the moment, the politicians have a loud voice and they say ‘jump’ and education staff try to outdo each other to jump higher, because we’re all being ranked. But there are only so many hours in the day. We should be focusing on the quality experience so the teacher is able to do the best they can. At the moment, so much energy is being put into pleasing people who may never even come to look at your books.” Although Peacock is ambitious about the impact she wants the College to have, she is aware it will take time for it to grow in membership and influence. She hopes a core of early members will feel the benefit and communicate that to colleagues. “Our first members will be the ones who see the vision, who have the professional aspiration and are keen to contribute,” she says. “We’ve got a lot of people already who say this is an idea whose time has come.” Obviously, though, she wants as many teachers as possible to join, particularly new teachers, so they can benefit from planned connections with subject associations, learning societies and other organisations, including unions. The website, currently in its infancy, will be a portal for connections. Members will have bespoke links to events and opportunities in their region as well as by subject and phase. Peacock hopes this will help teachers feel more connected and avoid them feeling isolated in their classrooms. The College officially begins operating this month and the first members have the chance to attend two free launch events on 18 and 20 February, featuring some world-class speakers. By September 2017, she hopes a chartered scholarship route will be in place to enable members to study their particular phase, being assigned a mentor and signposted to relevant research. “We’re here at the ground level and we want to establish an organisation that’s going to exist in 200 years’ time,” she says, outlining the scale of her ambitions. “I know I’m hopelessly idealistic, but somebody has to be. “Maybe something amazing could happen. We always have to believe that.”
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 15
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GUIDE
Protecting young carers Many young carers become victims of bullying. Anna Morris of the Carers Trust offers advice to professionals so they can help prevent this happening MORE THAN TWO THIRDS of young carers report bullying at school – many simply because they care for a loved one at home. Through working with young carers who have become bullying victims themselves, and with the Devon Carers project, we have produced some practical guidance to help you take swift action if this happens. The scale of the problem Research suggests there are as many as 700,000 children in the UK who are caring for a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental health condition or addiction. Instead of seeing friends, enjoying hobbies and completing their homework, these children, some as young as 10, are cleaning, cooking, administering medicine, shopping and looking after a brother or sister – along with many other daily tasks. We know young carers miss on average up to 10 weeks of school a year as a direct result of their caring role, and with the added emotional turmoil of coping with bullying, these children are doubly disadvantaged, which can have a negative and enduring impact on their own mental health. What can be done? The aim of our new guide is to help professionals working with young carers to have an improved understanding of how caring for a family member may increase the susceptibility of a young person to being bullied. Young carers can feel singled out and targeted because of the appearance or behaviour of a family member if a disability is obvious; if a sibling’s behaviour attracts attention; or if assumptions are made about a person without understanding their health condition. This can lead to isolation and bullying. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
Modifying the young carer’s environment to prevent him or her from becoming isolated – for example, by providing transport to social activities – can help to reduce the likelihood of being bullied. A whole-school approach • Help young carers and their families feel safe and confident to access school support.
RESOURCES To download a full copy of the Carers Trust’s guide, Protecting Young Carers from Bullying: A Guide for Schools, Community Groups and Policy Makers visit www.professionals.carers.org/bullying. Carers Trust’s annual Young Carers Awareness Day on 26 January aims to highlight the issues young carers face. Visit www.carers.org/young-carersawareness-day for more details.
