Educate magazine January/February 2022

Fighting for fair pay The union’s call for an 8% rise. See page 7.

Ofsted: not fit for purpose The teaching community has had enough. See page 24.

Child poverty Making the school day more inclusive. See page 50.

January/ February 2022

Your magazine from the National Education Union

We have a planet to save

Keeping the climate crisis on the agenda

TUC best membership communication print journal 2019

Educate

January/February 2022 Keeping the climate crisis on the agenda for the generations to come.

Full story on pages 22 & 23.

Photo: Beth Farhat

Fighting for fair pay The union’s call for an 8% rise. See page 7.

Ofsted: not fit for purpose The teaching community has had enough. See page 24.

Child poverty Making the school day more inclusive. See page 50.

January/ February 2022

Your magazine from the National Education Union

We have a planet to save

Keeping the climate crisis on the agenda

TUC best membership communication print journal 2019

NEU president: Daniel Kebede

NEU joint general secretaries: Mary Bousted & Kevin Courtney

Editor: Max Watson Journalists:

Sally Gillen, Emily Jenkins & Sarah Thompson

Newsdesk t: 020 7380 4760 e: educate@neu.org.uk Design & subbing: Amanda Ellis

neu.org.uk facebook.com/ nationaleducationunion

Welcome

LET’s talk about pay. After workload, it is the second biggest issue driving educators from the profession.

Hardly surprising when you consider that since 2010 teachers’ salaries have dropped by 17 per cent. You may not be working in education for the money but, like everyone else, you must be able to live. It’s a fact recognised by the thousands of graduates now opting for careers in other professions ahead of teaching. They want to be able to pay the bills.

With our push for an eight per cent pay increase this year, to be followed by the same in 2023, we can begin to restore pay levels (see page 7). In January, the NEU will be launching a national survey on pay.

Please make sure you complete it. We need your input.

A fair financial reward isn’t, of course, simply about making ends meet. Equally important is the signal that decent pay sends to society about the value placed on what you contribute. As we know, the pandemic has generated among the public a renewed respect for our profession. It must now be underlined by decent annual pay rises.

In this issue, we turn the spotlight on Ofsted. Since the return of inspections in September, Mary and I have heard some truly jawdropping accounts from members (see pages 6, 11 and 24).

Teacher Charlie Spencer (page 26) was left speechless by an inspector’s remark that his school should be back to normal within two weeks after Covid. After Covid? That was just a few weeks before cases began soaring again and the Omicron variant appeared.

Alongside the clueless, there has been the downright callous.

Unforgivably, a school leader’s request for an inspection deferral so they could attend their parent’s funeral was denied. Ofsted’s credibility went some time ago; its reputation can scarcely withstand such damning reports.

Surely Charlie speaks for us all, when he says: “The teaching community has had enough.”

In 2022, the NEU will kick off its fight for decent pay for members and an education regulator that is fit for purpose. Please get involved in whatever way you can. Help us win these battles.

Wishing you a restful break – after yet another exhausting year.

Happy New Year.

Kevin Courtney National Education Union Joint general secretary

twitter.com/NEUnion To advertise contact:

Paul Heitzman, Century One Publishing, Alban Row, 27-31 Verulam Road, St Albans AL3 4DG t: 01727 739 196 e: paul@centuryone.uk Except where the NEU has formally negotiated agreements with companies as part of its services to members, inclusion of an advertisement in Educate does not imply any form of recommendation.

While every effort is made to ensure the reliability of advertisers, the NEU cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods or services offered.

Educate is printed by Walstead Bicester Ltd. Inside pages are printed on paper comprised of 100% recycled, post-consumer waste.

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1969 WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR THE CHOPPER, BUT NOT SO GREAT FOR SINGLE WOMEN WANTING MORTGAGES This iconic bike reshaped the way we thought about the bicycle back in 1969, a bit like Teachers Building Society trying to change the way mortgages were predominantly for men.

Formed in 1966 Teachers Building Society was set up to solve this problem. The Society firmly believed that any young teacher who wanted to buy a home should achieve that dream, regardless of gender. Equality of lending became a founding principle, documented in its early policy papers and firmly put the Society ahead of its time. It wasn’t until 1975 that women were free to buy property independently without needing a male guarantor.

Today we’re still committed to finding ways for all teachers to buy a home of their own.

Call us today to find out how we could help you take your first steps towards buying your own home.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

080 0 378 669 www.teachersbs.co.uk

Teachers Building Society, Allenview House, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1AG. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Reg No. 156580)

The rest is history

Contents

24 May 1988

Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act became law, banning schools and local authorities from “promoting” homosexuality. Protests on the night before it was passed included an invasion by lesbian women of the BBC’s news studios.

Section 28 was repealed in Scotland in 2000 and in the rest of the UK in 2003.

Regulars

Features

15 Bigger picture

24

17 Michael Rosen 32 Ask the union 33 Tim Sanders & Warwick Mansell 35 A class act 38 Jon Biddle & reviews 40 Teacher’s pet & letters 47 Your recipe & photo 48 Crosswords & sudoku

News

“The teaching community has had enough.”

6 No inspections until February Ofsted has no useful

9 Academy order revoked

The primary school that took the Government to the High Court and won.

24 Why Ofsted is not fit for purpose

Members share their experiences of Ofsted and make the case for why the Government needs to rethink regulation (above).

16 Exams – a third year of potential chaos

p24-30

The union hits out at Government for failing once again to have a timely plan in place for assessment next year.

22 We have a planet to save

18 Sector conferences

PHOTO by Beth Farhat

NEU members around the country took part in the Global Day of Action, as educators vow to keep climate change on the agenda (right).

contribution to make in the current situation, says the NEU’s Kevin Courtney.

Educate reports on the NEU’s LGBT+, independent and post-16 conferences, held remotely in November.

50 How poverty impacts on the school day

Kate Anstey from the Child Poverty Action Group.

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News 10-point plan for NI education THE NEU in Northern Ireland (NI) has submitted ten demands it wants taken into account in an independent Our ten review of demands! education.

The NI Department of Education says the18-month review, which began in September, has the potential to radically reshape the design, delivery and provision of education. The union says it is important and long overdue.

Among its demands is more investment in the early years sector, and a balanced social mix in all schools and settings instead of the current “highly segregated” system.

It says “largely pointless” GCSEs should be scrapped and a transition year between junior and senior certificate cycles (GCSE and A-levels) introduced.

“This will create more space for 21st century skills and begin to meet the expressed desires of industry and the economy,” the union says, adding that the provision of vocational education needed a sharply focused review. n More details at neu.org.uk/our-ten-demands National Education Union, Northern Ireland – Initial submission to Panel members of the Independent Review of Education

Call to pause Ofsted until February UNIONS have written to the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman urging them to extend the pause on inspections – introduced before Christmas – until February.

In an open letter, the NEU and NASUWT thanked Ofsted for acknowledging the “enormous pressure” on schools and colleges by cancelling inspections in the week before the Christmas break.

But they also pressed the Government to extend the pause, saying schools and colleges needed more time to be able to focus on pupils’ needs without the distraction of inspections.

They said pausing inspections until the February half-term would allow schools and colleges time to deal with the fallout from the Omicron variant over the winter.

It would also give schools time to prepare pupils for the spring and summer terms.

“Our members have told us the resumption of routine inspections from September has distracted many schools from their ongoing efforts to meet the needs of children and young people,” said the letter.

“Schools have, in too many cases, felt under pressure to divert time towards planning for inspection rather than continuing to prioritise support for pupils’ learning.”

“It has no useful contribution to make in this current situation.

It needs to get out the way.”

NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “School staff are working so hard to keep education going for our young people. It is stressful and many are facing burnout. Now is simply not the right time to return to Ofsted inspections, either before Christmas – as the Government rightly recognises – or in the weeks following.

“Inspections show little or no concession to the disruption of Covid. This is foolish in the extreme and is leading to many good staff leaving or considering their position.

“Ofsted has no useful contribution to make to schools in this current situation. It needs to get out of the way and let schools and colleges concentrate on their essential work.” n See feature on Ofsted on page 24

Union calls for face coverings in class THE union is pressing for more stringent safety measures in schools as Covid-related absences continued to rise in the weeks before Christmas.

Latest figures before Educate went to press showed that in England around one in 35 pupils were absent on 9 December, compared to one in 60 a month earlier.

No mention of extra measures for schools was made when the Prime Minister announced the Government’s Plan B of new Covid rules on 8 December, nor in his followup statement on 12 December.

Following the emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in late November, the Department for Education (DfE) advised that masks should be worn by adults and children in corridors and other communal areas of secondary schools, but not in classrooms.

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NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted said: “To reduce disruption to education the Government must heed the call for further mitigations to be put in place in schools and colleges.

“With Covid infection rates rising in schools it is absolute folly that no mention of this has been made in Boris Johnson’s statements, nor as far as we are aware are any measures being considered for the new year.”

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The NEU has outlined its own Plan B for steps the Government can take to make schools safer and minimise disruption of education. It includes: n face coverings to be worn by staff and pupils in communal areas in primary and secondary schools, and in secondary classrooms n children from a household where anyone has Covid-19 kept off school until they have a negative PCR test n urgent investment in air filtration devices n school and college staff to be allowed to book vaccines during working hours without loss of pay.

The governments in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have issued their own guidance which includes wearing face masks in secondary classrooms. n Latest NEU guidance is available at

neu.org.uk/advice/coronavirus-members

Landmark victory

Primary school wins academisation case against Department for Education. See page 9

8% pay rise to recruit and retain educators THE NEU is calling on the Government to increase teacher pay by eight per cent this year, with the same in 2023, as a key part of efforts to increase teacher recruitment and retention.

The union points out that this increase is necessary if the starting salary is to reach £30,000 in two years – and argues that all teachers need similar rises.

Educators are feeling angry and undervalued, due to excessive workload and years of real-terms cuts in pay since 2010, followed by a pay freeze in 2020, despite inflation running at four per cent for much of the year.

“These attacks on educator pay, coupled with huge workload, have caused significant recruitment and retention problems,” said NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney.

“Educators have seen their pay get worse compared to equivalent professions and compared to educators in other countries, including Scotland.”

Educators crucial post-pandemic The union is encouraging members to meet in their workplaces to discuss both these issues and how to support the campaign for better pay.

It believes the Government can afford the extra funding required, and the NEU is pushing it to value the work of educators.

Kevin added: “Educators will be crucial to the recovery from the pandemic.

“The NEU is campaigning to make sure that the real-terms pay losses are restored and replaced by pay levels reflecting the crucial and demanding work of educators.”

£

8%

17%

Teachers have lost on average 17% in real terms since 2010

&RETENTION

RECRUITMENT Pay freezes have eroded living standards Pay levels don’t compare well with other graduate professions

Excessive workload, performance-related pay and blocks on pay progression have added to the problem A third of teachers leave the profession within five years

The campaign also has “unjustified” pay practices such as performance-related pay (PRP) in its sights, which have been used to unfairly block pay progression, and which cause unnecessary workload.

Just one year’s lack of pay progression can result in enormous pay losses over the rest of an educator’s career.

“PRP and the break-up of national pay arrangements have resulted in significant equalities issues in pay, including for women

Support staff unhappy with pay offer SCHOOL support staff remain strongly opposed to the employer’s pay offer with many saying they would consider strike action. They have not received a rise since April 2020.

Local government employees were offered a 1.75 per cent pay increase in July, with 2.75 per cent for lower paid workers.

A survey of members by the NEU indicated strong opposition to the offer, which is well below the current 4.2 per cent

The NEU is campaigning for an 8% increase in 2022

rate of inflation. A smaller majority of those responding said they would consider striking.

The three local government unions – Unison, GMB and Unite – have urged employers to increase the “inadequate” offer.

A strike ballot by Unison over the pay offer is due to close in mid-January. The unions’ original pay claim last February was for a minimum of ten per cent and a 35-hour working week. n Visit neu.org.uk/support-staff

and Black educators,” said Kevin. “PRP and fragmentation of pay arrangements must be replaced by fair pay structures with appropriate pay levels, pay progression and career development opportunities.”

The NEU is launching a pay survey in January, which it is urging everyone to complete and return.

n Make sure your membership details are up to date at my.neu.org.uk/login to take part

n Visit neu.org.uk/campaigns/pay-campaign

Brent U-turn on pay MEMBERS in the London borough of Brent are celebrating after the council recommended schools give pay rises in line with the national pay award for teachers.

It follows a fight by members at six schools last year who only won their due pay rise after threatening industrial action. Jenny Cooper, Brent NEU district joint secretary, said schools were expecting to have to ballot for further action again this year but it had not been necessary.

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News Invisible killers conference AIR pollution, coronavirus, asbestos and global warming are on the agenda of a joint union conference being held in London on 6 March.

Among the speakers will be former teacher and NEU member Rosamund Kissi-Debrah (above), whose nine-yearold daughter Ella died of asthma in 2013. A coroner ruled that “exposure to excessive air pollution” contributed to her death.

Entitled Invisible Killers: What Can and Must be Done?, the conference is being organised by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) at Wembley Stadium from 9.30am.

Other speakers will include Jenny Cooper, a climate change activist and Brent NEU secretary, and retired NEU member Hank Roberts, lead organiser of the JUAC. n Tickets from £48 at bit.ly/3Ey6GNO

Supply pay ‘flatlined or fallen’ THIS year’s survey of supply members has highlighted concerns about safety and low pay.

Of the 470 respondents, 92 per cent were teachers and 86 per cent were employed by supply agencies.

Only 29 per cent said they received school safety information about Covid-19 before their assignments from their agency, and a quarter said they only received safety information in advance of starting some posts.

During the crisis, pay has flatlined or fallen, the survey revealed. Low pay is unsurprisingly the biggest disadvantage to supply work, according to 65 per cent of respondents.

Some 17 per cent said pay is lower or significantly lower than three years ago, while

Supporting staff in menopause LEADERS have requested training from the union on supporting staff in menopause.

A twilight session for a group of head teachers in London will take place in February. Resources for all members – including a model menopause policy for schools and colleges, and a checklist for leaders – are available. n Visit neu.org.uk/menopause 8

n Visit neu.org.uk/supply

Better employment models The NEU helps branches engage with schools and agencies locally on pay.

Work to secure alternatives to agencies (A2A) around the country ranges from the North of Tyne supply co-operative, to lobbying work in Wales, which has gained a commitment to new arrangements in the recent Labour-Plaid Cymru agreement.

The NEU has a growing number of supply member officers helping this work.

n Visit neu.org.uk/a2a

ANTI-racism activists carried a message of solidarity with a banner drop from a bridge leading to London’s busy Blackwall tunnel in December. Days earlier, far-right activists with union jack flags held banners in the same spot calling for the defence of “white nations” in the week that at least 27 people drowned in the Channel.

Is your MP on board?

THE NEU’s No Child Left Behind campaign continues to fight to break down the barriers poverty puts up around equal access to education.

In Britain, 4.3 million children are trapped in poverty. If the Government fails to take urgent action, it is estimated another 730,000 children will fall below the poverty line by the next General Election. The NEU is gathering supporters to demand urgent action from the Government. Ninety-seven MPs have already signed our No Child Left Behind pledge. n Visit nochildleftbehind.org.uk n See Final word, page 50

45 per cent said it remains “about the same”.

And the vast majority said their pay was either lower (31 per cent) or significantly lower (46 per cent) than when they were most recently employed by a school or local authority.

PHOTO by Dean Ryan

New teachers need trauma training THE organisers of a teacher training course that has included mental health units for several years is urging others institutions to follow their lead.

Sheffield Institute of Education includes trauma-informed training on its initial teacher education (ITE) courses, giving newly qualified teachers the skills to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Dr Sally Pearse, strategic lead for early years at the institute, said there was an urgent need, post-pandemic, for more teachers to be equipped to tackle the mounting mental health crisis in schools.

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“Teachers are on the frontline when it comes to dealing day-to-day with children and young people’s mental health, and as providers of ITE we need to prepare them for this important aspect of their role,” she said.

Dr Pearse said trauma-informed training also enabled trainees to recognise when they become stressed themselves.

The institute is part of Sheffield Hallam University, which is in talks with local authorities in the region to embed traumainformed training practice in schools and other educational settings. n Visit traumainformedschools.co.uk

Keep learning alive for Afghan children

Funds raised by the NEU/Save the Children Afghan appeal could pay for 125 learning packs and enough high-nutrient peanut paste for 500 children. See page 14

Nativity on strike day: was the Grinch trying to steal Xmas?

A PRIMARY school in the middle of an academisation row moved its nativity play to clash with a pre-announced strike day.

NEU members at St Matthew’s Church of England Primary School, in Preston, Lancashire, voted by 85 per cent for strike action against proposals to join multiacademy trust Cidari.

Ian Watkinson, Preston NEU district secretary, accused head teacher Mark Mackley, who announced the new nativity play dates, of being “the Grinch trying to steal Christmas”.

The attempt to guilt-trip staff failed, however, and the head was forced to close the school on all pre-announced strike days in the run-up to Christmas. On the first two days of strikes, 7 and 9 December, 25 to 30 staff joined the picket line.

Ian said: “It’s hard to believe that with alternative dates available he would deliberately and cynically look to put the children’s nativity play at risk.”

Bora Oktas, NEU regional officer, said the school had failed to “meaningfully consult” with staff and parents about plans to academise, presenting its proposals as a

NEU members on the picket line at St Matthew’s

“fait accompli”. NEU membership at the school has doubled during the dispute from 20 to 40.

Further strike dates were called for 14-16

December and the employer was notified of these dates more than two weeks in advance.

The school moved its nativity play to 15 December, then cancelled it altogether.

Landmark victory over DfE ruling AN “over the moon” school that successfully challenged an academisation order in a landmark court case has now forced the Department for Education (DfE) to revoke the order after winning a Good Ofsted grading.

In July, the High Court ruled that the then Secretary of State’s refusal to revoke an academy order placed on Yew Tree Primary School was “irrational”.

Judge Gavin Mansfield QC said there was clear evidence from the school of “both continued efforts to improve and success in achieving those improvements”, which were disregarded by the DfE. Following the ruling, Yew Tree Primary School invited Ofsted to revisit. In October, it was reinspected and its grading went from Inadequate to Good on every level.

The DfE then confirmed that following

“We had a distracting uphill battle during the pandemic.” a review of the evidence the school submitted, as well as its new Ofsted grading, it would revoke the academy order.

‘Staff and parents are delighted’ Head teacher Jamie Barry told Educate the school is “over the moon”.

He added: “We feel – it sounds a bit clichéd – but we feel so validated. We’ve been saying this for the past year to 18 months, really, and it just feels incredible. The staff and the parents, everybody’s just delighted,

because everybody’s worked so hard for it.”

Ofsted graded the primary as Inadequate in January 2019 but the school insisted the inspectorate had got it wrong. It meant a distracting uphill battle during the pandemic that followed.

Jamie said: “During the pandemic, most schools were just operating and existed.

We couldn’t allow ourselves to do that, and so everybody just feels such a sense of acknowledgement and appreciation.”

“What we’ve done here hasn’t just been for Ofsted, it’s been for our pupils,” he added.

