Educate magazine July/Aug 2025

Pay and funding Why the fight goes on. See page 7.

Free school meals win Lunches for 500,000+ more pupils. See page 9.

AI in education Threat or opportunity? See page 31.

July/August 2025

Your magazine from the National Education Union

Marching for money Trade unionists say no to ‘austerity 2.0’

GROUPS 10+ JUST £25 (PLUS TEACHER GOES FREE)*

Inspired by Jane Austen’s revolutionary 1815 novel Emma and cleverly updated to 1990’s Beverly Hills by original writer-director Amy Heckerling, Clueless, The Musical mixes the iconic fashion, quotable moments and drama and laughs from the Paramount Pictures classic film. With an original score from multi-platinum singer-songwriter KT Tunstall (‘Suddenly I See’, ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’), lyrics by Grammy Award® winner and three-time Tony Award® nominee Glenn Slater (Sister Act The Musical, Tangled), Clueless is directed by the acclaimed Rachel Kavanaugh (Chichester Festival Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

Cher Horowitz has a heart bigger than her allowance and a unique talent of finding love for others. When awkward new girl Tai arrives in town, Cher takes on her biggest project yet – but is she matchmaking or meddling? And what about her annoying ex-stepbrother Josh who she can’t stop thinking about? Suddenly, Cher’s life isn’t quite so perfect and – ugh! – maybe she’s the one being clueless.

Your students will enjoy a double-dose of nostalgia with this tribute to a literary classic, as well as 1990’s America, that will provide a useful tool to encourage debate on the parallels of the text and the musical adaptation.

*For more info and to book tickets for Clueless at London’s Trafalgar Theatre email help@groupline.com or call 020 7206 1174

Educate

July/August 2025

Anti-austerity march, 7 June, London.

Photo by Lee Thomas www.leept.co.uk

NEU president

Sarah Kilpatrick

NEU general secretary

Daniel Kebede

Editor Max Watson

Editorial assistant Frankie Faccion

Journalists

Sally Gillen, Emily Jenkins & Sarah Thompson

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e: educate@neu.org.uk

Design & subbing Amanda Ellis

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WELCOME to the last edition of Educate before you take a wellearned summer break.

There’s plenty to celebrate in these pages, starting with a big win for our Free School Meals for All campaign. Thanks to your campaigning, another 500,000+ children in England will be eligible for a hot, healthy meal from September 2026 (see page 9). The union’s aim is that every primary school pupil will be entitled to a free school meal and, although we’re not quite there, what the government announced in June is a step in the right direction.

The same could be said of the appointment of Dame Christine Gilbert as the new chair of Ofsted (see page 9). Her forensic analysis of the way this toxic inspectorate operates, published in September 2024 after the suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry, gives hope that someone with a deep insight into what has gone wrong at Ofsted is now at the helm. Let’s hope Dame Christine makes her presence felt soon.

Inspection has also hit the headlines in Northern Ireland, though for less positive reasons, with an astonishing attempt to change the law so that teachers who don’t comply with inspections could be fined up to £2,500 – and criminalised into the bargain (see page 9).

But let’s get back to the good stuff. Our class act is a teacher who has transformed the take-up of modern foreign languages at her school (see page 37), and in Leicester, members are banding together with parents and children to save more than a dozen local libraries (see page 12). Small but mighty groups of members are continuing to fight back against attempts to reduce their terms and conditions and you can read about them in the news pages.

Pay is a part of some of these local disputes and nationally a fair and fully funded pay rise for members remains high on the NEU’s agenda (see page 7). Your show of strength helped push the offer to four per cent. With your backing, the union stands ready to write to the government to tell them that nothing short of a fully funded pay award is acceptable. That’s a fight the union will take up for you over the summer and beyond, if necessary.

For now, enjoy the summer sunshine (hopefully) and the stories shared in this issue.

See you in September.

Max Watson Editor, Educate

The rest is history

The UK’s first Pride march takes place in London, organised by the Gay Liberation Front and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. Around 2,000 people attend, marking the beginning of a tradition of LGBT+ activism in the UK. The date is chosen as the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969 – a series of protests sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York. Today, Pride marches are held annually in major cities across the country.

26 ‘Our community has gone now’ School closures due to a fall in pupil numbers hit families and educators (right).

The question of AI Will it save educators time or could it deskill and demoralise

profession?

Building a love for languages Meet Neetu,our class act, who has transformed the take-up of modern foreign languages at her school (below).

PHOTO by Kois Miah

PHOTO by Kois Miah

THRONGS of NEU members joined other trade unionists and welfare campaigners on an anti-austerity march on 7 June, calling on the government to end cuts to public services.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede was among the speakers at the rally outside Whitehall, joined by MPs including Labour’s Diane Abbott. The ‘No to austerity 2.0’ demonstration, which was organised by the People’s Assembly, also called for an end to welfare cuts.

PHOTOS by Lee Thomas

Members strike at Goodwin Academy to protect jobs

TWO days of strike action have been taken by members at Goodwin Academy in Kent over plans to make support staff and teachers redundant.

The Thinking School Academy Trust (TSAT), which runs the school in Deal, says a falling pupil roll means it needs fewer staff. September’s year 7 intake has fallen from 180 to 120 pupils. But members argue the trust continues to pay senior managers high salaries and “top slices” too much from its budget.

The trust’s initial refusal to negotiate forced five of the affected teachers to take up new jobs, while four cover supervisors have agreed to reduced hours to stay on at the school.

As Educate went to press, five more strike days in June had been suspended while negotiations took place to save three learning support assistant roles.