• Make sure prospective pupils and families are aware the school recognises and responds to the needs of young carers. • Build a culture of acceptance and celebration of difference. Anti-bullying policies • Make sure your anti-bullying policy includes specific reference to young carers and is up to date, freely accessible and regularly promoted. • Involve and include young carers in developing anti-bullying policies and practice. • Raise pupil awareness of disability and illness through assemblies, PSHE lessons and general literature. Staff training • Increase staff awareness and understanding of young carers and of the day-to-day issues they face. • Develop understanding of why young carers may be bullied, and strategies for dealing with bullying incidents. Support for young carers • Establish an identified person to whom young carers can go confidentially. • E xplore the option of a peer mentor or buddy who is also a young carer. • Enable young carers to join in social activities and wider opportunities by thinking about how to overcome the barriers, such as lack or transport, cost and anxiety about leaving the person they care for. Online safety Young carers have been identified as being particularly susceptible to cyberbullying. A 2015 survey of vulnerable groups conducted by Youthworks Consulting found 58% of young carers had been cyberbullied, compared with 25% of their peers. Sometimes their inability to join in activities can lead to an over-reliance on the internet. Ensure that young carers and their parents are aware of ways to stay safe online and reinforce these messages regularly. Implementing these recommendations from Carers Trust’s anti-bullying guidance can help prevent the damaging effects of bullying happening in the first place. Anna Morris is senior policy manager of the Carers Trust. See www.carers.org for more information and follow @CarersTrust on Twitter. JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 17
JOIN THE DEBATE FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Counting the cost
Money-saving expert Martin Lewis tells Alex Tomlin why better financial education is crucial for the country
“FINANCIAL PROBLEMS are one of the biggest causes of divorce and mental-health breakdowns. This isn’t just a money issue, it’s a well-being issue,” says Martin Lewis of his campaign to improve financial education in schools. Lewis, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, succeeded in lobbying for the inclusion of financial education on the national curriculum that began in 2014. However, he describes that as a “pyrrhic victory”, because “the Government felt it had given those of us lobbying what we wanted, but all it did was tick a box. “No resources were put into it and no training was given to teachers. You cannot start a new subject with no resources.” The problem is compounded by academies not being obliged to follow the national curriculum. He dismisses the suggestion that the topic could be covered by business studies or economics as, he argues, they are radically different subjects, while the idea that parents should educate their children on finances gets equally short shrift. “We have a system of terrible financial literacy in this country and a real problem with financial capability,” he explains. “We need to break this cycle of bad debt and bad decision-making. You can’t rely on parents to do it because they don’t understand it
“WE HAVE A SYSTEM OF TERRIBLE FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THIS COUNTRY AND A REAL PROBLEM WITH FINANCIAL CAPABILITY”
themselves, so we need to professionalise it, and the best people to teach it are teachers.” The suggestion that banks and building societies take a role in teaching financial education is the biggest source of frustration for Lewis, who says it makes no sense to get financial education from “a confusing industry that thrives on complexity”. He gives the example of new customers getting better insurance rates than those who stay with the same company for 15 years. “Logically, most would say the loyal customer should get the better deal, but logic and common sense don’t come into it,” he says. “We’re talking financial education as a consumer,” he adds. “What I want to see is contemporary and bespoke examples where the kids know it’s real, not theoretical. Let’s work out the percentages, the minimum repayments on a credit card, how long it will actually take you to repay it using today’s rates. That’s incredibly important, but I’m not sure how many schools are doing that.” Lewis’ focus is on secondary schools but he says it’s never too early to introduce the subject. “You can bring it into a primary system: teaching kids what a bank is, about notes and coins, plastic payment, what a shop does, the notion of profit. You can teach a child of six or seven that a company wants to make money from them — subtly bringing in a bit of scepticism is very valuable. “I do understand that some teachers will roll their eyes at this; another do-gooder trying to add to their workload,” he admits, but adds: “We’ve worked very hard to minimise that burden by incorporating it in with existing subjects. It is my great disappointment that teachers haven’t been given the resource or training from a state level to be able to deliver it, but we will continue to work on that.” He adds that just 0.1% of the £20 billion of mis-sold payment protection insurance would make a “monumental difference” if put into funding financial education. “A lot of what we’re talking about is standard skills of investigation or research that teachers are more than capable of teaching. We know we have many enthused teachers around the country who would like to engage with this.” Lewis believes the effects of good financial education could take 20 or 30 years to manifest themselves in the population at large, but eventually he wants to see “less bad debt, greater financial comfort, and a financially savvier and happier nation on the back of proper financial education in schools. The danger is that the only financial education kids get is the three minutes of ads while they’re watching The X Factor. That needs to change.”
18 REPORT | JANUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
BOOK EXTRACT MANAGING TEACHER WORKLOAD
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
OCTOBER 2016 | REPORT 19
Helping you understand and deliver the new single title D&T GCSE – 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 Autumn 2016 and into 2017.