The DfE can order academisation based on a single failing Ofsted grade. Jamie said it is “really sad” to witness the DfE ignoring other evidence that a school is effective and instead rely on a single Ofsted report, “which is a much smaller document with a much narrower viewpoint of evidence”.

n See pages 24-30 for more on Ofsted

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KEEP

LEARNING ALIVE FOR CHILDREN IN AFGHANISTAN The violence in Afghanistan is robbing children of their education – their brightest hope for a better future.

NEU is supporting Save the Children’s Emergency Fund to give children the education they need to ensure they aren’t defined by their situation – but by who and what they can be.

Find out how you can support at justgiving.com/campaign/ neu-afghanistan

Save the Children Fund is a charity registered in England & Wales (213890), Scotland (SC039570) and Isle of Man (199).

Opinion

Raising our voices against Zahawi’s Ofsted boost NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted says

WHEN Nadhim Zahawi replaced the hapless and incompetent Gavin Williamson as Secretary of State for Education there was a hope that things could only get better – that Mr Zahawi might at least be competent.

There were some indications that he recognised the outstanding work of education professionals throughout the pandemic. On World Teachers’ Day (5 October), Zahawi tweeted: “Thank you to our incredible teachers and staff for everything you do to support young people. Your passion and hard work is inspiring, and despite the challenges we’ve faced you continue to improve the lives of pupils across the country.”

This was a hopeful start.

The saying “fine words don’t butter no parsnips” came to my mind five weeks later when I heard that so grateful was Mr Zahawi for the work of teachers and leaders, that he had given Ofsted an extra £24 million to speed up the rate of inspections.

Mr Zahawi gave an extraordinary justification for his decision to heap yet more pressure and stress on an exhausted profession, arguing that accelerating the rate of Ofsted inspections would provide parents with an upto-date picture and swifter recognition of the hard work of leaders and teachers.

Immense stress and workload But he is, unfortunately for education professionals’ health and wellbeing, sadly wrong on both counts. I wonder what universe the new Secretary of State might live in if he really does think that teachers and leaders would believe that Ofsted exists to support the profession and recognise the hard work that it does?

Their reality is that Ofsted inspections cause immense stress and additional workload and that, coming on top of the stress and intensification of their work during Covid, will make their working lives intolerable.

PHOTO by Watchara Panyajun

inspection acceleration will add more stress and workload – and we need to stand together.

Nor does Ofsted provide parents with an up-to-date picture of their child’s school.

Because Ofsted inspects all schools to a rigid framework, inspection judgements are usually several years old.

The latest inspection framework compounds this problem through its reliance on deep dives into two or three subjects, which act as a proxy for the quality of education across the school. Ofsted has no evidence that deep-dive judgements can accurately and fairly describe the quality of the rest of the school’s curriculum. Ofsted has no evidence that its inspectors have the knowledge and expertise to come to good-quality judgements when they deep dive into subjects they are not trained to teach and have never taught. Ofsted has no evidence that two inspectors, conducting a deep dive into the same subject in the same school would come to the same judgements about the quality of what they had observed.

Remarkably, in its nearly 30 years of existence Ofsted has never released any evidence on any of these crucial questions.

Why do 40% leave teaching?

Mr Zahawi would do much better to really worry about the state of the profession. He should ask himself why nearly a quarter of teachers leave within two years of qualification, nearly a third within five years and nearly 40 per cent within ten years.

He should consider why, when teachers leave, they put the pressures of accountability as their top reason for deciding to walk away

from the profession they love. He should know that it is not teaching that teachers find stressful (although there are always exceptions to that truth), but the huge amount of administrative work that they must wade through to prove to whoever wants to know, that they are planning their lessons, assessing their pupils’ work and entering data to record their progress.

Time to Value Educators That is why the NEU has launched Value Education, Value Educators (VEVE), with a focus on in-school accountability. Go to neu.org.uk, which gives really clear information about what is, and is not, required for lesson preparation and assessment, data collection and marking, and much more.

Ask your rep to hold a meeting in your school or college so that all NEU members are able to discuss what is causing excessive workload, and then draw this to the attention of your school leadership team.

Don’t be afraid of doing this. As professionals, teachers have every right to have a discussion with leaders about the pace, the intensity and the quality of the work they are required to do. They have a right to be heard about what they consider to be useful, and what they think wastes their time.

It is time that the profession regained its voice. VEVE is there to support you in doing just that. n Read about the impact of Ofsted on educators on page 24

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News

GDST educators ready to defend their pensions A “CLEAR and emphatic” message was delivered to the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), with a remarkable indicative ballot result in favour of strikes against pension changes.

“We call on the trust to engage seriously with the NEU and withdraw the proposal to leave the TPS.”

causing additional anger among members.

Publicly available accounts for the trust show it is in good financial health.

Kevin added: “The trust should reflect on just how a large body of committed and hard-working staff have reached this point.

Members are resolved and rightly determined to defend their pensions.

“We sincerely hope that strikes can be averted. We call on the GDST to engage seriously with the NEU and withdraw the proposal to leave the TPS.”

‘Unacceptable attack on pensions’ Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary, said: “This is a clear and emphatic message to the GDST. “It should leave the employer in no doubt about the strength of feeling against

this unacceptable attack on teacher pensions.

During the period of the indicative ballot, the employer has failed to dispel the concerns of our members.

“This is an exceptionally strong mandate.

It makes strike action look inevitable.”

As elsewhere in the sector, the employer has also resorted to the threat of ‘fire and rehire’ to force the changes through. If staff don’t accept the changes to their pensions, the employer is threatening them with dismissal,

Strikes would impact on 23 schools Most teaching staff, 71 per cent, are members of the NEU – meaning any strikes at the 23 schools would have a significant impact.

The campaign at GDST is one in a long line of NEU disputes with independent sector employers wanting to leave the TPS (see past issues of Educate at neu.org.uk/educate).

Members in more than 60 schools have now convinced their employer not to leave the TPS since increases to employer contributions were announced in 2019.

NEU members (above) at an independent school in Hertfordshire have paused strike action in the middle of a pensions row. The dispute at St Francis Boarding School, Letchworth, is over plans to ‘fire and rehire’ staff and withdraw from the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme (TPS), which

has involved three days’ strike action, from 16-18 November, so far. Strikes on 24 November and 7-8 December, were called off as a goodwill gesture after the employer announced a stay on the withdrawal of the pension scheme.

Shaun Howard, NEU independent schools

officer, Hertfordshire district, said: “This is a result of members taking action. The only reason the governors have shifted is because members were solid, because they showed their strength, togetherness and solidarity.”

Further action will be announced in the New Year if talks prove to be fruitless.

Ninety-three per cent of NEU members voted Yes on a turnout of 93 per cent for action to defend their Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) at the 23 independent schools run by GDST in England and Wales.

The result means the union will now run a formal strike ballot in January. If members vote Yes, it will be the first time a strike has been held in the trust’s 149-year history.

Proposals to leave the TPS will mean teachers will lose, on average, 20 per cent of their pension.

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Strike ballot over pensions threat

Indicative strike ballot at independent Forest School returns a 91% Yes vote. See page 18 for more independent sector news.

NEU president Daniel Kebede (centre) joined strikers at NewVIc on 1 December

‘Resilient and resistant’ strikers at London college STRIKES were underway at a London sixth form college in December.

The dispute involves allegations of bullying, soaring workload and management plans to academise Newham Sixth Form College (known as NewVIc), in east London.

NEU rep Rob Behan told Educate: “After coming back in September, there were new workload procedures being implemented.

We’ve been through so many rounds of cuts in the last ten years that we’re constantly doing more with less.

“So the combination of these two factors – poor management practices combined with the workload – pushed members towards industrial action.”

Fearful of what the future holds Members were then faced with “shocking” news. “The principal announced that the governing body and senior leadership team had been exploring the issue of academisation,” said Rob. Staff were left “fearful” about what might happen to their terms and conditions, and to the college.

Members voted 97 per cent Yes to strike action with a 78 per cent turnout – and membership increased. Forty members attended the “resilient and resistant” picket lines on the first day, 1 December, including a morale-boosting visit from NEU president Daniel Kebede.

“Thanks to all the reps at the schools and districts who have been supporting us. We’ll continue to fight and stay solid,” said Rob. n Two more strike days in December and three in January were announced as Educate went to press.

‘Massive morale boost’ as LA meets all demands at SEN school EDUCATORS at a special educational needs school in Yorkshire have won a major victory over staff health and safety and support staff pay, after planned strike action forced management to return to the negotiating table.

Staff at St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College, in East Riding, had repeatedly raised concerns over their own and pupils’ safety.

‘Unsafe, unsupported’ staff resigning Vacancies had created an unsafe staff to pupil ratio, leaving staff without the support to deal with challenging behaviour including biting.

They were also expected to clean classrooms and empty bins during their breaks because of staff shortages.

Special educational needs co-ordinator

Emma Holmes returned from maternity leave in September to find colleagues had resigned or were in the process of leaving: “I was shocked; staff morale was really low. I decided to reach out to the local NEU district.”

Emma then became an NEU rep and union membership doubled.

Members successfully balloted for nine days of strike action in November. This prompted the local authority (LA) to take the unusual step of threatening a legal injunction.

It claimed the strike was not a legitimate union dispute because it focussed on health and safety. This was vigorously challenged by the union’s law and rights at work team.

“The LA attempted to lock us out of negotiations, but fortunately the

NEU legal team quickly got the injunction threat thrown out,” said Emma. Two days before the first strike day, the LA agreed to re-open discussions. £2,000 for support staff workload Members’ demands were met at a quickly arranged meeting. They included instituting a health and safety committee and the establishment of rotas to ensure staff safety.

An annual £2,000 supplement for support staff to reflect the additional workload undertaken during staff shortages and to aid recruitment and retention was also agreed.

“It was amazing how we all came together.

There’s still a long way to go but this has boosted morale massively,” said Emma.

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News Protecting women at work GREATER protection for women in the workplace was the focus of an NEU event to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November).

London regional staff met to discuss the campaign, urging the Government to adopt the first international treaty requiring policies and laws to protect women from violence and sexual harassment at work.

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) convention C190 came into force on 25 June, but has yet to be ratified by the UK Government.

NEU deputy general secretary Amanda Brown is a member of the governing body of the ILO and said ratification was only the start.

“Employers should be thinking about how they embed this in policies, practice and procedures at workplace level. That’s how we’ll ensure it makes a difference to people,” Amanda said. n Visit bit.ly/3GkhuzK

Inequality, rights and action THE union and the Friends of the Women Chainmakers have created a free resource pack for educators about campaigner Mary Macarthur and the Cradley Heath strike of 1910.

It is the story of working class women living in poverty who waged a ten-week dispute to win their right to a minimum wage.

The pack includes a guide about the “sweated labour” of chainmaking and the reality of working conditions in the late 19th century. It also references the global context at the time and the slave trade. Photos and first-hand accounts describing the harsh working conditions bring the resource to life for students.

The detailed 60-minute lesson plan encourages students to explore ideas around social inequality, women’s rights and the role of trade unions and collective action.

Lucy Atherton and Jenny Ermoyenous from the Friends of the Women Chainmakers said: “Working class women still face many of the challenges these Edwardian women endured. If we are to change the future, we must first understand our own history.” n Visit neu.org.uk/women-chainmakers 14

Larry Culhane (left), cabinet member for children and education at Hammersmith and Fulham Council, and Mark Hopper, joint secretary of Hammersmith and Fulham NEU

Clothes vouchers to give child refugees a choice CHILD refugees from Afghanistan have been given clothing vouchers by the NEU and been taught at their hotel until they could go to school, as part of efforts to help them settle.

through so much, even if it was only in a small way.”

Around 80 Afghan refugees, half of them children, have been placed in the borough.

NEU assistant branch secretary Emma Anderson, who organised the NEU’s donation, said: “There were lots of donations Hammersmith and Fulham NEU, in west of clothes and food, but the biggest thing London, has donated £1,100 from its social fed back to us was that these students justice fund to buy £40 vouchers for children wanted to have a choice and to select things and young people evacuated after the Taliban for themselves. takeover in August.

“The vouchers should help the young “Due to the speed of the evacuation, many families arrived with few or no personal people find a sense of independence, and we hope that it will help them feel welcome in possessions,” said NEU joint branch secretary our community.”

Mark Hopper. “We were happy to be able Schools, the council and educators have to help these young people who have been been doing great work to help the children settle, she added.

“We know of at least one school – A joint Fulham Cross Academy Trust – that has appeal by the NEU accepted about ten students. When their and charity Save the first day came, they weren’t allowed to start because of a mix-up Children to raise money regarding their vaccines. for Afghan refugees The special educational has so far received needs co-ordinator and some support staff went to their hotel to provide in donations resources and start justgiving.com/ their lessons there.” campaign/neu-

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£8,985

To donate, please visit afghanistan

Bigger picture

SCIENCE students in London should find it easier than most to understand the periodic table, thanks to their chemistry teacher.

Alice Knox, at South Hampstead High School, has spent the last seven years hand stitching a nine-foot-wide tapestry of the table of the 118 elements, all carefully colour-coded according to their different properties.

She has taken special care with the use of colours and fonts to ensure maximum readability, for people with different forms of colour blindness or with dyslexia.

Alice is modest about her achievement, explaining that her software engineer husband wrote a computer program to help her with the layout, and her mother sewed about a third of the element squares.

She is already thinking about her next stitching project which is likely to be just as ambitious, if not more so – current ideas are a model of particle physics, star classifications, and even the tree of life, although she admits that could go on for ever…

Photo by Rehan Jamil

News

Government finally reveals exams ‘plan’ NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted has criticised the Government for leaving teachers and leaders “in limbo” by failing to confirm how students will be assessed next year if exams cannot take place.

Responding to an exams contingency plan published by regulator Ofqual, Mary said: “This is the third year in a row that decisions about the contingency plans for GCSE, AS and A-levels have been published.

“Yet again teachers and leaders have been left in limbo, teaching pupils who are in their final GCSE and A-level years without knowing how they will be assessed if exams cannot take place.”

She added: “The lack of urgency is

Sign primary tests petition A PETITION launched by coalition More Than A Score (MTAS) calling for all primary tests to be scrapped this academic year has almost 14,000 signatures. It urges Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and school standards minister Robin Walker to halt high-stakes tests, in order to protect the mental health and wellbeing of children.

The NEU is working with MTAS to press the Government to drop Baseline assessment, SATs, the phonics check in years 1 and 2, and a multiplication check in year 4. High-stakes tests will harm recovery, says the union.

In May, then Schools Minister Nick Gibb announced the Government’s plans for primary assessment in 2021/22, saying there would be no performance tables for SATs in 2022. Test results will, however, still be used for accountability purposes and Ofsted, local authorities and academy managements will have access to them. n Visit morethanascore.org.uk

“The lack of urgency is shameful and an affront to parents, pupils and their teachers.”

Mary Bousted

shameful and an affront to parents, pupils and their teachers – all of whom needed to know, much earlier, how they would be assessed if the exam system fell over, as it did last year and the year before.”

The long-awaited plan, published in November and endorsed by the Department for Education, says students in England will sit repeated mock A-levels and GCSEs, as a contingency if exams are cancelled in 2022. It advised schools to collect evidence for grades through setting formal exams once a term, beginning before the Christmas holidays.

The NEU and sister unions have criticised the Government for publishing plans after the start of the new academic year, and for creating a heavier workload for both students and teachers.

Help us find a better way to assess ASSESSMENT week and tests are words that produce many emotional responses in primary educators, including tiredness at the marking and annoyance at results that told you what you already knew. Educators also become emotionally drained when supporting stressed children.

Out of seven years in primary, five now have high-stakes testing – high in accountability; high in stress.

But assessment, in itself, isn’t bad. As educators we do this in every lesson of every day, so is another way possible? Could we develop assessment that focuses on teaching a subject deeply, rather than tips and tricks for tests?

Instead of pitting schools against each other, could assessment allow open dialogue around pedagogy and curriculum development with children and education at its heart?

Due to our passion for education, the NEU is launching an independent primary commission, and we need your views,

Sheila Caffrey

experiences and professional opinions to be central to it. It is through valuing educators, international experiences and parental views that new ideas around assessment will be developed.

As an executive member, I’m keen to develop this in the south west of England and there are groups in every region.

Sheila Caffrey, NEU executive member

n Email primaryassessment@neu.org.uk to find out how your views can be included and to join the campaign.

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Michael Rosen

Levelling down Facts and figures can often say a lot about what is the truth and what is not.

I was listening to the radio the other day I was sure that I heard a woman say in the year ending in March, 400 or more nurseries closed. And there was more in store: one third of these was in areas the most deprived.

Hold it, I thought, hasn’t a new era arrived?

Aren’t we ‘levelling up’, abolishing the ‘poverty trap’?

Isn’t the boast, ‘We’re closing the attainment gap’?

Nurseries are the foundations of what comes later again and again we’ve been told they must cater for all, free for most or exceedingly cheap not provided at rates which for most are too steep.

Otherwise the poor are simply kept outside, that attainment gap is kept permanently wide.

I remember a time when we talked of compensation the disadvantaged would get more education.

The truth is clear, as anyone can guess Those who have little are going to get less.

Words by Michael Rosen Illustration by Dan Berry

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News

Government plan to scrap AGQs is ‘like Michael Gove turbo-charged’ ONLY a third of further education (FE) colleges have honoured negotiated pay deals in recent years and lecturers’ pay has fallen by 30 per cent in real terms since 2009.

“AGQs, whether we’re in sixth form colleges or FE colleges, are our bread and butter. They are ours, they are part of the post-war educational consensus that everyone should have the right at 16 to go on and get a vocational qualification, and BTECs have proved to be a very successful way of doing it.”

The motion to conference says the NEU should work with other unions to press the Association of Colleges to ensure pay deals it has negotiated on their behalf are respected.

And now the union’s post-16 sector is calling on the NEU to campaign for a national contract across FE colleges “to end the era of fragmentation”.

At the post-16 conference on 6 November, members unanimously agreed a motion to go to annual conference in April, covering pay and funding. The motion also called on the NEU to continue to take the lead in protecting BTECs and other applied general qualifications (AGQs) threatened by the Government.

Duncan Blackie, who represents the sector on the national executive, described the move to discontinue AGQs as “like Michael Gove turbo-charged”.

“It’s a completely whacky idea that’s just come into someone’s head on a Tuesday morning because they fell out of the wrong side of the bed,” he said.

n The Education Select Committee is

“They’re part of the post-war educational consensus.”

Duncan Blackie (above)

examining the effectiveness of post-16 qualifications in preparing young people for work. The deadline for written submissions to the inquiry is 20 January – go to committees. parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/634/

n More than 65,000 people have signed

the #ProtectStudentChoice petition urging the Government to keep BTEC and other AGQ qualifications. If more than 100,000 people add their names by 23 January, it will be considered for debate in Parliament. Go to petition.parliament.uk/petitions/592642

‘Cutting corners will come back to haunt schools’ OPENING this year’s independent sector conference, NEU president Daniel Kebede paid tribute to members in the sector who have fought to defend their right to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).