Jay Cleary, NEU rep at Goodwin, said: “Constructive talks took place as a result of our action and we are hopeful of a positive outcome to the dispute.”

0.4% budget ‘boost’ for schools

FUNDING for schools will rise by £4.7 billion between 2026/27 and 2028/29, but will still be much lower than it was 15 years ago, the NEU has warned.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a boost to the core schools’ budget – up from £64.8bn in 2025/6 to £69.5bn in 2028/29 – in her spending review on 11 June.

But NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said that while it represented the first increase in schools’ spending power since 2019, funding was significantly lower than it was in 2010.

“We are concerned this may not be enough to fix some of the fundamental problems facing schools,” he said. “Primary class sizes are the highest in Europe and secondary class sizes are the highest since records began. More than a million pupils are taught in classes larger than 30.”

Daniel added that the education system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was “broken” and needed

extra funding. And the teacher recruitment crisis was a consequence of having to work “too hard for too little pay”. He did, however, welcome £2bn of capital funding to help repair the country’s crumbling schools.

While the rise in the core schools’ budget looks significant, it includes money for commitments including teacher pay, reforming SEND and £410 million to expand free school meals eligibility for 500,000+ children from September 2026.

The average school budget will only increase by 0.4 per cent in real terms and they won’t start to benefit from any extra money until 2026/27. Most schools will still face cuts next year.

Teacher takeover?

Fighting back against AI tools that reduce your job satisfaction. Read our checklist and guidance at neu.org.uk/about-ai

Members polled on pay shortfall

THE union was carrying out an electronic poll asking members to agree action to step up the campaign on funding and pay, as Educate went to press.

The week-long poll (21-27 June) was launched after the NEU’s national executive described the government’s partially funded offer as “wholly inadequate”.

Members were asked to agree plans for the NEU to write to the education secretary registering a formal dispute and to launch and pursue a political campaign into the autumn term to secure additional funding.

Action by members pushed the government to increase its original belowinflation award of 2.8 per cent and to agree the above-inflation four per cent recommended by the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Schools left to ‘find’ £600m

But the pay award has not been fully funded and, despite an additional £615 million from government, there is still a shortfall of £630m.

It is estimated the majority of schools will have to find at least one per cent from their existing budget to plug the gap, cuts equivalent to 5,700 teachers and 6,700 support staff.

Forced to cut staff and resources

One in seven schools is in deficit, according to 2024 government data – the highest number since at least 2010 – and school leaders will be forced to cut staff and resources if they do not receive all the funding needed for the pay award.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “Any pay award that is not fully funded is unacceptable. Even with the slight increase to the core schools’ budget announced this week [11 June], schools are struggling to make ends meet and certainly not able to stump up money to meet salary shortfalls.”

‘Teachers must get pay they deserve’

Daniel added: “The NEU will be making it clear to government through political campaigning that this is an unacceptable situation. Teachers must get the pay they deserve, and schools must be funded sufficiently to pay for it.”

Per-pupil funding at lowest level since 2010

SCHOOLS will have

£630 million less funding in real terms in the next academic year – equivalent to the salaries of 12,400 educators – new research from the School Cuts coalition shows.

Analysis by the coalition found that while school costs will increase by 4.1 per cent in 2025/26, school funding will only rise by 3.4 per cent.

Per-pupil funding is at its lowest level in England since 2010, and every local authority will be impacted. The worst hit will be Hammersmith and Fulham, in west London, which will lose 1.9 per cent per pupil.

Teacher pay is more than half of school costs – 52 per cent – and the government decision not to fully fund the four per cent

pay rise for teachers will hit schools hard.

The School Teachers’ Review Body recommended the above-inflation rise but the government will only fund three per cent of it. Schools are being expected to find the other one per cent.

School leaders are warning that after 14 years of austerity there is no money left in their squeezed budgets.

The coalition says 75 per cent of primary schools and 92 per cent of secondaries will be forced to make cuts.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “Schools have been battered by over a decade of declining budgets. They simply cannot take more cuts. Education is meant to be one of the key priorities for government, but this move risks scuppering their ambition to recruit more teachers.”

n Visit schoolcuts.org.uk

London supply teacher register

THE NEU’s national campaign for supply teacher registers is gaining ground in the capital. The London supply and home educators’ organising forum is approaching councils to discuss a city-wide supply register, allowing schools to hire qualified supply teachers directly, instead of paying huge sums to rip-off agencies.

The NEU is calling on the government to regulate supply teachers’ pay and conditions, and wants local authorities and trusts to set up their own registers, with contracts that meet national pay standards and provide access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Forum member Peter Burgess said councils were responding positively: “We’re pushing at an open door. Nobody wants to see public money going to private profit. That money should be going directly to schools.”

n To join the campaign, contact your branch at neu.org.uk/district-branch-finder

Welcoming refugee children in your class

A SPECIAL screening in preparation for Refugee Week and Windrush Day explored the power of film when teaching themes of migration and displacement.

NEU members were invited to the Open Doors event on 14 June, which was organised with the film department at Queen Mary University, London and the School of Global Studies at Sussex University.

After watching three short films, members heard from educators and film producers, including Bafta-nominated Dr Yasmin Fedda who said: “Films are really useful to make migration real.”

The NEU used the Open Doors event to launch its latest resource to help teachers welcome refugee children, Open Hearts, Open Classrooms, which includes a poster and booklet.

June saw several events on the community calendar – Gypsy (Romani), Roma and Traveller History Month, Refugee Week and Windrush Day on 22 June.