Planning to teach the new GCSE in design and technology Course runs: London 01/02 and 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
D&T Futures – Dick Powell Design Lecture Free to D&T Association members and students. £15 for non-members London: Royal College of Arts 02/02
Coming soon • Becoming an Excellent D&T Subject Leader
• Preparing Schemes of Work for Key Stage 3 and 4 Fit for the New GCSE
• Teaching STEM Aspects of D&T
• Maximising your Subject Specialism with the new D&T GCSE: Textiles, Product Design, Systems and Control, Graphic Design
• Relevant Textiles: Content for KS3 & GCSE D&T 2017 • Using Iterative Designing Processes and Working in Contexts
• Engineering Workshop Skills • 2-day Textiles Residential Course
£195 (members) and £250 (non members) 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
Secondary Subject Leader File
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.
Offering full D&T Subject Leader support Members – £94.80 Non-members – £113.76 Covers a range of issues and practical areas a subject leader must manage, including: education policy; leadership vision, mission and policy; managing standards; the D&T curriculum, teaching and learning; managing a team and learning environment.
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.
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 LEGAL GUIDE
27 NOTICEBOARD
Our legal team on employment law around disability
Information, events and opportunities to get involved
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YOUR VIEWS ATL members on not having to always serve showstoppers in lessons, the mutual benefits of being a governor, and welcoming a potential new union
25 CROSSWORD Your chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher with our fiendish cryptic crossword
RESOURCES The spring issue of ATL’s rep newsletter, a major publication on being a more ethical leader, and a poster to demonstrate the scale of workload problems; all this and more is available now.
29 LEARNING ZONE Use a new online tool to see if you could brush up on your maths, English or ICT skills.
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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
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
JANUARY 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
Disability should not be a bar to working
THINKSTOCK
ATL solicitor Kehinde Adeogun outlines how the law can protect employees with a disability THOSE WHO WORK in the education sector come from diverse backgrounds and include individuals who have health conditions that could be defined as disabilities. Having a condition that amounts to a disability does not automatically affect an individual’s ability to carry out his or her job. Unfortunately, though, some do face difficulty obtaining and staying in work due to a disability. The law does, however, provide protection for employees who may experience discrimination at work because of a disability. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection for people who are defined as disabled around a wide remit of employment-related situations, for example: interview arrangements; job offers; terms of employment that are offered; promotion opportunities; dismissal; redundancy; and disciplinary and grievance situations. To obtain the protection of the Equality Act, an individual’s condition and its impact must fall within the definition of a ‘disability’. To meet the definition, an individual has to show that he or she has a physical or mental condition that has a substantial and longterm adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
The act does, however, recognise that certain conditions should be seen as a disability without the individual needing to prove that they meet the separate parts of the definition set out above. It provides very welcome protection to an individual who has been diagnosed with HIV infection, cancer or multiple sclerosis. Protection starts automatically from the point of diagnosis and continues even when the individual is asymptomatic or in remission. Employer duties Individuals who are certified as blind, severely sight impaired, sight impaired or partially sighted by a consultant ophthalmologist are also covered by the provisions of the act without any need to substantiate that he or she meets the conditions. Protection commences from certification by the ophthalmologist. Being covered by the provisions of the Equality Act means an individual who has a disability should be able to continue in employment unfettered by his or her health condition. This is because the act states that prospective employees are not to be treated less favourably than a non-disabled worker because they are
disabled, and that they are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared with colleagues who are not disabled. An employer is under a duty to provide what is known as reasonable adjustments for disabled employees to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. The test as to the reasonableness of an adjustment is an objective one. The protections are available for all employees who fall within the definition of disability. In terms of those who are automatically covered by the definition, see the suggestions of reasonable adjustments that follow further below. For a blind or visually impaired employee, reasonable adjustments could include: • the provision of assistive technology such as a large screen or a Braille printer • employing or providing a reader, changing lighting or providing a contrast in décor • providing facilities for an employee’s assistance dog • providing a support worker to assist a blind or visually impaired employee safe mobility around the workplace. For an individual who has been diagnosed with cancer, multiple sclerosis or HIV infection, a reasonable adjustment could include ‘disability leave’ cover to enable the employee to undergo a cycle of treatment and/or rehabilitation following treatment. The reasonable adjustment could be that the leave isn’t recorded as sick leave or that it is paid leave outside of the usual special leave provisions in the contract. In all situations where an employee who has a disability has to take periods of absence, it should be argued that the leave periods related to disability should be discounted in any calculation for redundancy selection purposes or as a trigger for starting a capability procedure related to absence. Employees and employers should be aware of Access to Work, a Government-funded programme that provides advice and assistance to disabled people who are in work or seeking work. The Access to Work scheme can fund some reasonable adjustments that ensure that disabled individuals gain or remain in employment. To speak to ATL about any of the issues raised here, see the contact details on page 21. JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 23
YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS
Letters WIN!