He also hit out at the “immoral” fire and rehire tactics that are being used to force teachers into signing contracts without TPS. ‘Fire and rehire is immoral’ “The attempts to fire and rehire have become a real watershed moment in employment relations,” he said. “I’m immensely proud of all you are doing because it is immoral. It is so wrong that even Jacob Rees-Mogg says it is a tactic that should shame business.”

He added: “We’re not just fighting for your pensions, we’re fighting for all our pensions. This is the thin end of the wedge.”

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Brian Metcalf, NEU national executive member for the independent sector, gave a wide-ranging summary of issues affecting members in the sector.

‘Build back better after Covid’ “Covid, whether we like it or not, has forever changed our schools,” he said, with online learning putting immense workload pressures on staff. “Now we need to consider how we build back better.”

Brian said schools should not use Covid as an excuse to keep wages stagnant: “A good school should be able to boast: ‘We treat our staff well and we reward them well.’ I think some establishments who have tried to cut corners will increasingly find it hard to recruit good staff and some of their choices will come back to haunt them.”

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Guest speaker Aileen Kane, chief operating officer of the Boarding School Association (BSA), spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on the boarding school sector.

Aileen said there are 487 UK school members of the BSA: “It drives me mad that every time I pick up a newspaper and I see boarding schools, I see Eton. Eton is not the typical boarding school.”

Joint general secretary Kevin Courtney spoke of the deeply felt upset and anger of NEU members at the 23 schools run by the Girls’ Day School Trust, which is proposing to leave the TPS. “Talking is where we’d rather be than balloting and striking,” he said.

Two motions were discussed – on branch structures and casework support and pay.

n Turn to page 12 for more on GDST

NEU surveys LGBT+ members

Only 18% of members polled believe their school has LGBT+ representation in the curriculum throughout the year.

(From left) Floris Roland Fellegi-Balta, Emme KrisTi, Svetlana Zakharova and Vyacheslav Melnyk

Hard-won rights should not be taken for granted HALF of LGBT+ members surveyed by the NEU say their mental health is affected by not being fully ‘out’ in the workplace.

Findings from the poll of almost a thousand members were presented by NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted at the LGBT+ educators’ virtual conference on 27 November.

Twenty-seven per cent believe being out would affect their career and a quarter said it would lead to bullying by students.

Mary went on to highlight the “rich and creative practice in many settings”, where members had adapted the curriculum to make it LGBT+ inclusive.

“If we don’t do this work, we can’t be sure that it will be done anywhere else,” she said.

“This is a proper subject for all staff who want to see a more equal society.”

‘Divisive language and war on woke’ One third of members had reported no workplace barriers, which showed that inclusive workplaces can be built, she added.

But the “divisive language” and “war on woke” by the Government “undermines progressive educators and LGBT+ inclusive education”.

NEU president Daniel Kebede said there had been a huge increase in LGBT+ representation at every level of the union, including a 95 per cent rise in LGBT+ district officers and an increase in women of 34 per cent.

He acknowledged the contribution of LGBT+ members to the NEU’s anti-racist framework, adding that the union must now take forward the LGBT+ equality framework with the same passion and dedication.

Challenging stereotypes The motion that members voted to be debated at annual conference in Bournemouth in April – challenging stereotypes and fighting for liberation – was proposed by Redbridge rep Neil Dhanda.

It narrowly beat a second motion proposed by Victoria Symonds, which called for guidance to support members coming out and to advise school leaders of the legal frameworks. Speaking against this motion, one delegate said the real problem was a culture that still stigmatised LGBT+ people: “It’s not that they don’t know how to do it [come out], it’s that they’re not comfortable doing so.”

Hungary: ‘We are being humiliated’ International speakers’ accounts of living in countries with hostile attitudes and laws were a stark reminder that hard-won LGBT+ rights must not be taken for granted.

Floris Roland Fellegi-Balta, a transgender teacher in Budapest, described Hungary’s transition from a “progressive” country – one of the first in the EU to legalise same-sex civil partnership – to one where, under Victor Orban’s Government, it is a criminal offence to “promote or portray” homosexuality or trans issues to minors.

Floris works with disadvantaged students and runs workshops supporting LGBT+ students, but his school has had its funding suspended. “We are being humiliated,” he said. “I have little money. I’m struggling to eat.

But I would worry were I not supporting my students, so I keep this work up while I can.”

The European Commission has begun legal action against Hungary and Poland relating to the erosion of LGBT+ rights.

Poland: ‘LGBT+ free zones declared’ Like Hungary, Poland’s once liberal stance – in 1932 it became one of the first European countries to decriminalise homosexuality – has given way to an anti-LGBT+ rhetoric. In 2018, 100 municipalities declared themselves “LGBT+ free zones”.

Vyacheslav Melnyk, executive director of Campaign Against Homophobia, said: “Poland is the EU country with the least number of laws protecting LGBT+ people.

The ‘campaign of hate’ began in 2018 when the Government claimed Catholic values were threatened. Teachers who openly support LGBT+ students or discuss LGBT+ issues can face dismissal or even criminal sanctions.”

Vyacheslav said the NEU’s work with the Polish Teachers’ Union (ZNP) is “the only hope we have”.

In Jamaica, being LGBT+ is still taboo, and trans identities are not recognised, said educator Emme KrisTi. And in Russia, the leading LGBT+ rights group has been denounced as a “foreign agent”, said activist Svetlana Zakharova, adding that activists are at personal risk. The 2013 “gay propaganda” law in Russia places a ban on children being given any information about LGBT+ issues.

“Our situation shows how easily things can go backwards and rights can be taken away,” said Svetlana. However, despite the hatred promoted by the authorities, more people are joining the movement, she added.

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Oxford Cambridge and RSA

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educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

Black and British

David Olusoga’s book for younger readers takes them through the history of Black people in Britain from Roman times to the present day.

‘Your job is to empower somebody else’ CELEBRATING 30 years of Black organising in the NEU (and NUT and ATL legacy unions), the virtual Black educators’ conference took place from 11-13 November.

PRIMARY teacher and Black executive seat holder Denise Henry (right), who chaired the conference, welcomed the 500 delegates who had registered for the event.

“I have no doubt this conference will be influential in shaping the NEU’s work, ensuring we continue to support the interests of Black members and all Black educators,” she said, before introducing NEU president Daniel Kebede.

In his keynote, Daniel quoted Black writer and activist Toni Morrison: “If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

He added: “It’s a critical time for Black members to be organising, to have our voices heard and to lend our power to those who need it. Our communities, already oppressed in this society, have been hit hard by the pandemic.”

Daniel, a long-time campaigner against poverty and racism, went on to celebrate the history of Black organising in the union, highlighting its work during the pandemic including the launch in 2020 of the NEU’s framework for developing an anti-racist approach in schools and colleges.

Writer, broadcaster and film-maker David Olusoga, professor of public history at the University of Manchester, delivered a captivating talk on Black history.

“History in the UK is like a huge

“I have no doubt this conference will be influential in shaping the NEU’s work.”

Denise Henry (above) decaying mansion, where only a few of the rooms are inhabited by the residents,” he said.

“The rest are neglected and, in many cases, kept firmly locked. Their secrets and their contents are never discussed.

“We are used to the way history has been

disguised, so we don’t even notice the locked rooms. Yet within these neglected spaces – the subjects we do not teach and the stories we do not tell – are fascinating and enriching aspects of our national story.”

David’s tone, however, was optimistic.

“Although the lack of Black history within our schools is a dismal failure, it is, in some ways, an improvement. There is some presence, there is some storytelling and things are better than we might conclude,” he said.

Joint general secretary Mary Bousted said she was “pleased and proud” Black membership had risen in the past two years: “This is a real historical moment as we mark 30 years of Black NEU members organising.

At this conference we celebrate the work of Black educators to make our union a more equal, radical and powerful force for change.”

She added that the union had been funding research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) into illegal exclusions – also known as off-rolling – for five years. This year, the union had provided £40,000 to the EPI to look at the characteristics of inclusive and equitable schools that do not off-roll.

Findings will be published next year to help the NEU support transformation across the education system. “This is a tangible expression of our support for our Black members who tell us that not only do they face racial discrimination in their schools, but so do their pupils,” said Mary.

She highlighted the momentum behind the anti-racist framework, developed in collaboration with Black members, which is being used in schools and branches to initiate conversations about racism.

Celebrating our amazing members Awards were given to Black members who have made special contributions to their school, union or community.

NEW ACTIVIST AWARD Recognising the talent and innovation of new activists. Eman Mohamed

of Claire, this award recognises internationalist work that has made an impact. Lesley Koranteng

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION Celebrating the achievement of leaders who have sparked positive change through industrial action, in their community or more broadly within the union. Paramjeet Bhogal and Samina Randall (joint winners)

MANOJ NATHA-HANSEN AWARD In memory of Manoj, celebrating intersectional organising work to unite and build communities. Tashan Charles

CLAIRE GRAY AWARD In memory

ANTI-RACIST FRAMEWORK AWARD New award celebrating activists who have used the anti-racist framework to successfully organise for better

conditions in their workplace.

Jennifer Christopher PLATINUM AWARD Lifetime achievement for over 50 years of outstanding work in promoting and developing anti-racist initiatives within the union at a local and national level.

This award recognises the dedication, courage and commitment taken to create progress towards equality in education. Elaine Huggett

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Feature

‘We have a planet to save’ NEU members joined the throngs of climate change protesters taking part in the Global Day of Action.

WHILE many felt disappointed with the outcome of the United Nations COP26 conference, educators have vowed to keep the climate crisis on the agenda for the generations to come.

Two primary school teachers took messages from their pupils to the day of action demonstration in Portsmouth on 6 November.

NEU joint district secretaries Helen Reeder and Charlotte Lawrence had been discussing climate change and injustice with their year 4 classes as part of Climate Learning Month in the weeks before COP26.

Wise words of an eight-year-old Charlotte told the crowd that she had 60 notes with “fantastic, insightful messages” from pupils to decision makers. Among those she read out was: If YOU help the environment it will be much better for US in this world.

Charlotte told the crowd: “This eightyear-old Portsmouth child already sees that the climate injustice is set to affect her generation. And as her teacher, and on behalf of all educators within the NEU, today I send a promise to her that we will do our very best to end this injustice.”

NEU president Daniel Kebede joined members and officers from the union’s northern region for a Global Day of Action

Protesters on the beach at Saltburn in North Yorkshire

demonstration in Newcastle. He called on the Government to act to deliver “a broad, quality climate education curriculum to enable our children to build a more sustainable future”.

Fifty miles down the north east coast, other members joined a demonstration on the beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, where campaigners highlighted the links between climate change and the damage caused to the oceans and the environment. Co-ordinated by local organisations Mooga and The Cut Back, the event saw people carrying their messages on surfboards as well as banners and placards.

Messages from Portsmouth pupils to decision makers n There’s only one world. Please look after the planet and get rid of plastic. n Stop dumping rubbish in the ocean. n Do more walking instead of using cars. Use less electricity. Stop dropping litter.

Use less plastic. n Find out where the sources of pollution are coming from and stop them.

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PHOTO by Salty Lamb Photography

In Wales, NEU member Maggie Morgan, who chairs the Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign, took part in the city’s Global Day of Action demo where she highlighted the impact of climate change for Palestinians.

“I spoke about the importance of international solidarity work at this moment in history, and about standing firmly on the right side of history, not just on the climate emergency but also on human rights and justice for Palestinians,” she said.

The NEU balloon was a focal point for members taking part in the march through London, with branch members holding their banners high as they weaved their way to Trafalgar Square.

Paul Atkin, convener of the NEU climate change network, who was among the crowds, expressed his disappointment at the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) sustainability and climate change strategy, which was unveiled at COP26.

Feature

(Clockwise from above) Bernadette Castellano and Helen Reeder marching in Portsmouth; young demonstrators on the beach in Saltburn, photo by Salty Lamb Photography; the union’s balloon in London; Kevin Courtney with students from UKSSP and teacher Philip Leamon in Glasgow; Beth Farhat, northern regional secretary, with NEU president Daniel Kebede at the NEU northern region’s day of action

Government ‘gag’ on students?

The Government is consulting on the strategy between now and April, but NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said the union is concerned about DfE comments in the document on the teaching of “partisan” views. The draft also says: “… it would not be appropriate to encourage pupils to join specific campaigning groups or engage in specific political activity, such as protests.”

Kevin said: “One big concern will be how they try to interpret what is ‘partisan’. It is vital that students should be able to discuss this emergency in free-flowing ways. They really must not try to gag the student protest movement, or support for it among teachers.”

Unless this is significantly amended

by April, he said, it will “not address the justified anxiety felt by so many young

people about what the future offers for them”.

He added that the Government should advocate for free speech on this issue for students and academic freedom for staff, “because it has to be right to tell the emperor when he has no clothes”.

In a message to students he met while in Glasgow for COP26, Kevin said: “I’ve come away from COP more determined than ever to press the Government on inclusion of the climate emergency in the curriculum, and to encourage teachers to come together at grassroots to share ideas about how to do that.”

And he added: “We have a planet to save.

I’m sorry that my generation has left it so late to get started.”

The students, from across the country, were part of a team from the UK Schools Sustainability Network who spent four days at the conference.

PHOTO by Beth Farhat

“While there were steps forward, overall this fell short of what the education unions had asked of them,” he said.

n For more information, visit transformour-world/ukssn

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Feature Interview

“The teaching community has had enough.”

Charlie Spencer

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educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

As the NEU launches a campaign to replace Ofsted with a new accountability regime, Educate talks to members about their experiences of the regulator.

OFSTED turns 30 in May. It’s a birthday few educators will celebrate. Throughout its lifetime, the inspectorate’s very name has become synonymous with stress, workload, criticism and failure. For leaders, that list is topped by fear.

So much so that NEU joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney wrote to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi in October calling for the regime to be replaced.

“Over the past three decades, it has become a toxic force within the education system,” they wrote. “At present, NEU members tell us that Ofsted is not fit for purpose.”

Members’ inspection stories describe Ofsted’s problems very clearly. Together, these experiences form a familiar and worrying picture. Inspectors with no experience of working in the phase they are inspecting; the regulator’s lack of understanding of the challenges schools and colleges face; the failure to factor those challenges into its judgements; a regime that takes a snapshot of a complex organisation, rather a whole picture, and then delivers what can be a devastating judgement.

It is hardly surprising that more than 80 per cent of NEU members polled said they would like to see Ofsted’s punitive regime abolished. In its place, they would like a supportive, improvementfocused organisation to oversee schools and colleges.

Most see Ofsted as incapable of such a transformation.

Soon after Ofsted launched its 2019 inspection framework, the union began receiving a large number of complaints from members that their workload had soared, and they were being grilled by inspectors as part of a new “brutal” process.

Six months later, the pandemic arrived. It could have represented a much-needed opportunity for Ofsted to reframe its relationship with the profession into a more positive one founded on support. Instead, Ofsted resisted calls to pause inspections during the Covid-19 crisis – only doing so when instructed to by the Government – and then chief inspector Amanda Spielman caused outrage by suggesting too much

attention was being given to sending out food parcels to the most disadvantaged pupils during lockdown.

Last September, Ofsted restarted ‘business as usual’ inspections, to the exasperation of school leaders. Former head teacher Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, denounced Ofsted’s “reign of terror” whose inspectors, she said, believed teachers “should behave like robots”.

Of the reports over the following pages by NEU members, those whose schools have been inspected since September lay bare a staggering lack of insight or understanding among inspectors of the difficulties the biggest public health crisis in a hundred years continues to cause in education.

“It should take a fortnight to get back to normal.” That is what an inspector told teacher Charlie Spencer (pictured left and see page 26), a comment, he says, that left him “absolutely speechless”.

Similarly, head teacher John Hayes (see page 27) found that apart from a couple of questions about online learning and developing the curriculum, there “wasn’t a lot of notice taken of Covid” by the inspector who visited his school in October.

For Ofsted, it seems, schools and colleges operate in a vacuum.

And yet, less than two weeks after the NEU wrote to Mr Zahawi setting out Ofsted’s many problems, he announced an extra £24 million boost for “accelerating the rate of Ofsted inspections” – to the fury of head teachers and education unions.

The NEU says now is not the time to ignore us: “The time has come to listen to the voice of our profession, replace Ofsted and work with us on an inspection system that supports our schools and colleges, and our children.”

Here we talk to five educators about their experiences with Ofsted: two head teachers, a primary school teacher, an early years teacher and a sixth form college lecturer. While their experiences vary – from downright angry at seeing their colleagues “broken”, to stressed, sad and frustrated – they all have suggestions on how an accountability regime could be fairer and more supportive. continued on page 26

Value Education: Value Educators

Why Ofsted isn’t fit for purpose Interviews by Max Watson, Laraine Clay and Sarah Thompson Portraits by Rehan Jamil, Kois Miah and Sarah Turton educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

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Feature

continued from page 25

Five reasons to oppose Ofsted n Ofsted delivers invalid and

unreliable inspection judgements.

n Ofsted’s inspection system is

unfairly biased against schools in disadvantaged areas.

n Ofsted keeps moving the

goalposts in reaction to criticism – it has changed its framework five times in the last ten years, which isn’t fair on schools and colleges undergoing inspections.

n Ofsted’s judgements are

unreliable, and inspectors are frequently not experts in the education areas they are inspecting.

n Ofsted drives teachers from

the profession by creating unnecessary workload, pressure and stress – especially in poorer areas where schools and colleges need the most support.

Charlie Spencer is a year 6 teacher at St Barnabas and St Philip’s Church of England Primary School, London “THE worst day of my professional life was the day after the Ofsted inspectors had left,” Charlie (pictured on page 24) tells Educate.

“We were sitting in the staff room with the chair of governors in a morning meeting and he was just trying to encourage us to keep going. I looked around the room and honestly, you just saw broken people – people I know go above and beyond to do their job – who had been made to feel they are bad teachers.”

Charlie teaches at a single-form-entry faith school, which had previously been rated Outstanding until an inspection in October 2021 downgraded its rating to a Requires Improvement. Charlie says his colleagues believe the inspectors arrived with a predetermined agenda to “find failures”.

“It just made me so angry that we have a system in this country that can come into a school and break teachers in the way in which it does,” he says.

A major concern was the way Ofsted seemed to brush aside the need to catch up after the Covid-19 pandemic. The inspector stated they should be “back to normal” after just two weeks. “Those words were the most insulting words. It leaves you absolutely speechless.”

“Ofsted didn’t take into account the sacrifices that these teachers, who they broke so badly, have made in the past 18 months.

We have literally given everything to our jobs

over the last two years to ensure that no child in our care misses out.”

Charlie posted an open letter about his school’s experience of Ofsted to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, which went viral on social media, receiving more than 13,000 reactions on Facebook and Instagram. This level of engagement suggests “the teaching community has had enough”, Charlie believes.

“I was reading the comments left by teachers, every single day, and every single comment was: this completely resonates with us; we completely understand that experience; we’ve lived through this.

“The saddest thing was the fact that I could have counted hundreds of comments saying ‘this is why I left teaching’. We cannot retain teachers, because Ofsted and its system of accountability drives teachers out of the profession. We have got to put an end to it.