The NEU has highlighted how there remain parallels today with 1948 when Commonwealth citizens arrived on the Empire Windrush to fill labour shortages and were welcomed with racism and ill treatment.

In 2025, Caribbean teachers are being recruited to solve a recruitment and retention crisis and are being exploited on ‘unqualified’ teacher salaries, often facing bullying and unfair treatment.

n See overseastrained teachers story on page 20

n Visit neu. org.uk/harriseducators

n Download Open Hearts, Open Classrooms resources at neu.org.uk/ open-hearts-open-classrooms

Members strike at 14 Outwood schools over plan for longer day

MEMBERS employed at 14 schools run by Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) have taken four days of strike action over plans to make the school day longer.

The trust, which has 41 academies across the north of England, wants to extend teaching time at its 28 secondary schools by 30 minutes.

The school day runs from 8.25am to 2.30pm, with a 15-minute break in the morning and a 30-minute lunch break. The change would mean a 3pm finish.

Staff argue that if the day is extended, the extra time should be used to give staff and students an hour-long lunch break, rather than adding in more teaching time.

“Teaching staff have told me the short lunch break means there is not even enough time to go to the toilet,” said Debbie Kahler, district secretary for NEU Wakefield. “Increasing it would allow children to speak to each other, play football or eat their dinner in a calm and relaxed manner.”

She said the NEU had asked OGAT to

pause the proposal until January so a proper discussion could take place, but the trust was “intent on steamrolling it through”.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede visited members on the picket line at Outwood Grange Hemsworth, in Wakefield, on 10 June to offer support and solidarity.

A further ten days of action were planned for the last three weeks of the summer term as Educate went to press.

Honorary NEU member Dougie the dog on the Outwood picket line

Staff took action over OGAT’s proposals to extend the school day by 30 minutes

‘Invaluable’ source of NEU knowledge Meeting in May discussed what retired members do for the union and pensions justice for older women. neu.org.uk/pensions

500,000+ extra FSM ‘a welcome first step’

MORE than 500,000 more children across England will be eligible for free school meals (FSM) after the union’s campaigning pressured the government to expand the programme for all children in households receiving universal credit.

The government has described the change, which will be introduced in September 2026, as “a historic moment”. It claims the policy will save parents £500 a year, lifting 100,000 children out of poverty.

This win for some of England’s poorest children is a direct result of every action taken by NEU members, from sharing posts online and signing our petition, to writing to your local MP. Together, we built the pressure that made the government listen and act.

Since 2018, only children in households with incomes less than £7,400 per year have qualified for FSM. This restriction, introduced by the Conservative government, meant that hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty were going hungry each day.

Next step: FSM for all primary pupils

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said the expansion was a welcome “first step” but called on the government to do more: “The ongoing

NI plans £2,500 inspection fine

NEU Northern Ireland (NI) has promised to fight any attempts to introduce “fear-based compliance” after the government of NI announced plans to fine teachers up to £2,500 if they refuse to co-operate with inspections.

NI regional secretary Pauline Buchanan said: “While accountability and school improvement are vital, the proposals are vague and risk opening the door to punitive measures.”

The proposal is one of several in the Strengthening Inspection Legislation consultation. The NEU is encouraging NI members to respond individually to the consultation, which closes on 10 July, to ensure their voices are heard and professional integrity protected. The NEU will submit a response opposing any move that lacks basic safeguards and undermines teachers’ rights.

n Visit tinyurl.com/NI-inspect

cost-of-living crisis means many children in families who just miss out on being eligible for universal credit will also miss out on a hot, healthy school meal. Ensuring that a free school meal is available to all children is the next urgent step that must be taken.”

The government said the decision to expand the programme was a “key milestone” in the plan to tackle child poverty. The child poverty taskforce, co-chaired by education

secretary Bridget Phillipson and work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, is due to publish a ten-year strategy in the autumn.

The NEU is continuing to campaign for FSM for every primary school child in England. Add your name to our open letter, which will be handed to the prime minister in the autumn term.

n Visit freeschoolmealsforall.org.uk/ take-action

‘Reckless’ Ofsted must slow down and be transparent

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede has welcomed education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s “constructive decision” to appoint Dame Christine Gilbert as the new chair of Ofsted.

Daniel said Dame Christine’s independent learning review into Ofsted, published in September 2024, had highlighted the acute stress caused by inspections: “Given her damning report about Ofsted’s defensiveness and intransigence, Dame Christine’s appointment is a significant step.”

He added that if Ofsted continued to plough on with plans to introduce a new inspection system from November, it would drive a sense of panic.

“Ofsted chief inspector Martyn Oliver needs to slow down and be transparent about what the consultation has shown. Imposing a new model on the profession and failing to offer adequate time to digest what is now

required is simply unfair. With teacher and leader retention still at such challenging levels, this is reckless.”

The NEU is calling for a delay to school inspection reforms until September 2026 and proper consultation to get change right.

by Rehan Jamil

Delay Ofsted system: write to your MP Ofsted’s proposals will make an unreliable, unnecessarily high-stakes system worse, not better. The NEU is asking members to write to their MP, urging them to call on the education secretary to delay the rollout of Ofsted’s proposed reforms and work with the profession to create a system that is supportive, effective and fair.

n Visit abolish-ofsted.neuaction.io

Singer-songwriter Joy Crookes (left) joined children, educators, councillors, faith leaders and celebrities at a free school meals campaign picnic at Westminster last July

PHOTO

Communication & Performance

Qualifications that support:

Oracy

Mental

Parental

Confidence in school

Academic development

SEND learners

I salute you; together we’ve achieved so much

As the academic year draws to a close, NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede reflects on what your union has achieved this year.