STA R L E T T E R
RECIPES FOR SUCCESS Goodness, we teachers like to make life difficult for ourselves. I know that we all take pride in our work; but the cooking analogy in the article ‘Work or workload?’ (Report, October 2016) spoke volumes. Planning to introduce a new concept was compared to trying to make “the perfect cake for a birthday party” as opposed to “cooking family dinner for the fifth day in a row”. The fact is that, as teachers, we are regularly serving up a diet of lessons for our pupils - five days in a row if we are full time. And if we teach a number of classes, that’s five or six different families a day. We can’t afford to be perfectionists aiming to serve up a showstopper every time or we will drive ourselves into the ground. A successful department will share its recipes for success - its lesson plans, its resources - and not expect every cook to start from scratch every time. The ideas and resources from other
The author of this letter wins £100 in book tokens. If you want to voice your schools should the school I opinion on issues raised in Report or any other aspect of education, please send a never be a govern is letter or email to the addresses below, source of primary. including your phone number. shame. No one I have learned One letter will be chosen every issue to win feeding a family vast amounts from the tokens. looks down on chilli a head who is a
con carne or spaghetti bolognese because they are not original. Yes, there is a place for mindful planning and being creative; but we have dozens of hungry learners waiting to be fed, and our own families to see and - yes - feed in the evening. J Gallagher, Warwickshire A GOVERNOR’S TALE Regarding the article ‘Knights’ tale’, (Report November/December 2016), I became a governor of my child’s school five years ago. A year later, I returned to the classroom as a part-time teacher. I agree with Emma Knights, being a governor is the best CPD I ever did. My experiences on the main governing board, and latterly as chair of the curriculum committee have benefited both the school I govern, the school I teach in, and my own practice. This is despite the fact I am secondary trained and
national leader and who runs an outstanding school. Practice in many areas was superior to that where I work. I have been able to contribute effectively to governors’ meetings with a good working knowledge of pay and conditions, and brought knowledge of Ofsted reports to meetings. I stood firm on the idea that basing performance-related pay on the achievement of all nonSEND pupils in a class achieving 100% of their objectives was unreasonable, when other governors felt it was fine. One colleague on the governing board,
JOIN THE DEBATE…
whose background was in business, insinuated that some teachers are lazy. Being able to explain to him that teaching involves much more of an emotional drain than some jobs was very important. Going through the Ofsted process as a governor has been both intimidating and illuminating. I can now empathise with my own demands for data, but can also discern which demands are based on outdated conceptions of Ofsted requirements. The training I received from the borough’s governor training programme has been useful to me as a governor, but has also helped me sharpen my own teaching practice. Name supplied COMMON GROUND I am a retired member of ATL and I would like to register my wish to be joined in with the NUT. There is strength in numbers and with the ever-increasing diversity of educational establishments, it will become necessary to have a strong union presence where there is a common foothold for all teachers and lecturers. I also feel that if the NUT is prepared to join with ATL, it presupposes that there is already much common ground. Education and the theory of education is constantly changing. In the past decade, we have seen so many changes in the infrastructure of our schools and colleges that a strong voice needs to be provided to all who are teaching, coaching and lecturing, not just people with a teaching certificate, but those who are classroom assistants and lecturers who may not have the necessary support without ATL and the NUT. Name supplied
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
24 REPORT | JANUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
IN PROFILE
WIN!