Charlie believes the profession is at a “tipping point” and he backs the NEU’s campaign to replace Ofsted and come up with a fairer system of accountability.

“A fair inspection regime should offer support rather than come in and basically assassinate the school,” he argues.

Trust is a key word for Charlie’s vision of a fair accountability regime. “If an inspector spots room for improvement, then work with us to improve it. I think Ofsted – or whatever system we replace it with – needs to have trust in teachers as professionals; trust that they are going to do the job to the best of their ability.”

Charlie closes his open letter on a determined note: “I will not be bullied by Ofsted and made to feel as though I am inadequate. I will also campaign and fight for change.”

A united voice: Ofsted is not fit for purpose IN 2022, the NEU is launching a new petition calling for an end to the Ofsted regime. Following our letter to the Secretary of State, we want to demonstrate the united voice of the profession attesting to one simple fact: Ofsted is not fit for purpose.

The petition will call on Government to set up a commission with the profession and parents to investigate viable, non-toxic alternatives to the current system. The findings of the commission should be used to develop an inspection system for schools and colleges that is professional, valid and reliable.

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We need your help to build the petition across schools and colleges everywhere, to drive home the message that education professionals deserve far better than Ofsted.

After signing our petition, all members should visit our Value Educators Hub. The hub includes a model workload toolkit to help you fight workload generated by Ofsted, as well as model slides to help you meet with members in your workplace and a letter to raise issues you identify together with your leadership team.

n Visit neu.org.uk/valueeducators

“Any inspection regime ought to be developmental and supportive... so that it’s a learning opportunity.”

John Hayes

John Hayes is a member of the NEU National Leadership Council and head teacher at Gospel Oak Primary and Nursery School in Camden, north London “FOR a school leader, the biggest stress is the timescale,” says John.

He had been given categoric assurance on a Friday that, due to Covid, the timeframe for his next inspection would be seven years.

“Which would have put us in January 2023.

We got the call two days later.”

During the pandemic, when Ofsted was paused, head teachers could “stop looking over our shoulders, waiting for an inspection” and focus on “all the extra pressure the pandemic threw at us”.

And under the previous framework, an Outstanding school like John’s could “stop worrying about inspections”.

“During that time, we developed lots of facilities in the building, and opportunities for

children; because we’re professionals who can be trusted.”

During their inspection in October, there was minimal reference to the pandemic.

They were asked about it in terms of online learning: “Other than that, there wasn’t a lot of notice taken of Covid; particularly about staff wellbeing,” says John.

As a former adviser to schools undergoing inspection, and having dealt with inspectors, John believes no matter how objective they try to be, they bring their personal perspective to the task. “It’s impossible to be entirely objective,” he says.

“I’m not against accountability. We’re public employees spending public money.

“We do a job for parents and children that is hugely important. But Ofsted could turn up any day, regardless of when you were last inspected, and we’ve no idea whether we’ll be ready for it.”

Any inspection regime ought to be developmental and supportive and work more closely with local authorities so that it’s a learning opportunity. “It just doesn’t feel like school improvement, and I think it could be.

“I say to every inspector, ‘you’re very welcome. My school is amazing and I want

you to come and see it.’ But I have to say, ‘you haven’t seen how amazing it is because you’ve only looked at a few areas that led you to make a very big decision’.”

The key thing for John is the reduction of the inspections to one of four words: “They spend millions of pounds inspecting schools and most parents only look at one word.”

He suggests schools could be graded as either “effective or ineffective” and the rest of their reports could describe the school in a lot more detail. A supportive inspection regime could “review the effectiveness of schools and give advice. They could use the framework to check if there are schools that are failing their community and their children.

“I want all pupils, no matter their background or what school they go to, to get the best possible education they can and so if schools are letting them down, they need to be held to account.

“You should only get a Big Brothertype inspection if there are problems – if the children aren’t safe or if there are behaviour issues. Otherwise, it’s just not helpful. It builds a climate of fear and it’s an opportunity for lots of organisations to make lots of money.” continued on page 28

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Feature

continued from page 27

Lucy Coleman teaches in a mixed reception/year 1 class in Oxford HER last Ofsted inspection, at a previous school, Lucy felt was “a complete waste of mine and my colleagues’ time”.

“There were two inspectors, neither of whom had any experience in early years, or even key stage 1,” she explains. Inevitably, the early years setting needed to be explained to the inspectors, one of whom then challenged Lucy on what level of writing the children should be at.

After a to-and-fro, the inspector conceded, telling Lucy: “Well, actually, I don’t really know how much a five-year-old can write. So, you’re probably right.”

She says: “I thought, yes, I do know what children can do at age five and I do know what an early learning goal is. And yet you’re inspecting me, and you’re arguing with me about what children can do.

“Surely if you’re coming in to inspect early years provision, you should have done your research and found out what the early learning goals are, before you start questioning somebody?”

Thanks to a supportive head, the inspector who “interrogated” Lucy came to apologise. “But it’s still not nice to be in a room with somebody who clearly has more power than you and you’re having to defend yourself and your practice.”

Because Lucy has 20 years’ experience working in early years she felt able to stand her ground. “Maybe somebody who’s not had so much experience and is not so confident in their own practice would not have stood up to the inspector,” she reflects.

“In terms of early years, it’s even worse now. We’re having to defend everything we do. You’re having to defend why children are playing and why children can lead their own learning.”

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“A lot of staff meeting and CPD time can be devoted to being Ofsted-ready, whatever that means.”

Inspection should be more of a supportive process and more of an opportunity for staff to celebrate the things that they’re doing, she says.

“None of us in early years ever really stops moving forward, we’re always trying new things, we’re always adapting our practice.”

“There should be a process where you learn from other schools and learn from each other, celebrate the things that you’re good at, and be honest about the things that you want to improve,” she adds. To that end, there should be school networks and coaching opportunities.

The Ofsted regime inevitably increases workload. “Even when you work in a school with a supportive senior leadership team, there’s still always the underlying dread of getting ‘that’ call. You are expected to do things ‘just in case’ – for when Ofsted comes.”

At a previous school, mock Ofsteds took place. “A lot of staff meeting time and CPD time is often devoted to being ‘Ofsted-ready’, whatever that means.

“I think that actually, as teachers, we could spend our CPD time doing far more exciting and useful things that would benefit the children, rather than spending time preparing for whenever Ofsted might grace us with its presence.”

Feature Rob Corbett is head teacher at Ifield Community College in Crawley, West Sussex OFSTED inspections were re-introduced far too soon, says Rob. With high levels of coronavirus infections in the school and consequent absences, he says the worry of a possible inspection means staff cannot focus on issues such as ensuring the school environment is as Covid safe as possible.

“We’re in a difficult time at the moment and the re-introduction of inspections has meant we can’t concentrate on these important things,” he says.

“We’ve got lots of very high levels of infection in schools and high levels of absences.

It remains to be seen what impact Covid could still have.

“There are lots of reasons why schools should be inspected but now isn’t really the time. I think largely it’s Ofsted justifying its own existence.”

“I’ve had some excellent inspectors who knew their stuff and I’ve had the complete reverse.”

Rob says that when inspections were suspended during the pandemic, it was very valuable not to have to think about paperwork and other matters that an Ofsted visit requires.

“I think in general Ofsted has, in its time, done a lot of things that are good and important, but there needs to be consistency in the actual quality of inspections.

“I’ve had some excellent inspectors who knew their stuff and I’ve had the complete reverse. I think the whole inspection system is due for a review in terms of that level of quality.”

He also believes far too high a value is put on the inspection reports. “We’ve come to a point where the cart is pulling the horse.”

Ifield Community College was judged Requires Improvement (RI) in 2014, shortly before Rob joined the school, and Good in 2018.

“RI makes recruitment hard, it makes parents much more antagonistic, it makes the level of scrutiny of all the work that we do much more hefty – it’s counter-productive.”

He would like to see Ofsted “largely reformed” or a new body take on a similar function in a different way, working closely

with local authorities and schools in a supportive role, rather than in the current “high stakes, cliff edge system” that operates now.

“At the moment inspectors come in for two days every four years. That’s not a good way to judge a school; on any particular day something can look worse than it looks on another day. Lots of inspectors can’t make that distinction.” continued on page 30 29

Feature

continued from page 29

Pippa Dowswell is a biology teacher at City and Islington College in London

PIPPA works at a London sixth form college where staff took six days’ strike action last summer. This was unprecedented – for years industrial relations were good. She argues the college’s new management has “weaponised” the most recent Ofsted grade 3 (Requires Improvement) to push through unpopular changes to terms and conditions.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” she explains. When the most recent Ofsted inspection graded them in January 2020, staff were “angry”.

The main problem is the size of the college. Since merging with both Westminster Kingsway and College of Enfield, Haringey and North East London, they now teach on 11 sites as part of the Capital City College Group. “We’re an absolutely massive college – really huge.” (According to Ofsted it is one of the largest providers of further education in the country.)

“How much of it did the inspectors actually see?” Pippa asks. “Hardly anybody in the part of the college I work had their lessons looked at – there was a very small proportion. So how can they come to a judgement?”

Secondly, says Pippa: “It just seems to be completely data driven. They look at your value-added scores, but don’t look at the context of what’s happening. They just judge on that. And they’ve already made their mind up what they’ll find.”

Since the Ofsted grading and subsequent changes in management, senior executives of the college have sought to change terms and conditions – and Pippa says they regularly use Ofsted as an excuse.

“They’re using the Ofsted grading to change our terms and conditions, and our longstanding custom and practices – which they’ve completely run roughshod over.”

“People are looking for other jobs all the time, which never used to happen.

Our college used to be a happy place.”

The NEU took six days strike action – and the University and College Union, ten days – against changes to classroom observation policies last summer term. And the dispute has led to a high turnover of staff. “People are looking for other jobs all the time, which never used to happen. Our college used to be a happy place,” says Pippa.

When Pippa goes into dispute meetings with management a common statement is: “‘Once the Ofsted inspection is over and we’ve got a grade 2, then we will be able to be more flexible’. So they’re using that as an excuse.”

She believes if there are pockets of bad practice within the college, Ofsted should look at them carefully. “This is a massive organisation.

It would be a miracle if there weren’t. So go and solve those particular problems then – don’t punish us all.”

For Pippa, who has taught for nearly 30 years, a fair inspection regime would be one that values a “holistic education”. She would like to see less emphasis on absolute exam grades and much more on enrichment activities.

Ultimately, Ofsted should be asking of students and staff: “Are they happy here? Are they enjoying their education? Because it’s all linked – if staff are happy, and enjoying their jobs and enjoying being at work, working collaboratively, then the students will be doing the same.”

Union people Eman Mohamed is head of faculty (PSHE and RS) and a science & child development teacher at a school in west Essex, and winner of the Black educators’ conference New Activist Award.

Looking after pupils and colleagues alike What do you love about your job?

Each part of my job is different and makes me love it even more. Leading in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a huge passion. I love designing lessons in a variety of topics that teach pupils skills and attributes they need to stay healthy and safe, and which will help them manage their lives.

Likewise, teaching child development allows students to understand roles and the responsibilities of parenthood, from preconception through antenatal to postnatal care. Pupils develop an appreciation of the importance of creating the best conditions for a child to thrive.

What do you love about being in the union?

It is so much more than just an insurance policy for members. I became a rep in November 2020. It is important to ensure members know their rights and equally important to work with management to make sure members are looked after. In turn, this establishes a good working environment. I am grateful to the west Essex district for its support over the last year.

What have you been up to lately?

We moved to a temporary Covid timetable to accommodate staggered year groups, as well as extra lessons for year 11. This meant that some members were starting at 8am and finishing at 4.30pm. I downloaded the NEU calculator and worked out that members would eventually be doing more than 1,265 hours by the end of the year.

I had a meeting with members and the concerns were taken to the head. There was a follow-up meeting a few days later, where she had used the NEU calculator and confirmed we were short-changed 15 hours in the first term. We have now moved from the temporary timetable to a new one, which means that we will not be going over 1,265 hours, even with the extra 15 hours in the first term.

As a rep, I have also worked with

Eman, right, and (above) in the union’s Value Education video – watch and share it at valueeducation.org.uk

“I had a meeting with members and the concerns were taken to the head.” management to ensure planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time is fair, cover is addressed and all our members are content, and feel valued and appreciated.

What’s important to you right now?

Following the honour of receiving the New Activist Award at the NEU’s Black educators’ conference, it is important to continue my activism, ensuring I continue to educate myself, my colleagues and all those around me. We all need to stand together to ensure we become as a society anti-racist, anti-homophobic, antibullying and so on.

What do you do on your day off?

Covid-19 has made me realise just how important family and friends are. Phone conversations, meeting up for dinner and

enjoying everyone’s company feels more important than ever right now. Sundays were made for the sofa and Netflix.

Tell us something we don’t know.

My claim to fame is playing semi-professional football for Tottenham Hotspur FC Women in 1998/1999. I have also met quite a few Arsenal legends: David Seaman, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Tony Adams, to name a few. n See page 21 for a report on the Black educators’ conference

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Ask the union No vaccine, no pay to isolate?

The NEU strongly urges all members who have not yet done so to accept the offer of the vaccination, and would expect employers to encourage maximum take-up.

The vaccine will only successfully diminish the capacity of the virus to kill or cause serious illness, and open up the possibility of a more normal life, with the widest possible take-up.

Vaccination protects individuals but also helps break chains of transmission, something which urgently needs to happen in schools.

However, although it is inconvenient and creates additional work for other staff, the NEU believes that allowing unvaccinated staff to isolate in accordance with Government advice – on the basis that they are then available and required to work from home on full pay – is appropriate from a public health point of view.

Employers who seek to withhold pay from staff on the basis that their absence is due to a refusal to be vaccinated rather than having been in contact with a confirmed case should be aware that the Local Government Association has advised employers that this may not be supported by the courts. The NEU also argues that staff who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons should be allowed to work from home on full pay if they are a close contact of a confirmed case, despite Government advice that they can attend work.

Feeling the chill in class

WE are required to keep the windows open to help minimise the spread of Covid, but it means working in very cold conditions. Is there a minimum temperature for classrooms?

IMAGE by Robert Kneschke

I’VE chosen not to have a Covid vaccination, but I’m unsure whether the school will pay me if I have to isolate after being in contact with someone testing positive?

The legal minimum temperature is 16°C, however the NEU position is that the temperature in classrooms should not fall below 18°C. This presents a challenge in respect of ventilation, but there are steps that can be taken.

Our joint union guide at neu.org. uk/advice/coronavirus-ventilation-andtemperature gives suggestions, including: n use CO2 monitors to identify areas that are poorly ventilated n use fan convector heaters in well-ventilated areas n reduce the numbers of students in certain rooms n thoroughly ventilate rooms between classes and uses. This involves opening windows fully for a short period of time. Subjecting rooms to periods of no occupancy also allows contaminants to dissipate.

High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units filter out and trap tiny particles, such as coronavirus particles, from the air around them and can be very effective.

However, it should be noted that, unlike airconditioning units, they are intended to be operated with windows and doors open – in other words, existing ventilation measures should be maintained.

Professional advice should be sought as to their purchase and installation, to obtain the desired results.

Job offer but no reference

I WAS recently offered a new job, but my previous school is ignoring my request for a reference. Without it, the job offer will be withdrawn. What can I do?

There is usually no obligation on your employer to provide a reference. However, references play a central role in the vetting of school staff.

The employers of school and sixth form college staff are required by statutory guidance to seek references as part of their pre-employment checks. It could be argued, therefore, that references are essential to getting a job in a school or college. Without references, it is virtually impossible to do so.

Consequently, an employer who exercises a ‘no references’ policy is likely to be acting in breach of their implied duty of trust and confidence. It is accepted practice in most schools and colleges that references will be provided if requested.

In the first instance you may ask your prospective employer whether they would accept references from another less recent employer instead.

If they refuse, contact the NEU AdviceLine, as it may be necessary to take the matter further.

Please email your questions to educate@neu.org.uk

Free CPD webinars for all NEU members NEU members have exclusive access to our continuing professional development (CPD) webinars. Here are some of the courses coming up.

Themed weeks Every Wednesday a CPD webinar is run on a variety of topics plus additional and themed weeks.

31 January-4 February Creativity week 14-18 March SEND week 16-20 May Mental health week 32

Developing middle leaders programme Bookings are now open for developing middle leaders, which is run in partnership with University College London’s Centre of Education Leadership.

This is a six-month interactive online programme suitable for those early in their roles as middle leaders. n Places for all webinars are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

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n Webinars are recorded and made available for seven days afterwards for those who have registered. n Follow us @NEU_CPD on Twitter. n All webinars can be booked via neu.org.uk/ national-cpd or scan this QR code (right).

Opinion

Cartoon by Tim Sanders

The Facebook approach to education?

Warwick Mansell

is a freelance education journalist and founder/writer of educationuncovered. co.uk

“THIS is not a democracy, it’s an authoritarian state.” So said a leading American lawyer quoted in the Washington Post. He was describing the set-up at Facebook, as the social network faced another round of revelations about developments at the company under its founder, chairman and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

Documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former project manager at Facebook, reportedly included claims that the firm knew its products were damaging teenagers’ mental health but failed to act. There are also wider worries that the social media platform has served as a polarising force in political debates.

Central to Haugen’s argument was that Facebook prioritises profitability over its impact on society – a point vehemently denied

by Facebook – that this came from “the top”

and that it was made possible because there were few checks and balances on Zuckerberg’s power. He controls a reported 58 per cent of voting shares at the company.

Reading about this controversy, I wondered again about governance in academy trusts.

Specifically, why have successive governments seemed relaxed about super-centralised control of academy trusts, given how contentious this model can be in the corporate sector?

The common factor in scandals hitting academies, in my experience writing about them, has been a lack of checks and balances on the decision-making of a few overly powerful figures within each organisation.

Such individuals have often been charismatic ‘super heads’ who become chief executives with large salaries and a ‘transformative’ outlook, or all-powerful ‘sponsors’ with a singular vision for how ‘their’ schools should operate.

Not all such regimes have ended in tears, of course. But sufficient numbers of formerly lauded individuals and organisations within the academies sector have ended up imploding for serious questions to be asked.

The academies model has allowed ‘sponsors’ complete control of these state-

funded schools through the governance system.

In some cases, academy trust constitutions, approved by the Government, have been written to allow one individual the power to appoint and dismiss the majority of their board.

England’s second largest chain, the Harris Federation, has a hereditary clause whereby such power will pass from its titular sponsor to their family when they die.

Such set-ups represent an extreme within the sector, and I am not aware of any academy trust now operating under the Facebook model of having a chief executive who is also chair of the board.

However, established within the academies model is the notion that just a few people, who are often friends or spouses, can establish a trust and are given the right to appoint and dismiss governors. This embeds centralisation and a lack of checks and balances within the policy, since ultimate control lies with this group.

If this is controversial in the private sector, when individuals have often taken on personal financial risk to set up companies so might feel justified in having complete control, it should be even more so in education, a state-funded public service.