WITH so many issues to tackle in the profession and campaigns to fight, you sometimes forget to take stock of what the union has done and, standing together, the gains we have made for members.

First, there’s the big stuff. In the summer spending review, chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her funding plans for schools through to 2029. In it, she committed the government to increase the core schools’ budget by £4.7 billion, with a further £2bn increase in capital funding to build, refurbish and maintain school buildings.

There is no doubt in my mind that your campaigning was key to winning this extra money. You made the government sit up and listen, with the letters you sent, the leaflets you delivered and the posters you displayed. And your vote delivered a clear mandate for action in our indicative ballot earlier this year.

With the sheer depth of the funding crisis in our schools, it is already clear this money won’t be enough to protect schools from further cuts. Our union’s immediate aim is to ensure that cuts to school budgets come to an end and that staff receive reasonable pay rises. Our ambition is to restore school spending to where we were in 2010, and to bring levels in line with the average among countries within the OECD, which is five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

So we will be ramping up the pressure in the autumn term to make sure that every single politician knows how important it is that schools get the money they need.

Your action secured school meals win

The chancellor also confirmed the government will now provide free school meals to 500,000+ more pupils by raising the eligibility threshold to include those whose families receive universal credit.

This success is a direct result of every action taken by NEU members and the public – from sharing social media posts and signing our petition, to writing to your local MP.

Together, we built the pressure that made the government listen and act.

That said, while this change is important, there are still too many families facing hardship. A free, hot, healthy school dinner for every child every day is the true solution –with no exceptions. We’ll keep going until our classrooms are free from hunger.

Tackling unfair practice

It’s not just wins with national government that make me super proud. We have had a bumper year of disputes this academic year, and we’ve trained more workplace reps than ever before.

Sixth form members took action on pay and funding in colleges and are balloting to put pressure on the Sixth Form Colleges Association for an above-inflation rise in September.

NEU members at 18 Harris Federation academies stood by overseas-trained teacher colleagues to win the right to be paid the same as their UK-trained colleagues.

At Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), our members are striking over plans to extend the school day by 30 minutes, which will increase staff workload and negatively impact their wellbeing.

And at Dunraven Educational Trust, our members’ action won an average £10,000 more than the nationally agreed Burgundy Book rate of maternity pay.

I salute every single one of our members fighting to make their school or college a better place to work.

Great work, but still much to fight for

On top of these wins, the union is challenging racism and sexism in the classroom, lobbying the government on curriculum and assessment, and campaigning for Ofsted reform and an inspection system that is supportive, effective and fair.

We launched our Arts and Minds campaign, focusing on every child’s right to a comprehensive arts education.

We formed Educators Against the Far Right, demonstrating against the racist Tommy Robinson and countering the bigoted bile being spread in some of our communities.

We stood up for women and girls, with our It’s Not OK training, aiming to tackle the Andrew Tate-inspired misogyny rearing its ugly head in the classroom.

And we produced a fantastic set of Maternity Matters resources, which offer support for members who are pregnant, on maternity leave, or returning to work after their baby is born.

Nationally and locally, on the picket line and in our classrooms, you have worked your socks off and achieved so much.

Have a restful summer break. You deserve it. Because, in the autumn term, we go again.

Daniel speaking at the anti-austerity march in London on 7 June

PHOTO by Lee Thomas

15 Leicester libraries facing cuts

MEMBERS in Leicester have joined forces with parents and children to campaign against council plans to close libraries and defund others.

Leicester NEU has leafleted and organised rallies, including a bedtime story rally outside a primary school where children listened to a local author read from her book, to protest proposals affecting 15 of the city’s 17 councilrun libraries.

Leicester City Council has said it must save £2.1 million after more than a decade of central government funding cuts.

Two libraries will become community managed libraries (CMLs) – members believe this is a first step towards closure – and staffing and opening hours at the other 13 will be significantly reduced.

Minaz Shaffi, NEU joint district secretary of Leicester district, said: “The two

libraries earmarked for CML or closure are the only places within their locality which are a community space. The impact of the removal of these neutral public spaces will be huge.”

Sylvia McNeil, an NEU rep at Moat Community College in Leicester, added: “Library users come from across the city and have a diverse range of backgrounds that reflect the city of Leicester. Libraries

are magical places for young readers and a safe haven for stressed parents. They provide internet access, information, newspapers and a warm space in winter. It would only cost £150,000 to keep my local library open, be staffed by professionals and be full of lovely books for future generations. If we lose it now, it will be gone forever.”

The consultation closed on 29 June.

NEU wary of government guidance on AI in the classroom

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is by no means a “quick fix” to the huge problems in education, the NEU has warned after the Department for Education (DfE) published its first guidance on using it in schools.

Tasks such as marking and writing letters can be done by AI, says the guidance developed with the Chiltern Learning Trust and the Chartered College of Teaching,

allowing teachers more time in the classroom.

The DfE sets out how schools can use AI safely and effectively to “transform the classroom experience for students”. But the NEU has sounded a note of caution, saying the guidance recognises that the continued unreliability of AI is a risk.

The union believes educators need much more time and support to develop knowledge,

understanding and the ability to critically evaluate AI tools, and schools need more investment in IT infrastructure.

A DfE statement said: “AI should be used to ensure learning remains teacherled, and teachers should verify accuracy and protect personal data.”

n See AI feature on pages 31-35. The guidance is available at tinyurl.com/using-AI-education

New curriculum aims to break down gender stereotypes

CHARITY Lifting

Limits, now part of The Children’s Society, is inviting 40 primary schools to deliver a new curriculum it has developed to break down gender stereotypes.