Prize crossword ACROSS 9 Only a Goth could compose such a collection of poetry (9) 10 So I leave ‘dodgy dossiers’ and put on some clothes (5) 11 Some involved in education ate in hall? (5) 12 Animal lab area OK for redevelopment (5,4) 13 University department not working correctly – cold inside (7) 14 Notifies how children are grouped while at school? (7) 17 Exists to prosecute children (5) 19 American writer of verse – almost! (3) 20 Annoyed that Religious Instruction went first (5) 21 Attempts first half of term in Italian university city (7) 22 For skilled craftsman, painting, for example, is an end (7) 24 There are scores of things on sale here! (5,4) 26 Behold, a North/South arrangement in money advanced to students… (5) 28 …and party leader sure to change where it comes from? (5) 29 Read about new users, and removed any doubts (9) DOWN 1 Drearily dull return for Shakespeare? (4)
A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
2 New teach-in lacks article concerning national and cultural origins (6) 3 Doing roles as revised by Gilbert & Sullivan? (10) 4 University teacher sits on top of typewriter button – ass! (6) 5 Maybe dine with T. May – explosive stuff! (8) 6 Thought concealed in Pride and Prejudice (4) 7 Might be clearer to involve Head of Biology – it’s to do with the brain (8) 8 Old ruler used to form viaduct’s arches (4) 13 Forte isn’t commonly to swoon (5) 15 Excellent place to start at infant school? (5-5) 16 Dean’s new car (5) 18 Music centre is cross, upset – they are used to make cuts (8) 19 I teach proportional representation cleverly, using this graphic? (3,5) 22 We hear a ringing of bells has attractive quality (6) 23 I am surrounded by celebs – they help me go up in the world! (6) 24 Feel listless and dejected when Physical Education follows a short period (4) 25 They take part in the Boat Race to get some non-academic reward (4) 27 Team is backed up on heartless dive (4)
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HOW TO ENTER
Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL January crossword competition, Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH. The closing date is 6 February 2017. If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here: The winner of the January competition will be announced in the March 2017 issue of Report.
LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 8 Homework 9 Peered 10 Type 11 Pal 12 Raised 13 Fawkes 15 Educated 17 Christi 19 Mentors 22 Ancestor 24 Doddle 25 Sniper 27 Guy 28 Five 29 Utopia 30 Dreaming DOWN: 1 Polymath 2 Tête 3 Corpus 4 Skilled 5 Aperture 6 Semi 7 Severe 14 Knife 16 Acted 18 Tutorial 20 Relevant 21 Tragedy 23 Nine-to 24 Dryden 26 Pipe 28 Frame CONGRATULATIONS TO OCTOBER’S WINNER – MRS B GARRAWAY, CHESTERFIELD
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YOUR ATL… NOTICEBOARD
NOTICE BOARD NEW UNION REGIONAL ROADSHOWS
TPS OVERPAYMENTS LETTER
ATL is holding a series of regional meetings around the country in the coming weeks. They will provide an opportunity for you to hear a senior ATL spokesperson present the case for creating a new union with the NUT, ask any questions and discuss hopes and concerns about the proposal. They are all twilight or weekend sessions, and there are also a series of local meetings around the country organised by ATL districts and branches you may wish to attend. See www.atl.org.uk/newunion for more information and to book a place.
ATL has appointed Popularis Ltd, based in Totten, Southampton, to act as scrutineer for the forthcoming membership ballot for ATL to amalgamate with the NUT to form the National Education Union. All members (other than students) on 31 January 2017 will be eligible to vote in the ballot, which will take place between 27 February and 21 March.
Teachers’ Pensions (TP) has worked to improve the tone of some of its member letters, in particular the letters sent to members when an overpayment of pension has occurred for whatever reason, and money is due back to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). As a statutory scheme, these amounts cannot be written off even if they have occurred as an error on the part of the administrator; TP has a duty to recoup any overpaid monies. However, in the rare cases that overpayments occur, repayment plans are often possible and you should contact TP as soon as possible after receiving a letter to discuss those options. As a reminder to members, overpayments can occur if you have taken your pension and return to teaching with an earnings limit. Ensure you know your earnings limit and complete a certificate of re-employment each year, available at www.teacherspensions. co.uk or by logging on to ‘My pension online’ at www.teacherspensions.co.uk/public/login.