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A class act

‘Respectful conversations to move society on’ When the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol last year, history teachers Jane Bolam and Kate Smee (both pictured) decided to write a new textbook on the city’s part in the transatlantic slave trade. Emily Jenkins finds out what makes them a class act.

“WHAT teachers are lacking when it comes to teaching about race, are materials that have really considered questions about where racism comes from, the representation of Black people within those books, and the language we want to use around race,” says Kate Smee from Fairfield High School in Bristol.

“When the statue came down, I went into activist mode and asked myself what I could do as a teacher. I wanted to make an impact,” explains Jane, who teaches history at Downend School. Jane, who already had an established network of history colleagues across Bristol, organised an online meeting to discuss how educators might start conversations within their classrooms.

It led to a year-long project to create better materials to help support teaching about transatlantic slavery for year 8 students.

Overlooked as not on any exam spec “The percentage of Black teachers in schools in Bristol is incredibly low. We’re not where we hope to be. Transatlantic slavery is one of these subjects where, because it’s not on any exam specification, there are these huge areas educators know nothing about. We thought it was a really important subject that people need to understand in depth to teach it sensitively and respectfully,” Jane explains.

Initially, the eight teachers involved planned to create a document to share among colleagues. However, when they contacted the M Shed museum in Bristol to ask for access to its online resources, the museum offered to publish it as a book.

Each person was assigned chapters to research and write, and each was sent to Black children and history teachers, African and African-Caribbean community organisations, historians and leading academics who provided in-depth criticism, advice and expertise.

“Sometimes the feedback was uncomfortable,” Kate confesses. “For example, during an early draft, teachers came back to us and said they felt like the enslaved people

Bristol history teachers Jane Bolam (far left) and Kate Smee, who wrote Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery.

Schools can get copies of the book at a reduced price by emailing museumbookings@ bristol.gov.uk

“Educators need to understand in depth to teach it sensitively and respectfully.” in the book were a bit faceless. So we then made a big effort to get named individuals in wherever we could.”

Emphasis on resistance Language was a constant consideration, with the authors deciding to only use the term “enslaved Africans” rather than “slaves”.

“Our emphasis was on resistance. A lot of textbooks focus on enslaved Africans as victims without agency. But we wanted our language to reflect the fact that they were human beings. And for the book to focus on how they reacted to the cruelty they faced,” says Jane, passionately.

“The other thing that is really different about the book is that it explicitly teaches about the construction of racialisation,” Kate explains. She says they worked to include comprehensive materials explaining how racialisation has been used throughout history to dehumanise groups and individuals.

“I think it’s a topic most teachers are nervous of addressing, but if you teach it as a deliberately constructed idea for economic gain, it makes it much easier to deconstruct.”

It is clear Kate and Jane are extremely proud of the book and say working on it has profoundly influenced the way they teach.

“I’m from Bristol, I was taught in Bristol and I’ve been a teacher in this city for 30 years, and I believe this really moves things forward. I know that I talk a lot more about the sensitivities of language with my students,” reflects Jane.

Sensitivities of language Kate observes that she is now far more understanding of how the topic can be emotionally overwhelming for some students in her class.

“When you teach a subject like the Holocaust, you’re super-attuned to the fact that some students will find it difficult, but I’ve never been as mindful in classes about transatlantic enslavement. So now, at the start of the lesson I say: ‘Can we be really mindful that this is a sensitive topic, and we need to take care of our language.’ I never did that in the past.”

Kate also shares her hope that the book will have a positive impact on the young people in her classroom. “I hope Black students in the community where I teach feel proud of their heritage, and the white students feel respectful of that heritage.”

Jane agrees: “I’m hoping this will enable young people and teachers to have really intelligent, informed, respectful conversations that help move society on.” n To read a review of the book, see page 39

Do you know a class act?

Email educate@ neu.org.uk

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Get in touch Paul Heitzman paul@centuryone.uk 01727 739 196

Holocaust Learning at IWM Engage your students with our galleries and innovative learning programme iwm.org.uk/learning/sessions/holocaust-learning-london

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International

NEU appeal: ‘desperate’ Afghan winter looms AS Afghan children face an unforgiving winter, the NEU has stepped up its support of Save the Children’s humanitarian work.

Following the launch of an appeal at a webinar in November, the union has been encouraging members and districts to donate and organise fundraising events in their workplace.

NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted commented: “The testimonies shared at the launch, including from Save the Children and an Afghan teachers’ union representative, painted a desperate picture.

“That is why I was encouraged to be joined by so many members who have resolved to raise this appeal in their districts, schools and communities.”

The situation is desperate. Millions of girls are still out of school. Ten million children require humanitarian assistance and winter is going to bring deeper challenges.

“We’re looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation,” warned the director of the World Food Programme in November. “The next six months are going to be catastrophic.

It is going to be hell on Earth,” he added.

Some 5.5 million people are displaced in Afghanistan and most of them are women.

Healthcare is in a critical state and the economy is in meltdown. There is an urgent

Afghan girls playing a game

need to agree an international mechanism for allowing aid to flow to the country so that critical services can be provided: some 75 per cent of Afghanistan’s public expenditure in recent years was funded by foreign aid.

Hospitals and schools need vital funds and doctors and teachers need paying, otherwise healthcare and education will continue to suffer severely.

Hungry, out of school, no medical care Afghanistan is one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a child. Many are hungry, out of school and have no access to medical care. Freezing winter nights, where

PHOTO by Shkiba MIS officer

temperatures can reach minus 27oC, brings another threat to children’s lives.

NEU international committee chair Gawain Little said: “The situation is harrowing. Millions of girls remain out of school and millions are starving. International solidarity is vital and will be the difference between life and death. I am confident our members and their districts will step up and support the union’s fundraising drive.

“We’re supporting Save the Children’s Emergency Fund to help children in Afghanistan stay safe, healthy and learning.” n To donate visit justgiving.com/campaign/ neu-afghanistan

Teachers arrested protesting military coup in Sudan NEARLY a hundred teachers have been arrested in Sudan as civilians mobilised to protest the military coup that began in October.

The coup, which saw the arrest of the prime minister and dissolution of the transitional government, has been met by protests throughout the country.

Sudan’s teachers’ unions, which have reported on the arrest of their members, indicated that teachers were also met with tear gas and violence – one head teacher had her leg broken.

Demonstrators are demanding the military government stand aside and allow a peaceful transition to civilian control. More than 100 government officials and political leaders, alongside scores of protesters, have also been arrested.

As Educate went to press, ousted

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had been reinstated, signing a new power-sharing agreement with the military. However, mass protests continue across the country.

Global powers, including the UK, have welcomed the reinstatement of Hamdok, but questions remain over the military’s commitment to the deal. Experts suggest the new agreement significantly weakens the standing of the civilian cabinet.

Others, including the Umma party (Sudan’s biggest), rejected the deal before it had even been signed.

NEU joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney have written to Sudan’s ambassador in the UK, expressing deep concern for the safety and democratic freedoms of Sudan’s citizens and calling on the authorities to restore peace and democracy.

The coup disrupted plans for a transition to democracy that were negotiated between military and civilian leaders after its authoritarian president Omar al-Bashir was toppled in 2019. Civilian and military leaders are supposed to be leading the country together in a power-sharing deal which launched the transitional Sovereign Council.

This was supposed to be in place for another year before elections and a transition to civilian rule were set to take place.

The coup arrived on top of a deep economic crisis, which is causing shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Serious concern exists for the people of Sudan: solidarity marches have taken place around the world, including across the UK, and the African Union, the UN and other international powers condemned the coup.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

37

Reviews Jon Biddle, English lead and NEU rep at Moorlands Primary in Norfolk, is passionate about fostering a love of reading for pleasure.

Here he shares ideas and tips for schools to try.

A gift that keeps on giving – for life I AM writing soon after hearing that my school, Moorlands Primary Academy, in Great Yarmouth, was announced as the joint winner of the 2021 Farshore Reading for Pleasure Whole School Award, alongside Lapal Primary School in Halesowen.

We’ve been working on developing our school approach to Reading for Pleasure for several years and it’s wonderful to have the efforts of our staff, children and families acknowledged.

The numerous benefits of Reading for Pleasure are increasingly recognised in schools: improved reading and writing, broader vocabulary, higher levels of empathy, a better understanding of different cultures, and increased community participation are just some of them.

An oft-quoted study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2002 reported that reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. Schools would be unwise to ignore this in the never-ending SATs race.

Read Almost 35 per cent of primary children are from a minority ethnic background, so it is important more your choice of books reflects this ideas from readers ends up being my legacy to Jon next took place in my local Kwik Fit a couple of issue teaching, I’m fine with that. years ago. I was waiting to hear how much

Society benefits in the long term The real impact of creating lifelong readers isn’t measurable at the end of a half-term, an academic year or even a key stage. It comes further down the line, when those readers are reaping its rewards and society as a whole is benefiting. The Government needs to trust education professionals and understand that not everything in school is a quick fix where microscopic percentage changes in data need to be plotted on a line graph every few days.

Earlier this year, I received a message from a pupil I’d taught almost a decade ago. They wanted to let me know they had just completed their first year studying criminology at the University of London and were sure that having a strong reading culture at primary school was a major factor in their educational success.

It reminded me of an incident that

Leaving a legacy of lifelong readers I was desperately hoping that his next sentence would include the phrase “50 per cent discount” but it wasn’t to be. The fact he actually remembered and cared enough to bring it up meant a huge amount and, in reality, encounters like this are the reason most of us stay in the profession. It’s certainly not because of the pay, workload or conditions.

If the fact that I’ve helped create lifelong

38

of my salary the car was going to cost this time, when one of the mechanics who’d been working on it came over, shaking his head sadly, as mechanics are wont to do, and told me that it was going to be expensive, mate.

He then smiled, thanked me for encouraging him to read the Alex Rider series when he was in my class 15 years previously and told me that he still loved reading (try and measure that, Ofsted).

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

In November, the fourth Reflecting Realities report from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, which explores ethnic representation in children’s books, was released. It shows a steady upwards trend, with 15 per cent of the books published in 2020 featuring characters of colour.

However, when taken alongside the fact the 33.9 per cent of children attending primary school in England are from a minority ethnic background, it shows that there’s still a long way to go before all children are represented in the books they read.

Please bear this in mind when purchasing books for the classroom and deciding on which books to read. I’ll be writing more about this hugely important issue in a future article. Enjoy the rest of the term and try to keep focussed on what’s important: the children we teach. @jonnybid

Know any good educational websites and apps?

Let us know if you’d like to review them – email us at educate@neu.org.uk

Across the Spectrum

Feedback and Progress

THIS inspiring and thought-provoking book is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants, special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinators, parents and anyone working with children and young adults who present with autism.

The authors offer research, tips and takeaways, which are interwoven with a range of real-life case studies. These demonstrate what a diverse and personal experience life is for a person on the autistic spectrum. Practical solutions are offered and explored for a range of topics including communication, socialisation and behaviour.

This book will be invaluable for anyone wanting to develop their knowledge and skills to help educate and support young people with autism. Sian Collinson

Across the Spectrum by Francine Brower and Keith MacKenzie Cox. Bloomsbury. £24.99.

Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery EIGHT Bristol history teachers worked, in collaboration with Bristol’s M Shed museum, to improve available teaching materials about Bristol’s links to slavery.

The group consulted on the textbook with academics and Black teachers in Bristol and London, along with a Bristol-based network of African and African-Caribbean community organisations.

The A4 textbook is aimed at year 8 students. It covers the period 1440 up to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, as well as the legacies of the traffic in enslaved Africans in Bristol.

The book is intended to supplement the existing curriculum so that pupils have a better chance of fully understanding this part of Bristol’s story.

Aliss Langridge Feedback and Progress by Isabella Wallace and Leah Kirkman. £9.99 each.

Reading Recharged

Imogen Arden

Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery: Origins, impact and legacy by Richard Kennett et al. Mshed. £11.95. n Schools interested in purchasing the textbook should email museumbookings@bristol.gov.uk n See A class act, page 35

A School Without Sanctions THE authors share their journey of changing a challenging boys’ SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) school into a sanctionfree environment.

Recognising that punishments did not work for every pupil, the school implemented a new system taking the focus away from punishment and towards reward. This took months of planning and processing, with astounding results.

PACKED with the latest ideas from the most influential voices in education, Feedback and Progress are two of the Best of the Best series compiled by experienced teachers and curriculum coordinators Isabella Wallace and Leah Kirkman.

Concise and insightful, these pocket-sized books are full of engaging ideas and practical wisdom for teachers, focusing respectively on pupil progress and providing feedback.

The authors keep the needs of the busy teacher in mind so you can simply dip into the books for ideas and practical, realistic strategies. This makes it a winner for time-pressed teachers.

These useful, handy-sized books are highly recommended for all educationalists.

Looking at the reasons why pupils act the way they do, the writers offer strategies for dealing with behaviour. They include psychological studies and scientific facts about how the brain works and its relation to pupils, with key learning points as well as a reflection table. It will make you rethink education.

HOW do you ignite a passion for reading and breathe life into your guided and whole-class reading lessons?

Providing a range of innovative lesson ideas and activities, teacher, literacy resource creator and author Alex Barton reveals how to develop the seven key reading skills: retrieval, inference, summarising, understanding vocabulary, prediction, commentating and authorial intent.

There are photocopiable, downloadable and editable resources to link to each particular text being studied. These can also be used to enhance reading skills in other subjects.

An excellent resource for early career teachers and experienced educators.

Cindy Shanks

Cindy Shanks

Reading Recharged

A School Without Sanctions:

by Alex Barton.

A New Approach to Behaviour

Bloomsbury

Management, by Steven Baker and Mick

Education.

Simpson. Bloomsbury. £19.99.

£24.99.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

39

Why Baseline tests must go:

300,000

Letters Issues still relevant

VERITY Hodges writes with admirable feeling about the choice of texts made for her GCSE English literature exam: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Lord of the Flies, A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls – all written by long-dead white men (Educate, November/December, page 50).

I can’t agree with her that they lack relevance simply because none is written by a woman, a person of colour or an LGBT+ sympathiser. All are about issues still meaningful today: the treatment of the poor, violence, being excluded, bullying, identity, the concentration of money in too few hands, the assumption of privilege, the degrading of a young woman.

As so many school-age

14-19 assessment We need to radically rethink the system. See page 9.

Climate change champs The children and educators taking action. See page 30.

Your magazine from the National Education Union

Why Baseline tests must go:

300,000 wasted teaching hours

TUC best membership communication print journal 2019

PHOTO by rihard_wolfram

English lit left behind as the world moves on

year 9, in July 2021. I immediately noticed that these books had no representation, that they were all written before 1954 and by white men. The ‘modern’ novel was written 67 years ago. Several members of my class were angry and disappointed, so I drafted a letter to my head of English at my majority-white school.

He invited me to his office for a chat about why the books were chosen before he wrote a formal reply.

He said we’d experience wider representation in the fiction unit he’d just put together for year 10, which would feature diversity.

That appears to be it for differentiation for the whole two-year course, and I find this disappointing and not right for today’s young people. Though he congratulated me on fighting injustices and intimated that this issue itself was an injustice, no change was going to be forthcoming in our set texts.

Afghanistan appeal Support the union’s joint fundraiser. See page 18.

November/ December 2021

Final word

CAN you see anything wrong with these texts?

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Lord of the Flies A Christmas Carol An Inspector Calls Your immediate answer may be that each has value, each is a classic, that they are the books you teach in your own schools if you are an English teacher and you may have studied these books during your own school days.

They’re familiar, they’re well-known, they’ve been taught in schools for generations. They are your classic GCSE English literature texts and are the ones I will be studying for my own exam.

wasted teaching will happen… hours’Accidents’ WE really enjoyed the cleverly placed hand on the front cover

people understand LGBT+, race and gender issues from contemporary sources, is there no case for delving back into the last two centuries to find out that issues may vary a bit, but concern and a desire to improve doesn’t change – because humanity is unchanging?

Is there no case for that historical perspective, from a time before Britain was an ethnically mixed nation, and men wrote most books? I am reminded of the age-old complaint that the study of Virgil, Horace and Tacitus have no relevance, and the more recent

of Educate (November/December). Thank you. It raised a smile among the teaching assistants.

Bethan Daniels, Stamford I WAS amused by the front cover of the November/ December edition. Tell me, was the photo of the girl in the pink T-shirt intentional? Subliminal messaging perhaps?

Jack Morris, New Malden

one that Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth don’t either.

Simon Potter, Wimbledon

Diversity in poetry

VERITY Hodges asks what is wrong with her four set texts. Her answer is twofold.

First, they are all by dead, white men: this is undeniably true. Second, they contain “no representation of anyone except the people that we consider ‘normal’ ”: this is probably not true, considering the eponymous Mr Hyde and Simon in Lord of the Flies, to name but two.

As part of her second charge she claims that none deals with sexuality and gender. I think An Inspector Calls does, but I suspect she is using the phrase in a special sense. I expect the poetry that she has to study will meet her diversity needs.

The most important answer to her question is that the Stevenson and the Dickens are two not very good 19th century novels pressed into service to deliver a reactionary curriculum caused by a recent Secretary of State.

Lionel Warner, Woodley

Teacher’s pet Billy Fact file Verity Hodges is a 14-year-old GCSE student from the south of England.

50

No representation of the diversity in our society But as a collection they’re all written by dead white men.

There are no women. No people of colour. No books that deal with sexuality and gender, something which I know is an extremely important issue for the cohort reading these books. No representation of anyone except the people we consider ‘normal’, in a society which is becoming more inclusive and accepting by the day.

We are sticking to the confines of a society in these books that the world has moved far from. English is supposed to help us understand the world around us using language and literature, to introduce us to concepts and stories to shape our view of the world. By teaching these books, we are saying to an entire generation of children that anyone outside the ‘straight, white male’ parameters isn’t as important as those who fit inside it.

I received the list of books I would be studying a couple of weeks before the end of the summer term of

Meet Billy, the Amazon parrot of Scott Sherwood, a retired maths teacher in TUC best membe rship communic East Sussex. ation print j Scott says: “Billy is my much-loved, 21-year-old red-lored Amazon. I can have him out of his cage and walk around the house with him on my shoulder. He talks, always saying ‘Hello’ when I come in the door or when the phone rings.

“He has helped me immensely in down times like after my heart attack as he is always quick with a cuddle. Like most parrots, he can be VERY LOUD when he wants attention.

If you have a treasured pet you’d like to show off, email a “He will live for another 40 years or so. high-resolution photo with 50 words about what makes them Hopefully, so will I!” so special to educate@neu.org.uk Pupils benefit from seeing their own lives reflected So I am now stuck with four texts, none written by a woman, none written by a person of colour, none representing the LGBT+ community and nothing non-neurotypical.

These books have been taught year after year, and I know there are texts with wider representation on the syllabus, but it seems to largely be lip service. There are many children who I know would benefit from seeing that people like them can achieve so much more than what they see in their immediate line of sight, yet less than one per cent of them study a book written by a person of colour, according to the Penguin Lit in Colour survey.

We need things to change.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

40

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

Please write The editor welcomes your letters but reserves the right to edit them.