Beyond Gender Stereotypes (BGS) 2025-26, which is designed to empower children to build healthy relationships and

ways of expressing emotions and know they are free to pursue any interests or careers, will be rolled out nationally in autumn 2026.

Schools that sign up to deliver from January 2026 will receive lesson plans, selfguided training for key stage 2 (KS2) teachers and leaders, classroom resources and slides, and guidance for engaging with parents and carers.

BGS was evaluated in 2024, with more than 3,000 KS2 children in England. It was found to give pupils a better understanding of what gender stereotypes are and how they affect people. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early interest is encouraged.

n Email BGS@ childrenssociety. org.uk

Young campaigners protesting against the proposed library cuts in Leicester PHOTO by Sophie Patel

Know your rights as a disabled educator

Help your employer support you at work by using the reasonable adjustments passport at neu.org.uk/disability-passport

NEU stands firm on disability equality

DISABILITY equality isn’t a dream. It’s a right. That message rang loud and clear from the NEU delegation at this year’s TUC disabled workers’ conference in Bournemouth (3-4 June).

More than 250 disabled trade unionists came together, including 17 NEU members, to challenge the government’s damaging benefit cuts. NEU executive disabled members’ seat holder, Colleen Johnson, chaired a powerful opening session with minister of state for social security and disability Sir Stephen Timms, who faced tough questioning, including: “Why go after disabled people, not the super-rich tax avoiders?”

Delegates exposed the real-life consequences of cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the threat to Access to Work schemes. One educator described the system’s failure to provide essential workplace equipment: “Funding delays meant I taught for months, in pain, without my specialist chair. The system failed to provide basic workplace accessibility, creating unnecessary barriers to doing my job effectively.”

Throughout the conference, the social model of disability guided the conversation. Delegates shared how new school buildings

remain inaccessible, how AI risks embedding discrimination and how transport ticket office closures isolate disabled people.

Alarming statistics in the Disability Inclusion at Work report by consultancy firm Deloitte revealed that nearly 40 per cent of disabled workers experience bullying or harassment. But behind every statistic is a person. Reasonable adjustments, from screen readers to flexible hours, can make the difference between inclusion and exclusion.

As we marked 30 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was introduced, the mood was defiant. Support for the #TakingThePIP campaign showed trade union solidarity in action.

For members, the task is straightforward: fight discrimination, fund accessibility and champion our disabled colleagues. Disability equality isn’t up for negotiation – it’s a right we’ll never stop fighting for.

By Stephen Beck, Warwickshire NEU district officer

‘Dedicated to making a real difference’

conference in Manchester in June, I arrived feeling apprehensive, not knowing what the weekend would hold. But 48 hours later, I’d made new connections, had amazing conversations and strengthened my understanding of what the NEU does

The weekend started with a new members’ meeting, where we discussed our strength and courage at work, which resonated with our personal journeys and the broader fight.

During the conference, we heard speeches by activists and members. A key takeaway was that we should be proud – we

are stronger together and need to stop apologising for being ourselves.

I gained an understanding of the importance of using the social model of disability and of the language we use. A powerful session led by NEU executive disabled members’ seat holder Colleen Johnson was followed by a discussion about disability leave and our experiences.

A highlight for me was a workshop on invisible impairments and asserting our rights. We learnt about the NEU’s reasonable adjustments disability passport, and discussed the challenges of non-apparent impairments and the need for a cultural shift in our workplaces.

I left feeling connected to a community dedicated to making a real difference, and with a wealth of resources to use and share with other members. n Visit neu.org.uk/disability

NEU members at the TUC conference

PHOTO by Jess Hurd

A delegate at the conference

PHOTO by Kois Miah

Strike over fire-and-rehire threat to TPS News

4,500 college members balloted over SFCA pay award

MORE than 4,500 members across 75 colleges are being balloted over the 2025/26 pay award, with a formal ballot to follow in the autumn term if the claim is not met by the employer body, the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA).

As Educate went to press, negotiators were due to meet the SFCA to discuss the claim on 2 July.

It calls for an above-inflation pay rise that constitutes a meaningful step towards real-terms pay restoration; an equivalent to planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time in colleges; and limits on contact hours and class sizes.

While sixth form funding has improved for 2025/26, and education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced a further £190 million for 16-19 education, there have been significant funding cuts affecting pay since 2010.

Whatever the outcome of this dispute, it is critical that the government reverses the attitude of the past decade to 16-19 education and begins to restore funding to the sector.

By Phil Child, NEU national official, FE and sixth form colleges

NEU members at an independent school are celebrating after strike action (pictured above) – the first in the school’s 72-year history –resulted in them remaining in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) for a further two years at least.

The six days of action at St Clare’s School, in Oxford, in May and June followed proposals by governors to remove the TPS, which

they said was too expensive, and introduce a defined contribution scheme.

They had threatened to force through the change using the controversial fire and rehire practice, sacking staff who refuse to sign a new contract and hiring them on inferior terms.

Sarah Jinks, NEU joint rep, said the victory had brought “a welcome sense of relief and some breathing space” after a difficult year. But she added that they were ready for further action in the future.

SUPPORT staff members (pictured left) at a secondary academy have won better pay and holiday entitlement after balloting for strike action. Action by members at Littlehampton Academy in West Sussex will also benefit the other five schools that are part of the Woodard Academies Trust.