CLAIM YOUR TEACHERS’ PENSION
REGISTER WITH WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
If you have already left teaching, but have not claimed your pension, and you have passed your normal retirement age (NRA), your pension is payable. If you do not claim it, all arrears back to the payable date will be paid when you do and all income tax due from those arrears will be deducted. Similarly, if you have worked past NRA, your pension becomes payable as soon as you are over NRA and are out of service.
ATL’s website was relaunched at the end of last year after an extensive period of consultation with members. It’s brighter and easier to use, and works well however you choose to access it – by smartphone, tablet or laptop/desktop computer. We’re encouraging ATL members to sign up for a website account, and then connect with their ATL membership to enable full access to all the features of the website, including the ability to book on to CPD courses and other events and to order hard copies of publications for free. If you haven’t done so already, please: • visit www.atl.org.uk/register to create an account • log in and click the ‘Connect your membership’ button to register as an ATL member by adding your membership number. The year ahead will see a host of new features added to the website, including a personalised user panel to help you access the information you need fast – with tailored help and
NEW UNION - BALLOT
DO WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT DETAILS? If you have not been receiving correspondence at home, or if you have changed your home address details over the past year and have not informed us, contact us now so we can ensure your record is up to date. Email membership@ atl.org.uk with your updates. If you could include your membership number, which is above your name on the address sheet that came with this magazine, it will help us process your request more quickly. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
advice, events in your area and the latest news from your workplace or sector.
ATL’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE - APRIL 2017 If you would like to join around 500 other members from across the country from all sectors and stages of education, contribute to ATL policy, benefit from CPD, hear guest speakers and take part in our conference dinner, consider attending ATL’s Annual Conference. Annual Conference is where our policy is decided and is the most important event in the ATL calendar. This year’s Conference will be held in Liverpool from 10 to 12 April. If you would like to take part, the simplest route is to speak to your district or branch secretary to see if there are any spaces remaining in your district delegation. Sixty additional places are always reserved for student members, NQ members and standard members who have not attended Conference before. If your branch delegation is full and you would like to be considered for one of these extra places, please email David Kimber at dkimber@atl.org.uk. Crèche facilities will be available without charge to delegates.
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JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 27
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IN P YOUR R O F IATL… LE RESOURCES
ATL RESOURCES Being a Rep
Brush up on your basic skills in English, maths and ICT
The spring 2017 issue of Being a Rep has been sent out to reps and contacts with this issue of Report and leads with what reps need to know about the upcoming ballot to form a new union with the NUT. There are also updates on ATL activity around pay offers in the maintained and FE sectors, and on Government proposals on grammar schools and assessment, as well as news of a successful leadership training day, and a major new benefit for ATL members. For health and safety reps, there is a comprehensive explanation of what is involved in an occupational health referral, while union learning reps can read about some farm-based training and opportunities from the TUC.
Ethical leadership publication ATL’s leadership section, AMiE, has produced a publication, Leading in Tough Times: keeping ethics at the heart of your practice, to illustrate the importance of ethical leadership. It is primarily aimed at those with leadership or management responsibilities, but is also relevant to those aspiring to senior roles. This book examines the many facets of ethical leadership, with an emphasis on both individual leaders and their organisations acting in a transparent and trustworthy way. It includes case studies, scenarios, tasks and reflective considerations. The publication is divided into two parts. Part A, ‘thinking’, explores the issues and challenges facing education leaders. Part B, ‘doing’, looks at how leaders can practise ethically when dealing with a wide range of stakeholders and multiple complex issues. Members can order it for free or download it from www.atl.org.uk/ethicalleading.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
LEARNING ZONE
Workload resources As part of our ongoing workload campaign, ‘It’s about time…’, we have produced an infographic poster displaying some of the key statistics that we have gathered that demonstrate the excessive hours worked by the education profession. You can order or download the poster to display in your workplace in order to show colleagues the widespread extent of the issue, and to encourage them to sign up to the workload tracker. You can download the A4 poster at www.atl.org.uk/infographicA4 or the A3 version at www.atl.org.uk/infographicA3. There is also a three-minute video showing members talking about their workload issues and the ways in which ATL’s campaign has helped them, including through using the tracker and by making one change to their working lives to improve workload. The video is at www.atl.org.uk/ abouttimevideo. Please do take a look and share on social media using #make1change.