Email your letters to: educate@neu.org.uk Please note we cannot print letters sent in without a name and postal address (or NEU membership number), although we can withhold details from publication if you wish.

Star letter Availability of often violent pornography must be addressed

NEU2269 Sexism poster for Educate HR.pdf

YOUR article on sexual harassment and sexism in the classroom (Educate, September/October, page 25) raised many valid issues, but gave only limited consideration to the issue of the free availability to children of pornography, much of it extreme and violent.

We live in a culture of far greater gender equality than ever existed before and yet the problem of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls appears to be worsening.

The explanation lies largely with internet pornography and social media. Why are we not holding the Government to account in its failure to limit children’s access to such material?

Moreover, in tackling these problems we must avoid criminalising a whole generation of boys. Sexual abuse and harassment are being perpetrated by younger and younger children, but if these boys have been exposed to extreme pornography they also are victims as well as the girls. All students need to be taught to respect each other’s bodies and personal dignity. And how can it be a good idea to stigmatise individuals by recording sexism on school information management systems when those students are simply reflecting problems in wider society?

Instead of just devising programmes for ‘raising awareness’, the education profession should also be questioning why more is not being done to limit children’s access to pornography.

Teresa Adams, Bromley

2

27/07/2021

S BOY E CAR

13:37

GIRLS ARE STRONG Stereo ty stop pes doing us stuff

THIS SCHOOL/ COLLEGE BELIEVES

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MY

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CMY

is uniqunee

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HURTSNE EVERYO

Sharing unplea gossip, rumours sant or lies about someone online

IS NOT OK Sexual harassment

n Read our report, It’s Just Everywhere, and order stickers and posters online to use in your college

IS NEVER OK

or school at neu.org.uk/advice/its-just-everywhere-sexism-schools

neu.org.uk/sexism

n Read our advice on domestic abuse, order posters, and take a look at our model policy at neu.org.uk/advice/domestic-abuse-and-workplace-guide

Apply pressure for more diverse texts

VERITY makes some interesting points in the Final Word in the last edition. Unfortunately, heads of English have a limited choice of texts as these have been prescribed by the exam boards based on Michael Gove’s legacy as Secretary of State.

Many English teachers will share Verity’s concerns that the range of texts on offer lack diversity. However, many of the themes are still relevant to today: Jekyll and Hyde interrogates the notion of identity and An

Inspector Calls concerns itself with notions of social inequality and class prejudice.

At my school, there has been a concerted effort to offer a diverse range of texts in key stage 3 English and in our whole school read during tutorial, so that students are exposed to a range of viewpoints.

We need more students like Verity to raise this issue with their teachers who can, in turn, put pressure on the exam board and Government so that a more varied curriculum can be studied.

Name & address withheld

Sizzling summer holiday page-turner

I JUST wanted to show you how dedicated I am to reading Educate

magazine – so much so that it is my reading matter of choice when I’m flying for my summer holiday.

It seems so long ago, but I’ve just stumbled upon this photo (left) and felt the need to share it.

Lidiya Zaharieva, Bedford

Your November/ December Educate

WE apologise again for the late delivery of your copy of Educate.

This was due to continuing supply problems resulting from the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit.

We are endeavouring to resolve these issues.

Gym membership, supermarket shopping, days out and more NEU members have access to moneysaving benefits with myRewards.

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Noticeboard

Kids get inventive with the IET THE Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) has produced a set of free, downloadable worksheets to encourage critical thinking around science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills.

The worksheets are aimed at GCSE design and technology students and include questions written by a former senior examiner, allowing students to test themselves without the pressure of an exam setting.

Subjects include calculating the density of a material, sorting data using frequency tables, plotting graphs and converting metric units into standard form.

The worksheets are designed to complement Kids Inventors’ Day on 17 January and are suitable for student-led learning or whole class study.

Visit theiet.org/dt-worksheets

Scribbling with Hay Festival THE Hay Festival Scribblers Tour takes place from 7-18 February across Wales.

Free workshops will encourage key stage 3 and 4 students to write their own stories and poems, and teachers can access accompanying resources.

Sessions include interactive activities with actor, playwright and director Manjeet Mann, and author and playwright Joseph Coelho. Students will also have the opportunity to visit their nearest university and experience a taste of life on campus.

Visit hayfestival.com/the-scribblers-tour

Meet Ava in the wild

The IET also has themed resources for primary and secondary pupils.

Visit education.theiet.org

NEU members who teach STEM subjects can join the IET for just £30 a year instead of £170.

Visit my.neu.org.uk then myRewards

THE Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has launched Generation Wild to help disadvantaged children aged five to 11 connect with nature through storytelling and adventure.

The project has been created in partnership with theatrical producers and puppeteers and uses the story of Ava – part girl and part bird – to capture children’s imagination.

Children will be invited to one of seven wetland centres in the UK to meet Ava in puppet form (pictured above).

Teacher resources are available and children can receive updates on Ava’s journey after their visit.

Visit wwt.org.uk/our-work/projects/ generation-wild

Rules and laws revealed

Children using natural materials during a Teach it Outside lesson

Primary pupils loving learning outdoors FREE teaching resources that encourage learning outdoors have been launched by Grow to School, a social enterprise which delivers curriculum-based outdoor learning across West Yorkshire.

Teach it Outside is a bank of lesson plans covering a range of subjects from maths and English to art, history and geography.

The lesson plans encourage use of everyday items and natural materials, and are suitable for use in primary schools with small groups or a whole class.

Visit growtoschool.co.uk

UK Parliament has produced a free booklet for children aged seven to 11.

Packed with facts, puzzles and learning activities, it will introduce children to the role of Parliament and encourage them to consider how they can influence decision-making, for example by starting a campaign, writing to their MP or joining their school council.

Visit bit.ly/3cgWkpm

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Photo opportunity What’s in your lunchbox?

Gill Batsman, a physics technician from Polish Chesham, Buckinghamshire, says her Polish cake cake always goes makes 40 down well with small colleagues when pieces she makes it for Macmillan coffee mornings at school.

Ingredients

450g digestive biscuits 170g butter ½ tbsp sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 2 tbsp cocoa powder 400g chocolate (dark or milk) Handful of nuts, seeds, dried fruit – optional

Method 1. Blitz the digestive biscuits in a food processor.

2. Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together. Add the biscuits, cocoa powder, and the nuts, seeds and fruit, if using, and combine.

3. Press the mixture into a large flat tin and chill for 15 minutes.

4. Melt the chocolate gently over a pan of hot water and spread this over the biscuit mixture.

5. Chill in the fridge overnight. Score

the pieces after 45 minutes so they are easier to cut the next day.

VICTORIA Foley, an infant school teacher from Chelmsford, Essex, took this amazing photo.

WIN!

Send us your photo to win a £20 book token

Victoria says: “This is the Knife Angel in Central Park, Chelmsford. It is a 27ft sculpture made from 100,000 confiscated knives. It is touring the UK and acts as a warning to families about the consequences of knife crime. It is both amazing and scary… the size of some of the knives is unbelievable.”

If you are a keen photographer, why not send your pictures to us at educate@neu.org.uk They should be large and high resolution, accompanied by 50 words telling readers about the subject. We send a £20 book token to each featured so don’t forget to pop your address on the email too.

Win a copy of Jack Monroe’s Good Food for Bad Days

Email your recipe to educate@neu.org.uk with your name, address and membership number, putting ‘Jack Monroe’ in the strapline. Don’t forget to attach a picture. educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

47

Answers at bottom of page 49

Quick crossword Across 1 US state with capital

Bismarck (5,6) 9 System of natural healing (5) 10 ___ Carrere: actress in Wayne’s World (3) 11 South American flightless birds (5) 12 ___ VIII: English king who had six wives (5) 13 Capital of Australia (8) 16 International tennis competition (5,3) 18 Type of jazz (5) 21 City and a union territory of India (5) 22 ___ Farrow: US actress (3) 23 Sir Michael ___ : actor born Maurice Micklewhite (5) 24 Art technique of applying dots of colour (11)

Down 2 Maid of ___ : Joan

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

of Arc (7)

3 Small insectivorous

8 9

nocturnal primate (7) 4 Minnie ___ : English actress (6) 5 ___ Richards: member of the Rolling Stones (5) 6 Largest moon of Saturn (5) 7 44th US President (6,5) 8 Musical based on children’s books by P L Travers (4,7) 14 Eric ___ : Olympic gold medallist and Chariots of Fire character (7) 15 Wild cats also known as dwarf leopards (7) 17 Italian place associated with St Francis (6) 19 Children’s comic (5) 20 Brown nut with an edible kernel (5)

10

11 12 13 14 16 18

19

15

17

20 21

22

23

24

Across

Down

1 - US state with capital Bismarck (5,6)

Sudoku 8 2 5 1 3

3 - Small insectivorous nocturnal primate (7)

Sudoku4solutions feature - Minnie ___ :will English actress (6) on this page next issue.

5 - ___ Richards: member of the Rolling Stones (5)

10 - ___ Carrere: actress in Wayne's World (3) 11 - South American flightless birds (5)

3

Easy

Last issue’s (Nov/Dec 2021) sudoku solution (from left: Easy, Medium and Difficult)

12 - ___ VIII: English king who had six wives (5)

6 - Largest moon of Saturn (5)

3 5 7 7 - 44th US President (6,5) 8 - Musical based on children's books by P.L. Trave 2 8 1 6 514 - Eric ___3: Olympic gold medallist and Chariots 18 - Type of jazz (5) character (7) 21 - City and a union 8 1territory 3 of India (5) 7 9 15 - Wild cats also known as dwarf leopards (7) 22 - ___ Farrow: US actress (3) 5 7 1 8 5 17 - Italian place associated 4 with St Francis (6) 23 - Sir Michael ___ : actor born Maurice Micklewhite 19 - Children's (5) 4 9 6 comic (5) 24 - Art technique of applying dots of colour (11) 20 - Brown nut with an edible kernel (5) 7 6 9 6 7 3 6 4 7 6 3 7 9 3 6 9 1 1 2 5 1 2 5

2 7

6 8 1 4 3 5 1 2 8 4 1 3 5 2 6 9 2 1 5 9 3 7 1 6

48

2 - Maid of ___ : Joan of Arc (7)

9 - System of natural healing (5)

2 5

13 - Capital of Australia (8)

16 - International tennis competition (5,3)

Medium 3 5 4 1 9 6 2 7 8

7 9 6 2 8 5 4 1 3

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

2 1 8 4 3 7 6 5 9

5 3 7 8 1 2 9 4 6

9 8 2 7 6 4 1 3 5

6 4 1 3 5 9 7 8 2

1 2 3 9 4 8 5 6 7

8 6 9 5 7 1 3 2 4

4 7 5 6 2 3 8 9 1

Difficult 9 6 1 5 8 3 2 4 7

8 3 2 7 4 1 6 9 5

7 5 4 9 6 2 8 1 3

4 7 5 3 2 8 1 6 9

2 1 9 6 5 4 3 7 8

3 8 6 1 7 9 4 5 2

1 4 7 8 3 5 9 2 6

6 2 3 4 9 7 5 8 1

5 9 8 2 1 6 7 3 4

4 2 5 3 1 7 9 6 8

6 1 9 8 4 2 5 7 3

7 8 3 9 6 5 1 2 4

3 5 4 6 7 8 2 9 1

2 7 1 5 9 3 4 8 6

9 6 8 4 2 1 3 5 7

8 4 2 7 3 9 6 1 5

1 3 7 2 5 6 8 4 9

5 9 6 1 8 4 7 3 2

Prize crossword

WIN!

A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

Across 9 ‘Vaccinate’ translated into a clue! (9) 10 Oxygen has relentlessly gloomy

1

2

3

4

5

9

6

7

8

10

smell (5)

11 Wild heroism is lacking in Greek poet

(5) 12 Horribly ugly – eg ‘quoters’ spelled wrong (9) 13 Man leaving Nottingham, perhaps, later today (7) 14 Sir, we’ve revised critical appraisals (7) 17 Party might get an OBE (5) 19 Take an exam in position (3) 20 Discourage outside term, to some extent (5) 21 American poet turned up in chinos, remember! (7) 22 Do Roman ruins get commissionaire? (7) 24 Penny and detectives join test centre – happens at the same time (9) 26 Woman is back in her chosen garden (5) 28 Small stringed instrument, a semitone higher (5) 29 Saw dental reconstruction as undeveloped area (9)

Down 1 & 13 down Big health changes where the fellows

11

12

13

14

17

18

19

21

15

20

22

24

25

16

23

26

28

27

29

The winner and solution will feature on this page next issue

dine? (4,5)

2 & 7 down ‘1066 and All That’ wrongly quotes Mr Cannon (6,8)

15 Surprisingly Gove is made to produce computer

scandalous! (10) 4 Worked as a teacher, though tight, by the sound of it! (6) 5 Organise a term ‘do’ with Conservative leader and US politician (8) 6 Large scholarly book: Some Soweto Memories (4) 7 See 2 down 8 Oddly, ‘torture’ is factually correct (4) 13 See 1 down

16 MA leaves reorganised seminar – could be a warning (5) 18 Morecambe embraced by a bloke ‘from across the pond’ (8) 19 Naughty Townsend expelled from university (4,4) 22 Stop changing sides before end of contest (6) 23 Instruction book done by hand (6) 24 Charging all school heads initially provides money (4) 25 Puts a limit of what schoolboys might wear? (4) 27 Sports team is back in the Lake District (4)

3 Open University twice involved with revision of Greats –

entertainments (5,5)

Email a photo of your completed crossword with your contact details, plus ‘Jan/Feb prize crossword’ in the subject line, to crossword@neu.org.uk by 31 January.

PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR COMPLETED CROSSWORD

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Home

Car

14255 NEU Crossword Page Image v2 01-19.indd 1

Travel

Gadget

Motorbike 30/01/2019 14:48

Last issue’s (Nov/Dec 2021) prize crossword solution

Across 8 HESITATE 9 ANIMAL 10, 11 & 12 SONS AND LOVERS 13 HALTED 15 OBSTACLE 17 HERMITS 19 CEDILLA 22 CHASTISE 24 DREAMS 25 NEURAL 27 VIN 28 FARM 29 REGENT 30 REATTACH Down 1 DESOLATE 2 KIDS 3 HAZARD 4 HEAD BOY 5 CARLISLE 6 KIEV 7 LAUREL 14 TAMES 16 ALICE 18 TRIPLETS 20 LIMERICK 21 LEAVERS 23 HEEDED Congratulations to last issue’s winner – Derek Kelly from Machynlleth 24 DENTAL 26 REEL 28 FETE

This issue’s quick crossword solution (p48)

Across 1 NORTH DAKOTA 9 REIKI 10 TIA 11 RHEAS 12 HENRY 13 CANBERRA 16 DAVIS CUP 18 BEBOP 21 DELHI 22 MIA 23 CAINE 24 POINTILLISM Down 2 ORLEANS 3 TARSIER 4 DRIVER 5 KEITH 6 TITAN 7 BARACK OBAMA 8 MARY POPPINS 14 LIDDELL 15 OCELOTS 17 ASSISI 19 BEANO 20 PECAN educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

49

Final word

Improving the school day for children in poverty n Download Turning the page on poverty: a practical guide for education staff (pictured below and developed by CPAG, the NEU and Children North East) at neu.org.uk/ turning-page-guide

(Above) Pupils talking about the Cost of the School Day. Visit cpag.org.uk/scotland/ CoSD/resources

Fact file

Kate Anstey leads on the Child Poverty Action Group’s Cost of the School Day project. Visit cpag.org.uk 50

POVERTY at home has been recognised for many years as being the strongest statistical predictor of how well a child will achieve at school.

The scale of child poverty in the UK is so large that in every class of 30 children, nearly ten will be poor. It should be a source of shame that in the fifth-largest economy in the world, so many children have to endure the effects of poverty. These effects cannot be magicked away by teachers or schools, and it is the job of governments to address the underlying causes of child poverty.

However, what I have witnessed through Child Poverty Action Group’s (CPAG) work across education, particularly from listening to pupils, is that institutions and school systems can, and do, diminish the effects of poverty – helping children to achieve academically and improving their day-to-day experience of school life. Conversely, school systems can also (mostly unintentionally) reinforce disadvantage.

An equally fulfilling experience for all pupils Our UK Cost of the School Day project, delivered in partnership with ‘poverty proofing’ experts Children North East, seeks to understand from pupils’ perspectives how a low household income can impact school life.

We listen to what pupils think should be done to make sure money does not stand in the way of everything school has to offer. We hear about young people feeling left out when their friends leave school for lunch but they have to stay to collect their free school meal (FSM), or children feeling embarrassed when they can’t complete homework because they don’t have arts and crafts materials at home. We learn about the financial and social pressures of non-uniform days, and how some children

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

avoid telling their parents about school trips because they know they can’t afford them.

School practices can contribute to some children having a less fulfilling experience of school than their peers – children who we know are already working against the odds.

We believe these are precisely the children who we should be designing our systems around, recognising that they have reduced opportunities elsewhere. Why have a school trip if the pupil who might benefit the most is left behind?

Listening to all children in need of support School staff tell us that they have additional provision and subsidies for their disadvantaged pupils, often referring to those eligible for FSM or receiving Pupil Premium. While this is commendable, over one million children across the UK live in poverty but are not eligible for FSM. It is not a good measure of disadvantage and relying on it often means we overlook some children in need of support.

We work collaboratively with schools to help them see the school day through the eyes of a child from a lowincome background, and implement changes and a school ethos that prioritises them.

We also learn from the many schools that are already working towards this approach. For example, I heard from a school where birthdays are celebrated by the child receiving a card and a book; no-one brings in sweets or cake, which we know can be challenging for some families.

All children should be able to make the most of school, in particular those who live in low-income households. When school staff understand the obstacles that some children face throughout the school day, they can make small but vital changes that help kids growing up in poverty to fully take part and be happy at school.

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IN 1969 WE WENT CRAZY FOR THE SPACE HOPPER YET SINGLE WOMEN COULDN’T GET A MORTGAGE Space hopping was a craze that started in the late 1960s. But what’s by far crazier, is the fact that single women still needed a male guarantor to buy a home of their own. So, Teachers launched in 1966 and set out to change this. Unbelievably it took until 1975 for this common practice to become outlawed. We’re still fighting your corner today, committed to finding ways for you to buy a home of your own.

Call us today to find out how we could help you take your first steps towards buying your own home.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

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Teachers Building Society, Allenview House, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1AG. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Reg No. 156580)

Sgwrs am gymwysterau Trafod ‘cenhedlaeth newydd’ o gymwysterau TGAU.

Cofio Betty Pennaeth arloesol a Chymraes ryfeddol.

Taith ffoaduriaid Calais Aelodau’r NEU yn helpu ffoaduriaid y gaeaf hwn.

addysgu yng nghymru Rhifyn 69 Tymor y gwanwyn 2022

Rhaid gwerthfawrogi addysg MAE swyddogion a changhennau ledled Cymru’n helpu aelodau i fynd i’r afael â llwyth gwaith cynyddol, dosbarthiadau sy’n cynyddu mewn maint, a phryderon eraill, a hynny fel rhan o ymgyrch yr NEU, Gwerthfawrogi Addysg, Gwerthfawrogi Addysgwyr.