In an overwhelming show of unity, 96 per cent of members voted Yes to strike action on an impressive 89 per cent turnout.

The trust then agreed to implement changes, including an increase in pay for all staff on term-time-only contracts; pay increases backdated to April (not September); 28 days’ holiday for whole-year staff with under five years’ service, and 33 days’ holiday for whole-year staff with over five years’ service.

NEU rep Richard Smith said: “The solidarity, bravery and collective strength of the support staff at Littlehampton has changed the policy across the trust.”

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede joinied a march for the children of Ukraine to mark International Children’s Day on 1 June.

Speaking at the rally in London, Daniel said the war in Ukraine had taken a terrible toll on the country’s children. Since the invasion by Russia in 2022, hundreds of civilians had been killed and maimed, and infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, destroyed, he said. “As in all wars, it is the children of Ukraine who suffer the most.” They were having to learn online to avoid attacks, unable to see their friends and teachers, while others were in underground schools, rarely seeing daylight.

Calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, he added: “This is not a childhood any of us would want for our own children and it is not a childhood Ukrainian children should have to endure.”

PHOTOS by Jess Hurd

‘Major win’ for Zane’s Law campaign

THE parents of a sevenyear-old boy who died when poison-polluted water flooded their Surrey home hope their campaign to change the law has moved a step further following a parliamentary summit on 11 June.

Since Zane died in 2014, Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler have taken on the authorities to call for an independent inquiry and to change the law so that all contaminated land is publicly registered – Zane’s Law.

Kye said he was encouraged that environment secretary Steve Reed had agreed to speak at the summit, held in the House of Lords. “To have a secretary of state at such an event is a major win,” said Kye, who was left paralysed after the flooding.

The summit was held with other campaigners, who have joined forces as the UK Landfills Campaign, and several trade unions, including the NEU.

Kye had special thanks for NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede and for the union’s

members who have supported the campaign: “It was quite an honour for us to be given the NEU’s prestigious Fred and Anne

Jarvis award.” Kye and Nicole received the award, which they dedicated to Zane, at this year’s annual conference in recognition

Curriculum review highlights SEND and EBacc issues

SOME initial findings by experts reviewing the curriculum and system of assessment in schools have been welcomed by the NEU.

But it urges members of the government’s curriculum and assessment review (CAR), led by Professor Becky Francis, to collaborate closely with the teaching profession as it moves forward with its work.

The CAR panel’s interim report, released earlier this year, describes the curriculum to age 16 as “reasonably broad and balanced” and says that many aspects are “working well”, but it also identifies areas in need of improvement.

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) make less progress than their peers, the report says, and

the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) reduces students’ choice, limiting access to vocational and arts subjects.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede welcomed some of the key findings, but added: “We hope the CAR team will not miss the opportunity to make recommendations that create genuine improvements.”

n Read the interim curriculum and assessment review report at tinyurl.com/review-interim

n On 8 July, campaign group More Than A Score, which has written to the CAR panel calling for reform of SATs, will take school leaders to Westminster to talk to MPs about the need to change such high-pressure assessments in primary schools.

Visit morethanascore.org.uk

of their continuing fight for truth and justice.

n Find out more at zaneslaw. co.uk and truthaboutzane.com

Pay scale reform for Wales

NEU Cymru’s campaign for a single sixpoint pay scale to replace the existing main and upper pay scales system in Wales has won a significant milestone.

At the moment teachers have to apply to their heads to cross from the main to the upper scale, which the union describes as “an unjustified block to progression”, especially as many members have been denied permission.

But last month, the Wales cabinet secretary for education, Lynne Neagle, said she intended to remove this requirement from September.

NEU interim Wales secretary Nicola Fitzpatrick said that while this was a “huge win”, the union would continue to call for the single-scale system.

(Above, from left) Kye, Nicole and Steve Reed at the summit

PHOTO by Mark Thomas (Inset, left) Zane Gbangbola

Splat the SATs and have a chat

NON-alcoholic ‘Pimms’ and games of Splat the SATs and MATs have been on offer from West Sussex district as they tour village and town fairs in the county.

Members and officers have met parents, NEU members and other teachers to talk about issues in education including the national pay ballot and the pending takeover of some of the University of Brighton Academies Trust schools by Hurst Education Trust (HET).

Yasmine Talebian, West Sussex assistant

SCHOOLS are invited to join a world record attempt for the largest “cultural awareness” lesson in 24 hours to celebrate this year’s World Afro Day (WAD). The virtual lesson for primary and secondary pupils, which will look at Afro hair, culture, history identity and the law, is on 15 September.

WAD is campaigning for the UK parliament to “fix the law, not our hair” and update the 2010 Equality Act to end discrimination against Afro hair in schools and in the workplace. Secondary students are encouraged to write to prime minister Keir Starmer asking him to support the law change, while a template will be available for primary pupils to send petition letters. Students can also design posters supporting the campaign. Letters, petitions or artwork should be sent to 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA before 15 September. n Visit worldafroday.com

district and branch secretary, who made the ‘Pimms’, said: “What was really exciting was the number of parents and independent members who came to talk about their concerns about HET. Our West Sussex independent officer, Natasha Witham, was on hand to present them with contact details and ideas around future networking opportunities.”

Yasmine recommended the summer tour activity to other branches in rural areas as a successful way of recruiting new members and getting people involved with local issues.