Do you ever feel that your English, maths or ICT skills are a bit rusty? Would you like to be able to check what level you are at and whether you need any support or further training? If you’ve answered yes to either of these questions, then Unionlearn’s new online diagnostic tool ‘Use-it’ may be of interest. Based on a series of multiplechoice questions, Use-it is quick, easy and will give you immediate feedback on what areas of your English, maths and ICT you need to brush up on. You can also complete assessments on a number of other areas, such as safeguarding, emotional resilience, diet and alcohol. To access Use-it, go to tools. unionlearn.org.uk/use-it. You will first have to register - a short process requiring you to provide your name, email address, password, postcode, region and your union, ATL. Once in the tool, simply select the relevant learning theme and start answering the questions. When you receive your results you will be directed to speak to your local rep for information on what you should do next. Alternatively, contact ulf@ atl.org.uk putting ‘Use-it’ as the subject heading and specifying what areas of learning you are interested in – English, maths and/or ICT – and we will send you information about sources of support and training available.
JANUARY 2017 | REPORT 29
FINAL WORD… SHAPPI KHORSANDI
No laughing matter
ILLUSTRATION: PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH
President of the British Humanist Association, comedian Shappi Khorsandi gives a personal perspective on the importance of sex and relationships education in schools IN THE '80S, sex education at primary school was one lesson, the purpose of which seemed to be to give the kids something to giggle about. Even then, consent letters had to be signed and sent back from parents to allow us to take part. The dusty school television set was wheeled into the classroom. We watched a dry documentary that showed us diagrams. One was a picture of a vagina (or it could have been a volcano, it wasn’t very clear) and a sober voiceover told us “figure A is inserted in figure C like so”. It wasn’t very useful. The rest of my sex education at school was in the girls’ toilets, where we hung out at break times. My friend Julie told me you did sex once, on your wedding day, and if you did it standing up, you got twins, which convinced me. My parents, while not religious, were not comfortable talking to me
about sex. The whole thing became this mysterious, terrifying event. Families have changed. Same-sex couples have children now, there are more blended families and more women are having babies by themselves, so the ‘when a mummy and a daddy love each other very very much’ story isn’t always a helpful portrayal of the society our children live in. My three-year-old daughter has never met or known her biological father. This summer, she began to ask questions. Out came the propagators and we grew cress and talked about seeds and planting, which helped answer some questions. Obviously, with a toddler there is no need for lectures and graphics, but there was a need to answer her questions as simply and as honestly as it is appropriate for her age. When she is older, she needs to be able to learn about sex and
Shappi Khorsandi is a stand-up comedian and author @shappikhorsandi
relationships alongside her peers at school, too. Opting out of this often seems to be on the grounds of ‘11 is too young to be taught about sex’. But they will be taught about what it is, not told to go and do it. It’s like saying, ‘they can’t possibly learn about Napoleon, they’re too young to invade Italy’! We need to talk about sex. Children are bombarded with sexual imagery that we cannot always shield them from. I was in a family café recently, the television in the corner was locked on MTV and my young son and daughter could watch as a cluster of oiled, pouty women writhed semi-naked around a man and, for reasons lost to me, vied for his attentions. Sex is everywhere. Sex has always been everywhere, but it’s more ‘everywhere’ now than it ever has been. However many locks you put on phones and home computers, children and teenagers are likely to, eventually, see sexual images that they cannot ‘unsee’. We need to allow a space where they can discuss this and become savvy to the unreality of pornography, and understand that they themselves are in charge of setting their own boundaries, online and in real life. Children have a right to age-appropriate sex education. Of course, it should be a statutory part of the curriculum. Whatever religious beliefs parents have, their child is still going to live as a member of this same society and be exposed to the same pressures as his or her peers. To isolate a child, or indeed a whole school full of children, from information about sex and relationships seems contrary to the idea that schools are there to encourage understanding. To allow parents to exclude their child from sex education makes as much sense as opting out of science or maths.
The British Humanist Association is a member of both the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum, and is calling for compulsory, ageappropriate, and inclusive PSHE and SRE in schools. See www.humanism.org.uk.
30 REPORT | JANUARY 2017 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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