Lansiwyd yr ymgyrch ym mis Hydref, a’i nod yw rhoi sylw i feysydd sy’n pryderu addysgwyr a rhieni, fel cyllid, tlodi plant, a phrofion lle mae llawer yn y fantol.

Meddai Kevin Courtney, cydysgrifennydd cyffredinol yr NEU: “Mae’n hanfodol sicrhau bod gan ysgolion a cholegau y cyllid a’r gefnogaeth i fynd i’r afael â dosbarthiadau sy’n fwy nag erioed a thangyllido, ynghyd â’r problemau eraill sydd wedi dod i’r amlwg yn ystod y pandemig.

“Dylid ystyried gwariant ar addysg yn fuddsoddiad yn y dyfodol.”

Mae NEU Cymru yn galw am gynnydd sylweddol yn y cyllid sy’n cael ei roi i addysg.

Mae’n dweud nad yw’r £400 sydd wedi’i roi ar gyfer pob disgybl i wneud iawn am y dysgu

(Chwith uchaf) Darn o ffilm Gwerthfawrogi Addysg yr NEU a (dde uchaf) adnoddau llwyth gwaith i’w lawrlwytho

a gollwyd yn ystod y pandemig yn ddigon, gan ei gymharu â’r £1,830 sydd ar gael ar gyfer pob plentyn yn yr UDA a’r £2,090 yn yr Iseldiroedd. Wrth ddisgwyl cyflwyno’r cwricwlwm newydd yng Nghymru, mae’r undeb hefyd am weld newid yn y system asesu.

Dywedodd David Evans, ysgrifennydd Cymru, fod y pandemig wedi dangos gwerth ysgolion ac addysgwyr wrth gefnogi pobl ifanc.

“Mae angen inni nawr geisio cefnogi’r gweithlu a chael gwared ar lwyth gwaith diangen sy’n deillio o gamau atebolrwydd yn yr ysgolion eu hunain, camau nad ydyn nhw’n ofynnol gan Estyn na Llywodraeth Cymru,” meddai.

Dangosodd arolwg diweddar gan NEU Cymru fod nifer o athrawon yn ystyried gadael y proffesiwn gan fod y llwyth gwaith a’r cydbwysedd gwael rhwng gwaith a bywyd yn golygu eu bod nhw ar ben eu tennyn.

Mae’r undeb wedi creu canllawiau, yn Gymraeg a Saesneg, ynghyd â phecyn cymorth i edrych ar lwyth gwaith, er mwyn lleihau llwyth gwaith diangen. Mae hyn yn cynnwys cyngor am gynlluniau gwersi, casglu data, cyfarfodydd ac arsylwi yn yr ystafell ddosbarth, gan ddangos beth yw disgwyliadau’r Llywodraeth ac Estyn ochr yn ochr â pholisi’r NEU.

n Ewch i bit.ly/3HrWnwL

Ysgolion gwledig i gau ym Mhowys a Gwynedd CYMYSG yw ffawd ysgolion gwledig, ar ôl cyhoeddi y bydd mwy ohonyn nhw’n cau, ysgol arall wedi’i hachub, a rhai wedi’u gadael yn y niwl.

Ym Mhowys, ar 9 Tachwedd, pleidleisiodd cynghorwyr yn unfrydol dros gau Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Llanbedr.

Hefyd, cadarnhawyd penderfyniad cynharach i gau Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Castell Caereinion. Bydd y naill ysgol a’r llall yn cau ddiwedd mis Awst 2022.

Ond yn y cyfarfod lle cytunwyd i gau ysgol Llanbedr, dywedodd y cynghorydd John Morris y byddai’r penderfyniad yn “anochel” yn arwain at adolygiad barnwrol, a oedd yn “barod i gychwyn”.

Dywedodd y byddai’r adolygiad wedi’i seilio ar ragdybiaeth Llywodraeth Cymru yn erbyn cau ysgolion bychain, ac y byddai’n achos prawf nid yn unig i Bowys, ond i Gymru gyfan.

Ddiwedd mis Tachwedd, cytunodd y cabinet y gallai ysgol fechan arall, sef Ysgol Gynradd Gymunedol Yr Ystog, aros ar agor.

Yn Sir Gâr, roedd rhieni’n dal i aros i glywed ffawd dwy ysgol, er i’r ymgynghoriad ar eu dyfodol ddod i ben ym mis Chwefror.

Roedd y cyngor yn cynnig cau Ysgol Gynradd Mynyddygarreg a’i huno ag Ysgol Gymraeg Gwenllian, gan adeiladu ysgol newydd i 210 o ddisgyblion maes o law.

Pan ofynnwyd iddo pryd oedd y penderfyniad yn debygol o gael ei wneud, unig ateb y cyngor oedd cyfeirio at gofnodion cyfarfod cabinet 8 Tachwedd, sy’n datgan: “[Cyn] diwedd y flwyddyn galendr hon, rhagwelir y cawn gyfle i drafod y mater hwn ymhellach a phenderfynu a fydd y cynigion presennol yn symud ymlaen i’r cam nesaf.”

Methiant oedd ymgais olaf ym mis Tachwedd i wyrdroi penderfyniad gan Gyngor Sir Gwynedd i gau Ysgol Abersoch.

Roedd disgwyl i’r ysgol gau ar 31 Rhagfyr, gan gynnig lle i ddisgyblion mewn ysgol filltir a hanner i ffwrdd o’r tymor hwn ymlaen.

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol

1

Newyddion Diweddariad Covid ROEDD disgwyl i Lywodraeth Cymru adolygu ei chyngor am wisgo masgiau mewn ysgolion uwchradd ar ddiwedd tymor y gaeaf.

Yn dilyn pryderon ym mis Tachwedd am Omicron, yr amrywiolyn Covid newydd, dywedodd Mark Drakeford, y Prif Weinidog, y dylai pob aelod o staff a myfyriwr mewn ysgolion uwchradd wisgo gorchuddion wyneb dan do, gan gynnwys mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth.

Cam dros dro fydd hwn, yn ôl y Llywodraeth, a fydd yn para tan ddiwedd tymor y gaeaf, pan fydd y sefyllfa’n cael ei hadolygu.

Mae pob plentyn 12 i 15 oed wedi cael cynnig un brechlyn COVID-19.

Mae canllawiau’r Llywodraeth yn cael eu diweddaru’n rheolaidd yn llyw. cymru/ysgolioncanllawiaucoronafeirws

‘Sgwrs gyhoeddus’ am ddyfodol cymwysterau MAE sgwrs gyhoeddus yn cael ei chynnal am ddyfodol cymwysterau, ac mae NEU Cymru wedi croesawu hyn.

Mae’r corff rheoleiddio, Cymwysterau Cymru, wedi bod yn edrych ar opsiynau ar gyfer “cenhedlaeth newydd” o gymwysterau TGAU. Mae’r corff bellach am fwrw ymlaen i gynnal trafodaethau cyhoeddus gydag addysgwyr, cyflogwyr a rhieni am ei gynigion, o dan yr enw Cymwys ar gyfer y Dyfodol.

Mae’r cymwysterau arfaethedig, y mae disgwyl eu cyflwyno yn 2025, yn cynnwys cymwysterau TGAU newydd mewn pynciau fel ffilm a’r cyfryngau digidol, gofal plant, bwyd a maeth, a busnes.

Meddai Philip Blaker, prif weithredwr Cymwysterau Cymru: “Gyda chyflwyno’r Cwricwlwm newydd i Gymru ym mis Medi 2022, mae’n hollbwysig ein bod ni’n edrych ar sut i gyflwyno mwy o gymwysterau arloesol i baratoi dysgwyr i lwyddo mewn byd sy’n newid o hyd.”

Yn ôl David Evans, ysgrifennydd Cymru, mae hyn wrth fodd yr undeb. “Mae’r blynyddoedd diwethaf wedi dangos inni nad yw’r graddau sy’n cael eu rhoi i bobl ifanc yn adlewyrchiad syml o’u llwyddiant ar y diwrnod ei hun. Mae arholiadau’n ffordd o osod pobl ifanc ochr yn ochr â’u cymheiriaid, a does dim modd eu cymharu o’r naill flwyddyn i’r llall,” meddai.

“Mae’n hen bryd, hefyd, cael gwared ar y cysylltiad rhwng graddau ac atebolrwydd, a rhoi cyfle i weithwyr addysg proffesiynol ganolbwyntio ar beth mae pob myfyriwr yn gallu’i wneud. Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen at fod yn rhan o’r drafodaeth hon – ac yn gobeithio y bydd pawb yn y byd addysg yn cael amser a gofod i gyfrannu hefyd.” n Mae modd lawrlwytho

adroddiad Cymwys ar gyfer y

The right choice for

Our Decisions

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n I ymuno â’r sgwrs, gwnewch gais yn qualificationswales.org/ cymraeg/

Dyddiadau dysgu i’ch dyddiadur

Cais am gyllid WULF

HYFFORDDIANT I GYNRYCHIOLWYR

MAE NEU Cymru unwaith eto wedi gwneud cais i Gronfa Ddysgu Undebau Cymru (WULF) yn dilyn “llwyddiant ysgubol” ei hyfforddiant presennol.

Mae’r undeb yn gobeithio gallu parhau i gynnig hyfforddiant yn y pedwar prif faes lle mae’r galw yn dal yn fawr iawn o hyd: n hyrwyddo dysgu’r Gymraeg i bob athro ac athrawes yng Nghymru n sgiliau digidol – i baratoi at y Cwricwlwm newydd i Gymru n cynnydd a datblygiad gyrfa – rhoi rhaglen gymorth benodol a chynhwysfawr i athrawon llanw ac athrawon sydd allan o waith oherwydd cyfyngiadau cyllid n iechyd a lles – rhoi cymorth a hyfforddiant i aelodau.

Os bydd y cais am gyllid yn llwyddiannus, bydd Beth Roberts yn parhau i fod yn gyfrifol am ddatblygu strategaeth ddysgu NEU Cymru, gyda chymorth Lisa Williams. Meddai’r swyddog polisi Stuart Williams, a luniodd y cais ar y cyd â Beth: “Gyda chymorth y cyllid hwn, gall NEU Cymru barhau i roi cyfleoedd dysgu gydol oes hanfodol i’w aelodau.”

Oherwydd yr argyfwng iechyd sy’n dal i fynd rhagddo, bydd cyrsiau hyfforddiant diwrnod a thridiau’r undeb ar gyfer cynrychiolwyr gweithle presennol yn dal i gael eu cynnal yn rhithwir. Byddan nhw’n cael eu cynnal dros gyfnod o chwech wythnos, gyda sesiynau dwy awr wythnosol rhwng 4pm a 6pm.

Cyrsiau sylfaen n Dyddiau Mawrth, rhwng 13 Ionawr ac 17 Chwefror n Dyddiau Mercher, rhwng 4 Mai a 5 Mehefin (heb gynnwys hanner tymor) n Dyddiau Iau, rhwng 1 Mawrth a 5 Ebrill.

Os oes diddordeb gennych chi mewn mynd ar gwrs, anfonwch e-bost at

cymru.wales@neu.org.uk – a chofiwch, mae hawl gyfreithiol gan gynrychiolwyr i gael yr hyfforddiant hwn. Bydd yr NEU yn cefnogi unrhyw gynrychiolydd sy’n wynebu anawsterau wrth geisio cael amser i ffwrdd o’r gwaith i fod yn bresennol. Pan fydd pethau wedi dychwelyd i’r drefn arferol, byddwn yn trefnu cyrsiau tridiau llawn, ynghyd â chwrs ar ffurf modiwlau, lle bydd y tridiau’n cael eu cwblhau ar wahân dros gyfnod o amser.

Rhagor o gyrsiau drwy WULF Cohgfhat bit.ly/3hWYJcj ynghyd â gwybodaeth am sut i gofrestru. Os hoffech chi i’r undeb ystyried trefnu cwrs penodol, anfonwch e-bost at Lisa Williams, lisa.williams@neu.org.uk neu at Beth Roberts, beth.roberts@neu.org.uk

Cadwch olwg ar eich e-bost i weld gwybodaeth am y cyfleoedd hyfforddiant diweddaraf. Hoffwch ni ar Facebook yn facebook.com/ neucymrutraining, dilynwch ni ar Twitter drwy @neucymrutrain ac ewch i neu.org.uk/learning-and-events 2

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol

Wales

October 2021

Monumental Welsh Women

Sefydliad nid-er-elw yw hwn sy’n gweithio i gydnabod cyfraniad menywod at hanes a bywyd Cymru. monumentalwelshwomen.com (Ar y chwith) Betty Campbell (Ar y dde) Mae’r llun hwn o Betty yn Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart yn Butetown yn rhan o gasgliad yn Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru. Fis Hydref diwethaf, trefnodd yr amgueddfa arddangosfa o’r enw Windrush Cymru – Ein Lleisiau, Ein Straeon, Ein Hanes, a hynny i gyd-fynd â Mis Hanes Pobl Dduon.

Mae’r arddangosfa bellach ar daith a bydd i’w gweld yn Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru yn Llanberis, Gwynedd tan 23 Ionawr; yn Amgueddfa Wlân Cymru ger Castell-newydd Emlyn, Sir Gâr rhwng 28 Ionawr a 14 Chwefror; ac yn y Big Pit Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru ym Mlaenafon, Tor-faen, rhwng 19 Chwefror a 6 Mawrth. Mae’r mynediad am ddim.

LLUN gan Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Cofio Betty, y pennaeth Du cyntaf yng Nghymru CAFODD y llun hwn (dde uchaf ) o Betty Campbell, y brifathrawes arloesol, ei dynnu ym mis Gorffennaf 1979 yn ei hysgol, Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart yn Butetown, Caerdydd. Dadorchuddiwyd cerflun i Betty Campbell fis Medi diwethaf (gweler Addysgu, Tachwedd/Rhagfyr, tudalen 17).

Yn y llun, mae hi’n trefnu’r ymarfer gwisgoedd ar gyfer sioe flynyddol yr ysgol, gerbron cynulleidfa o nyrsys ac ymwelwyr o Ysbyty Dewi Sant yn y brifddinas.

Cafodd y cerflun o Betty, y pennaeth Du cyntaf ar ysgol yng Nghymru, ei gomisiynu ar ôl i sefydliad Monumental Welsh Women ofyn i’r cyhoedd bleidleisio dros un o bum menyw lwyddiannus i’w hanrhydeddu. Betty a gafodd ei dewis.

A hithau wedi’i geni yn Butetown, Caerdydd, ym 1934, roedd hi wedi dyfalbarhau yn wyneb hiliaeth a rhwystrau eraill i gyflawni’i huchelgais, sef dod yn athrawes. Ym 1960,

roedd hi’n un o’r chwe fyfyrwraig gyntaf i gael eu derbyn gan Goleg Hyfforddi Athrawon Caerdydd.

Daeth hi’n bennaeth yn Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart yn yr 1970au, lle bu’n addysgu am 28 mlynedd. A hithau’n gynghorydd dros Butetown, ardal a oedd yn agos iawn at ei chalon, ac yn gyn-aelod o’r hen Gomisiwn dros Gydraddoldeb Hiliol, rhoddwyd MBE i Betty yn 2003. Bu farw yn 82 oed yn 2017.

Gan roi teyrnged iddi y llynedd, ysgrifennodd Cyngor Hil Cymru: “Byddai’r disgyblion dan adain Betty yn Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart yn darganfod bod pob mis yn Fis Hanes Pobl Dduon. Pryd bynnag y byddai hynny’n bosibl, byddai’r cwricwlwm yn cynnwys enghreifftiau a chyfeiriadau at brofiadau pobl Dduon a’u cyfraniad cadarnhaol at gymdeithas ym Mhrydain.”

Roedd disgyblion Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart ymhlith y rheini a oedd yn bresennol

wrth ddadorchuddio’r cerflun pedair metr o uchder yn y Sgwâr Canolog, Caerdydd.

Mwy o amrywiaeth ymhlith addysgwyr DEWISODD Jeremy Miles, Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, Ysgol Gynradd Mount Stuart i gyhoeddi cymhellion ariannol newydd i ddenu mwy o bobl o leiafrifoedd ethnig i’r proffesiwn addysgu. Mae’r cam hwn yn rhan o gynllun i geisio cyflwyno mwy o amrywiaeth i’r proffesiwn addysgu ac annog mwy o bobl i fynd ar gyrsiau Hyfforddiant Cychwynnol Athrawon.

Gan siarad ym Mount Stuart, meddai Mr Miles: “Os ydyn ni i wneud ein gorau dros ein dysgwyr yng Nghymru, mae’n bwysig iawn bod gennyn ni weithlu amrywiol.”

Mae cymhellion ariannol tebyg eisoes yn cael eu cynnig i geisio creu mwy o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg ac athrawon mathemateg a gwyddoniaeth.

Annog athrawon i wirio’u pensiynau MAE angen atgoffa athrawon drwy Gymru i fwrw golwg ar eu pensiynau ar ôl i gamgymeriadau gael eu gweld mewn rhai cofnodion am wasanaeth pobl.

Mae dros ddwsin o aelodau NEU Cymru yn Ynys Môn wedi cysylltu â’r undeb ers dwyn sylw’r cyngor sir at yr anghysondebau yr hydref diwethaf.

Mewn datganiad i Addysgu yng Nghymru ym mis Tachwedd, dywedodd y

cyngor bod yr holl gyfraniadau pensiwn wedi’u talu i’r asiantaeth Teachers’ Pensions.

“Rydyn ni wedi rhoi sicrwydd i’r ysgolion a’r undebau addysg na fydd hyn yn effeithio ar bensiynau ac na fydd athrawon ar eu colled yn ariannol pan fyddan nhw’n ymddeol,” meddai llefarydd. Credir bod y camgymeriadau yn y cofnodion am wasanaeth pobl yn broblem i nifer o gynghorau ledled y wlad.

Dywedodd NEU Cymru fod yr achos hwn yn gyfle amserol i atgoffa athrawon i fwrw golwg ar statws eu pensiynau, gan nad yw’r

asiantaeth Teachers’ Pensions bellach yn anfon datganiadau blynyddol at aelodau’r cynllun.

Dywedodd David Evans, ysgrifennydd Cymru: “Mae’n bwysig iawn bod aelodau’n cofrestru ar wefan Teachers’ Pensions er mwyn iddyn nhw gael y datganiadau budd diweddaraf a chael eu datganiad blynyddol yn electronig.”

n Ewch i teacherspensions.co.uk a chofrestrwch gyda gwasanaeth My Pensions y TP.

n Ewch i neu.org.uk/pensions neu anfonwch e-bost i cymru.wales@neu.org.uk

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol

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Newyddion

Yma i helpu

FEL yr undeb addysg mwyaf, gall NEU Cymru roi gwasanaeth heb ei ail i’w aelodau. Mae ein tîm proffesiynol yma i ddefnyddio’u harbenigedd er mwyn helpu ein rhwydwaith o gynrychiolwyr gweithle ac ysgrifenyddion rhanbarthau a changhennau.