LGBT+ weekender in Llandudno

LGBT+ members from NEU Cymru came together in Llandudno, north Wales, for the second LGBT+ educators’ weekender – an uplifting event where we connected, reflected and planned for action. Members led thoughtful and energising workshops on inclusive classroom practice, building networks for change, and the power of being your authentic self at work. Discussions were honest, moving and inspiring. Everyone left feeling recharged and ready to keep pushing for change. At a time when being part of the LGBT+ community can feel increasingly difficult or politicised, spaces like this are more important than ever. They remind us of the power of coming together – and the courage it takes to be visible.

If you’re an LGBT+ member, contact your district secretary or LGBT+ officer to find out how you can get involved. By Scott Roberts (he/him), Swansea and George Holland (he/him), Denbighshire

(From left) Academies officer Dave Thomas with assistant district and branch secretaries Yasmine Talebian and Tim Chitty on their stall at Lindfield village fair

‘Not teaching, just delivering a script’

MORE than 1,600 NEU teacher members have shared their experiences of using standardised curriculum packages (SCPs), with many reporting a loss in professional autonomy, job satisfaction and self-efficacy.

NEU-commissioned research Are you on slide 8 yet? explores the impact of SCPs –defined by the researchers as units/schemes of work, programmes or packages that are ready for teachers to follow in teaching – on teacher professionalism.

The union’s general secretary Daniel Kebede said teachers’ accounts were “exceptionally worrying”.

90% of primary teachers use SCPs

Researchers at Nottingham University and Goldsmiths, University of London, who surveyed 1,655 members and interviewed 41 teachers in depth, say SCPs have been driven by government initiatives and priorities, and are growing rapidly.

They found SCPs were used in some form by 90 per cent of primary school teachers and 54 per cent of secondary teachers. More than a third (34 per cent) of teachers said they had little or no influence on the content of individual lesson plans and some felt that by using SCPs they were delivering second-rate lessons.

The researchers say their findings cast serious doubt on claims SCPs are a “quick fix” to reduce workload and retain teachers.

Co-author Howard Stevenson, professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Nottingham, who launched the report at the NEU’s annual conference in Harrogate in April, said: “Workload is a really complex issue and what some teachers resented was having work they valued taken away from them – such as the ability to plan and craft their own lessons – while work they didn’t value, often related to accountability demands, was being imposed on them.”

The research also found that the requirement at some schools for teachers to use a specific set of PowerPoint slides for every lesson is the biggest challenge to teacher autonomy. One teacher said: “We do not teach a single lesson now without slides…

“Work they valued, such as the ability to plan and craft their own lessons, was taken away.”

Professor Stevenson

for one of our lessons we might have 20 to 30 slides. It’s ridiculous.”

Another commented: “We are no longer teachers because we are no longer teaching lessons that we have ownership of. We are just delivering.”

Sticking to the script

Others reported having to follow precise instructions on delivering lessons, following scripts in some cases, and being reprimanded if they deviated from the prescribed content.

Some found “creative and flexible” ways to use SCPs. Many, however, said they were expected to stick to it rigidly so the school could easily demonstrate progress for external assessments, such as Ofsted inspections. Most

teachers surveyed – 52 per cent in primary and 67 per cent in secondary – said external assessments had a lot of influence over the content of lessons.

“Several teachers discussed the need schools have to demonstrate progress is being made,” said Professor Stevenson. “For many, following these packages acts as a sort of security that schools fall back on to be able to prove they are meeting the requirements of the accountability agenda.”

£43m government money spent on Oak Professor Stevenson went on to discuss the low take-up of the Oak National Academy SCPs. Oak emerged when teaching and learning moved online in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government then funded it with £43 million of public money between 2022/23 and 2024/25.

Post-Covid, its aim is to increase system resilience by providing materials that can be used as a back-up when there is no subject specialist, or if there is another pandemic.

However, just over three per cent of teachers surveyed said they used Oak, and most used it only occasionally. “Therefore, we question whether Oak is good value for money,” said Professor Stevenson.

Teachers using SCPs also repeatedly expressed concerns that they are not suitable for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and that they fail to sufficiently engage or challenge students.

Daniel said tackling attempts to undermine and dilute the role of teachers was as essential as reforming the curriculum.

“No one size can ever fit all, and it is the teachers on the ground, if properly empowered and given high-quality training and development, who are best placed to create and interpret an appropriate, relevant and engaging curriculum for the students in front of them,” he said.

n Visit neu.org.

uk/slide-8

News in brief

Overseas-trained teachers gather for day of solidarity

MORE than 150 overseas-trained teachers (OTTs) joined in a day of discussion, information and solidarity held at NEU HQ, Hamilton House in London, in May. Often recruited from overseas by agencies and multiacademy trusts (MATs), OTTs’ salaries may be as much as £10,000 less than their UK-trained counterparts. Many schools fail to provide any induction, training or financial support when teachers arrive, and OTTs can wait years before their qualifications are recognised.

Denise Henry, NEU executive Black members’ seat holder, said: “For too long, OTTs have faced systemic barriers with little visibility. This gathering gave space for educators to connect, share

their lived experiences and receive practical, legal and emotional support.”

‘Huge

picket line’ secures win in Brent over absence policy

AFTER three days of strike action, NEU members at The Village School in northwest London won a dispute over a new absence policy that limited time off for health appointments to three hours.

More than 100 members of staff, two thirds of them support staff, took three of six days of action after Compass Learning Partnership, which runs the school for pupils with complex needs, changed the policy without warning.

The school said staff would have pay deducted if appointments, including those for antenatal care and hospital visits, exceeded the time limit.

Six days of strike action as Yateley members ‘left with no choice’

MEMBERS at independent Yateley Manor School, in Hampshire, took six days of strike action in June over pensions.