Os oes gennych chi broblem yn y gwaith neu i gael rhagor o wybodaeth am ein gwasanaethau i aelodau, cysylltwch â’r canlynol: n cynrychiolydd eich gweithle n ysgrifennydd eich cangen n AdviceLine n Swyddfa NEU Cymru.

NEU Cymru

Ty Sinnott, 18 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Caerdydd CF24 5PJ Ffôn: 029 2049 1818 E-bost: cymru.wales@neu.org.uk Ysgrifennydd Cymru: David Evans Uwch Swyddogion Cymru: Gareth Lloyd, Debbie Scott Uwch Swyddog Polisi Cymru: Mary van den Heuvel Trefnydd y Gogledd: Cai Jones Trefnydd y De: Robert Goddard Cyfreithiwr Cymru: Angharad Booker Aelodau Gweithredol: Máiréad Canavan, Elizabeth McLean, Hannah O’Neill

Prif Swyddfa

Yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, Llundain WC1H 9BD Ffôn: 020 7388 6191 Gwefan: neu.org.uk Llywydd: Daniel Kebede Cyd-ysgrifenyddion Cyffredinol: Mary Bousted a Kevin Courtney Cyfieithiad gan Rhys Iorwerth Cyf rhysiorwerth@hotmail.com 4

Mairead Canavan (chwith) ac Emma Rose o Swydd Warwick ar daith ddiweddar i Calais

MAE Mairead Canavan, sy’n aelod o Bwyllgor Gweithredol Cenedlaethol Cymru, yn bwriadu gwirfoddoli yng ngwersylloedd ffoaduriaid Calais ym mis Ionawr, a byddai wrth ei bodd pe bai aelodau o Gymru yn ymuno â hi. Mae hi hefyd yn chwilio am bobl i gyfrannu cotiau cynnes ac eitemau hanfodol eraill i fynd gyda hi. Dylai’r dillad fod yn lân ac mewn cyflwr da – ewch i care4calais.org/get-involved/ collect-donate i weld rhestr o’r nwyddau y mae eu hangen. Anfonwch e-bost at Mairead, mairead.canavan@neu.org.uk n Darllenwch am aelodau’r NEU sy’n gweithio gyda ffoaduriaid yn neu.org.uk/educatejulyaugust-2021

Athrawon a syniadau gwyrdd byd-eang ROEDD Melanie Treadwell, athrawes ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, yn un o dri athro o’r Deyrnas Unedig a ymunodd ag addysgwyr o’r pedwar ban i gymryd rhan yn y COP byd-eang cyntaf i athrawon.

A hwnnw wedi’i drefnu gan y Swyddfa Addysg Hinsawdd ryngwladol (OCE) ar drothwy cynhadledd ddwy wythnos COP26 yn Glasgow, rhoddodd y digwyddiad blatfform i athrawon ddangos sut maen nhw ar flaen y gad ym maes addysg hinsawdd.

Melanie, sy’n aelod o NEU Cymru, yw cydlynydd eco Ysgol Gynradd Llangrallo, ysgol sydd wedi cael cryn glod am ei gwaith ym maes newid hinsawdd. Mae’r ysgol wedi cael gwobr blatinwm am fod yn eco-ysgol, a dywedodd Melanie eu bod nhw wedi cynnwys addysg am yr hinsawdd a chynaliadwyedd yn eu gwaith ers blynyddoedd lawer.

“Mae’n ddull ysgol gyfan o weithio.

Allwch chi ddim gwneud popeth. Mae’n golygu gwneud y pethau bychain eich hun, a chynnal beth sydd gennych chi eisoes,” meddai.

Mae’r disgyblion yn frwd dros y pwnc, meddai Melanie, ac mae ganddyn nhw’r ^ “pwer plagio” i newid pethau gartref ac yn gymuned. Mae’r rhieni’n tynnu coes eu bod nhw bellach yn gorfod darllen cefn pecynnau

Codiad cyflog o 1.75% DYLAI aelodau fod wedi cael eu cyflog diwygiedig ers y cynnydd o 1.75 y cant y cytunodd Llywodraeth Cymru arno, sydd wedi’i ôl-ddyddio i 1 Medi 2021.

Os nad ydych chi wedi cael y cynnydd eto, anfonwch e-bost i swyddfa NEU Cymru yng Nghaerdydd, cymru. wales@neu.org.uk

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol

Melanie Treadwell

yn y siop i sicrhau nad oes olew palmwydd yn y cynhwysion. “Ac mae hynny’n beth da,” meddai Melanie, dan chwerthin.

Dywedodd fod y gwahoddiad i siarad yn y COP Athrawon wedi’i synnu’n arw, ac mae’r ysgol ers hynny wedi cael gwahoddiad i dreialu rhai o adnoddau newydd yr OCE ym maes newid hinsawdd.

“Ysgol fechan ydyn ni, ac fe ddes i oddi yno’n meddwl, ‘wyddost ti beth, rwy’n credu fy mod i wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth’.” n MAE’N rhaid i bob ysgol a choleg newydd yng Nghymru gyrraedd targedau di-garbon o eleni ymlaen, a bydd angen iddyn nhw gynnwys cyfleusterau gwefru cerbydau trydan, ynghyd â chreu cynlluniau bioamrywiaeth a theithio llesol.

Mae hyn yn rhan o ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i fod yn genedl ddigarbon erbyn 2050. Mae’n golygu o 1 Ionawr 2022 na fydd adeiladau newydd, gan gynnwys prosiectau estyniadau ac adnewyddu mawr, yn cynhyrchu dim allyriadau carbon fel rhan o’u gweithrediadau o ddydd i ddydd.

Qualifications conversation Public discussion on a ‘new generation’ of GCSEs.

Issue 69 Spring term 2022

Remembering Betty Pioneering head teacher and monumental Welsh woman.

Calais refugee trip Join NEU members helping refugees this winter.

inwales

It’s time to value education OFFICERS and branches across Wales are providing support to empower members to tackle mounting workloads, increasing class sizes and other concerns as part of the NEU’s Value Education, Value Educators campaign.

Launched in October, the campaign seeks to address areas of concern to educators and parents such as funding, child poverty and high-stakes testing.

NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Ensuring schools and colleges have the funding and support to address historically high class sizes and underfunding, and the further issues that have arisen through the pandemic, is essential.

“Spending on education should be seen as an investment in the future.”

NEU Cymru is calling for a substantial increase in education funding. It says the £400 per pupil allocated to compensate for lost learning during the pandemic is insufficient,

(Above left) A still from the NEU’s Value Education film and (above right) workload resources to download

comparing it to the £1,830 per child in the USA and £2,090 in the Netherlands. With the new curriculum due to be introduced in Wales, the union also wants to see a change in the assessment system.

Wales secretary David Evans said the pandemic had proved the value of schools and educators in supporting young people.

“We now need to look at supporting the workforce and eliminating unnecessary workload that is driven by in-school accountability measures, which are not required

by Estyn or the Welsh Government,” he said.

A recent survey by NEU Cymru indicated that many teachers are considering leaving the profession as they are stretched to their limits by excessive workload and a poor work/life balance.

The union has produced guidance, in English and Welsh, and a workload audit tool, on how to reduce unnecessary workload. It includes advice on lesson plans, data collection, meetings and classroom observations, setting out Government and Estyn expectations alongside NEU policy.

n Visit bit.ly/3HrWnwL

Rural school closures go ahead in Powys and Gwynedd RURAL schools are enjoying mixed fortunes, with more closures announced, another saved and some left in limbo.

In Powys, councillors voted unanimously to close Llanbedr Church in Wales School on 9 November.

They also confirmed an earlier decision to shut Castle Caereinion CiW School. Both schools will close at the end of August 2022.

But at the meeting where the Llanbedr closure was agreed, local councillor John Morris said the decision would “inevitably” result in a judicial review which was “ready to go”.

He said it would explore the Welsh

Government presumption against closure of small schools and would be a test case not just for Powys, but for the whole of Wales.

At the end of November, the cabinet agreed that another small school, Churchstoke Community Primary School, could remain open.

In Carmarthenshire, parents were still waiting to hear the fate of two schools, even though consultation on their futures ended in February. The council was proposing to close Ysgol Gynradd Mynyddygarreg and merge it with Ysgol Gymraeg Gwenllian, eventually building a new, 210-pupil school.

When asked when a decision was likely, the council would only refer to the minutes of a cabinet meeting on 8 November which said: “Before the end of this calendar year, it is anticipated that we will have the opportunity to discuss this matter further and decide whether the current proposals proceed to the next stage.”

A final attempt in November to overturn a decision by Gwynedd County Council to close Ysgol Abersoch failed and the school was due to close on 31 December with pupils offered places at a school a mile-and-a-half away from this term.

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

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News

Covid update THE Welsh Government was due to review its advice on wearing masks in secondary schools at the end of the autumn term.

Following concerns in November about the emergence of the new Covid variant, Omicron, the First Minister Mark Drakeford said all staff and students in secondary schools should wear face coverings indoors, including in classrooms.

The Government described it as a temporary measure that would remain in place for the rest of the winter term when the position would be reviewed.

All 12- to 15-year-olds had already been offered one vaccine against Covid-19.

Government guidance is updated regularly at gov. wales-schoolscoronavirusguidance

Future of qualifications ‘for public discussion’ A NATIONAL conversation is being held on the future of qualifications, a move welcomed by NEU Cymru.

The regulatory body, Qualifications Wales, has been looking at options for “a new generation” of GCSEs – and it now wants to take forward its proposals, entitled Qualified for the Future, for public discussion with educators, employers and parents.

The proposed qualifications, due to be introduced in 2025, include new GCSEs in subjects such as film and digital media, childcare, food and nutrition, and business.

Chief executive of Qualifications Wales Philip Blaker said: “With the introduction of the new Curriculum for Wales in September 2022, it is crucial that we look at how we can innovate qualifications to prepare learners to succeed in an ever-changing world.”

David Evans, Wales secretary, said the union was heartened. “The last few years has

Learning dates for your diary LEARNING is at the heart of NEU Cymru and we take pride in the local training that we provide for education professionals, officers and workplace reps.

TRAINING FOR REPS

Due to the continuing public health crisis, the union’s one- and threeday training courses for all new and existing workplace reps will continue to be delivered virtually. They will take place over six weeks, with weekly twohour sessions from 4-6pm.

Foundation courses n Tuesdays, from 13 January17 February n Wednesdays, from 4 May-5 June (excluding half-term) n Thursdays, from 1 March-5 April.

If you’re interested in attending a course, email cymru.wales@neu.org. uk – and remember, reps are legally entitled to attend this training. The NEU

will support any rep who has difficulties getting time off work to attend. Once normal service has resumed, we will be arranging full three-day courses, as well as a modular course, where the three days are done separately over a period of time.

More courses through WULF Courses are also available through the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) and a regularly updated list of topics can be found at bit.ly/3hWYJcj with information on how to register.

If you would like the union to consider organising a particular course, email Lisa Williams at lisa.williams@neu.org.uk or Beth Roberts at beth.roberts@neu.org.uk

Check your email inbox for information on the latest training opportunities.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/neucymrutraining, follow us on Twitter at @neucymrutrain and visit neu.org.uk/learning-and-events 2

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

taught us that grades awarded to young people are not a simple reflection of how well they did on the day. Exams are a means of ranking young people alongside their peers, and cannot be compared year-on-year,” he said.

“It is time, too, to break the link between grades and accountability, and allow education professionals the chance to focus on what each student can do.

“We look forward to engaging in this discussion – and hope The right choice for Wales everyone in education Our Decisions will be given the time and space to do so.”

October 2021

n The Qualified for

the Future report can be downloaded at bit.ly/3otglhT

n To join in the conversation, apply at qualificationswales.org

Bid for WULF cash NEU Cymru has again applied to the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) following the “resounding success” of its current training.

The union hopes to be able to continue to offer training in the four key areas for which demand remains extremely high: n to promote Welsh language learning to all teachers across Wales n digital skills – to prepare for the new Curriculum for Wales n career progression and development – to provide a comprehensive bespoke support programme for supply and out-of-work teachers due to budget constraints n health and wellbeing – to provide support and training for members.

If the funding bid is successful, Beth Roberts will continue to be responsible for the development of the learning strategy for NEU Cymru, assisted by Lisa Williams.

Policy officer Stuart Williams, who co-wrote the application with Beth, said: “With the aid of this funding, NEU Cymru can continue to provide essential lifelong learning for its members.”

Monumental Welsh Women

This not-for-profit organisation is dedicated to recognising the contribution of women to the history and life of Wales. monumentalwelshwomen.com (Left) Betty Campbell (Right) This photo of Betty at Mount Stuart Primary in Butetown is part of a collection at St Fagan’s National Museum of History near Cardiff, which last October organised a Black History Month exhibition entitled Windrush Cymru – Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History.

The exhibition is now on tour and will be displayed at the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Gwynedd until 23 January; the National Wool Museum near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, from 28 January to 14 February; and the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenafon, Torfaen, from 19 February to 6 March. Entry is free.

PHOTO by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Remembering Betty, Wales’ first Black head teacher THIS photo (above right) of pioneering head teacher Betty Campbell, whose statue was unveiled last September (see Educate, November/December, page 17), was taken in July 1979 at her school, Mount Stuart Primary in Butetown, Cardiff.

She was taking the dress rehearsal for the school’s annual show, in front of an invited audience of nurses and visitors from the city’s St David’s Hospital.

The statue of Betty, the first Black head teacher in Wales, was commissioned after the Monumental Welsh Women organisation asked the public to vote for one of five women whose achievements they most wanted to see honoured. Betty was chosen.

Born in Butetown, Cardiff, in 1934, she had persevered against racism and other obstacles to achieve her ambition of becoming a teacher, and in 1960 was one of the first six women students accepted by Cardiff Teacher Training College.

She was one of the first six women at Cardiff Teaching Training College.

She became head at Mount Stuart Primary School in the 1970s where she taught for 28 years. A councillor for her beloved Butetown, and a member of the former Commission for Racial Equality, Betty was awarded the MBE in 2003. She died aged 82 in 2017.

Paying tribute to her last year, Race Council Cymru wrote: “Pupils who attended Mount Stuart Primary under Betty’s guidance soon discovered that every month was Black History Month as the curriculum included, wherever possible, references to and examples of, Black people’s experiences and positive

contribution to British society.”

Pupils of Mount Stuart Primary School were among those who attended the unveiling of the four-metre-high statue in Central Square, Cardiff.

Increasing diversity in educators JEREMY Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, chose Mount Stuart Primary School to announce new financial incentives to attract more people from ethnic minorities into the teaching profession. The move is part of a plan to encourage more diversity in the teaching profession and encourage wider uptake for Initial Teaching Education courses.

Speaking at Mount Stuart, Mr Miles said: “If we are to do the best for our learners in Wales, it’s really important that we have a diverse workforce.”

Similar cash incentives are already offered to encourage more Welsh-medium teachers, and those teaching maths and science.

Teachers urged to check their pensions TEACHERS across Wales are reminded to check their pensions after errors were discovered in some service records.

More than a dozen NEU Cymru members in Anglesey have been in touch with the union since the discrepancies were raised with the county council last autumn.

In a statement to Educate in Wales in November, the council said that all pension

contributions have been paid to the Teachers’ Pensions agency.

“We have reassured schools and teaching unions that pensions will not be affected and that teachers will not lose out financially when they retire,” a spokesman said. The errors in service records are believed to be an issue for many councils across the country.

NEU Cymru said the case was a timely reminder to teachers to check the status of their own pensions, especially as Teachers’

Pensions no longer sends out annual benefit statements to members of the scheme.

Wales secretary David Evans said: “It’s very important that members register on the Teachers’ Pensions website so that they can access up-to-date benefit statements and receive their annual statement electronically.”

n Visit teacherspensions.co.uk and sign up with TP’s My Pensions Online service.

n Visit neu.org.uk/pensions or email cymru. wales@neu.org.uk

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

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News

Here to help AS part of the largest education union in Europe, NEU Cymru can offer members an unrivalled service.

Our professional team is here to provide expertise to our network of workplace representatives and district and branch secretaries.

If you have a problem at work or want to know more about member services, contact: n your workplace representative n your branch secretary n AdviceLine n NEU Cymru office.

NEU Cymru

Ty Sinnott, 18 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PJ Tel: 029 2049 1818 Email: cymru.wales@neu.org.uk Wales secretary: David Evans Senior Wales officers: Gareth Lloyd, Debbie Scott Senior Wales policy officer: Mary van den Heuvel North Wales organiser: Cai Jones South Wales Organiser: Robert Goddard Wales solicitor: Angharad Booker Executive members: Máiréad Canavan, Elizabeth McLean, Hannah O’Neill

Head office

National Education Union, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD Tel: 020 7388 6191 Website: neu.org.uk President: Daniel Kebede Joint general secretaries: Mary Bousted & Kevin Courtney Translation by Rhys Iorwerth Cyf rhysiorwerth@ hotmail.com 4

Mairead Canavan (left) and Emma Rose from Warwickshire on a recent trip to Calais

WALES executive member Mairead Canavan is planning to volunteer in Calais refugee camps in January and would love Welsh members to join her. She is also seeking donations of warm coats and other essential items to take with her. Clothing should be clean and in good condition – visit care4calais.org/get-involved/ collect-donate for a list of goods needed. Email Mairead at mairead.canavan@neu.org.uk n Read about the NEU members working with refugees at neu.org. uk/educate-julyaugust-2021

Teachers share eco ideas worldwide BRIDGEND teacher Melanie Treadwell was one of three UK teachers who joined educators from around the world to take part in the first global Teachers COP. Organised by the international Office for Climate Education (OCE) shortly before the two-week COP26 conference in Glasgow, the event gave the teachers a platform to show how they are leading the way in climate education.

NEU Cymru member Melanie is the eco co-ordinator at Coychurch Primary School, which has been widely recognised for its work on climate change. The school is a Platinum Eco-School and Melanie said they had been incorporating climate education and sustainability in their teaching for many years.

“It’s a whole-school approach. You can’t do everything, it’s just trying to do your own little bit and sustain what you already have,” she said.

Pupils are passionate about it, Melanie said, and have the “pester power” to make a change at home and in the community. Parents joke that they now have to read the backs of packets in the shops to make sure there is no palm oil in the ingredients.

1.75% pay rise MEMBERS should have received their revised pay following the 1.75 per cent increase agreed by the Welsh Government, which was backdated to 1 September 2021.

If you have not yet received the increase, email NEU Cymru office in Cardiff at cymru.wales@neu.org.uk

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

Melanie Treadwell

“That’s a good thing,” Melanie laughed.

She said she was very surprised to have been invited to speak at the Teachers COP and the school has since been invited to trial some of the OCE’s new climate change resources.

Although she had found speaking on an international platform daunting, she said: “We’re just a small school and I came away thinking, ‘you know what, I think I have made a difference’.” n ALL new schools and colleges in Wales have to meet zero carbon targets from this year, and will need to include electric vehicle charging facilities, and plans for biodiversity and active travel schemes.

Part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to be a net zero carbon nation by 2050, it means that from 1 January 2022 new buildings, including major extension and refurbishment projects, will produce no carbon emissions as part of their day-to-day operations.