Inspired Learning Group, which runs 22 independent schools and nine nurseries, announced plans to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), claiming it is unaffordable. Staff who refused to agree to the new terms were threatened with fire and rehire.

The school’s fees have increased by 88 per cent over the last 14 years, while teachers’ salaries have risen by only 12 per cent and there is currently a pay freeze.

“We were left with no choice – our actions are just and fair,” said joint NEU rep Bruno Santino. “The blatant disregard for what teachers do has had a massive impact, not only on our finances, but also on our mental health. We feel as replaceable as the classroom furniture.”

Jenny Cooper, NEU Brent district secretary and a rep at the school, said: “I have never been at such a huge picket line before. When the employer sees such a large number of members turning out, it knows it cannot win.”

Support staff strategy day

BACKDATED pay, inner London pay and dealing with physical and verbal attacks were on the agenda at a support staff strategy day.

We were joined by Vikki Franks, a support staff member and lead rep for the Inspire Learning Trust, who spoke about building for action (and winning) on support staff issues (Educate, May/ June, page 9). We ended the day agreeing on core actions to take before our next support staff strategy day in July.

By Phil Lindsey,

assistant secretary, Newham NEU

Does your school have asbestos?

Have your say

DO you want to share your experiences of working in a school with asbestos?

The NEU is supporting journalist Steve Boggan to gather anonymous testimonies, which will be used to pressure the government and the Health and Safety Executive to remove, not just manage, asbestos from schools. Only NEU members are eligible to take part.

n If your school has asbestos, complete the short survey at tinyurl.com/NEU-asbestos n Most pre-2000 schools have asbestos – find out more at neu.org.uk/asbestos-schools

The many benefits of play

PLAY in early years supports cognitive, social and emotional growth, according to a report co-signed by the NEU.

Play Matters brings together research on the importance of play, at a time when there has been a shift towards more formal learning in early years in the UK, England especially. Child-led play, for example, builds trust and emotional security, says the report, which provides practical resources to help early years professionals integrate it into children’s lives.

The union is urging early and primary years members to read and share the document. In the foreword, author Michael Rosen describes play as “trial and error, without the fear of failure”.

n Visit early-years-reviews.com/play-matters

NEU members on the picket line, taking action over the threat of fire and rehire at Yateley Manor in Hampshire

Stranger danger

A major speech has spoken of great dangers: we’re becoming, it said, an island of strangers. We’ve got to address this in a great hurry because there’s something becoming a big worry.

One reason why the UK’s becoming weak can be found, they say, in how people speak. Millions are out and about, meeting, walking, but – alert! – it’s not English they’re talking.

Apparently this behaviour is extremely wrong, even though, as teachers know, it isn’t long –usually a matter of just one generation children at school learn English in education.

So can we assume that something’s been planned? Provision of English teaching’s going to expand? The classes that were cut because of ‘austerity’ will now be restored to herald in prosperity?

Words by Michael Rosen Illustration by Dan Berry

“As a teacher, this has been the most difficult term I’ve ever experienced. Schools are at crisis point.”

Xarius, London

George Barnicott is a physics teacher in Devon. In April, he ran the London Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Representing on picket lines and finishing lines

What do you love about your job?

That every day is different. Even if you’re teaching the same lesson, something will always pop up that’ll make it special. I love the actual teaching most.

However frustrating the endless meetings, the lack of funding and the crazy timetables are, being in front of a class is why we do it.  Then after all that, I love my colleagues as well. Whatever has gone on in the day, being supported by the people you work with is an absolute treat.

What do you love about being in the union?

Sometimes the job feels like you’re just shouting into the void. But being part of the union, and a school rep and secondary lead rep for Education South West multi-academy trust (MAT), I know there’s an outlet for our voices to be heard.

Not only on the large-scale battles we’ve won over pay and conditions, but also on smaller things such as paternity pay parity across our MAT. I’ve been a physics teacher since 2011, after a career change. I used to be a civil engineer. I became a rep in 2022, and our school held its first ever picket line, which was organised by me, in 2023’s strike action.

What have you been up to lately?

In April, I ran the London Marathon in four hours and three minutes and have raised £3,697 – my target was £2,500 – for the British Heart Foundation.

In 2015 I had a rare type of heart attack, a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. After that, I began to run regularly to regain fitness – after two children there’s no way I’d be in as good a nick as I am right now otherwise.

What’s important to you right now?

Looking after my family. Wilfred, our second child, was born over the Easter holidays – a speedy affair where we worried he might be born in the lift on the way to the labour ward. Our toddler has been brilliant, but managing different routines and sleep patterns can be a challenge.

Then there’s managing school workload. I’m embracing not doing any work at home (although we all know that this isn’t manageable) and utilising planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) and directed time. If it doesn’t fit in, I physically can’t do it at the moment. And I think a new baby is as good a reason as any to not overwork myself, but to concentrate on home life and family instead.

What do you do on your days off?

I have Mondays off and I look after my three-year-old son, which mainly involves

swimming lessons, Thomas the Tank Engine and coffee breaks. I play cricket when the sun comes out, and support Plymouth Argyle football club. I’m also in the process of reading every Stephen King novel – I’ve read 30 of his 65 books. And now with the addition of our youngest member of the family, my days off are full of playing, cuddling, changing nappies, going on walks and trying to fit the odd run in with the ‘running buggy’.

Tell us something we don’t know Our cat Sam comes on walks with us and we have to stop him fighting dogs in the park.

kids say the funniest things

In the final term of my teaching career, as Armistice Day approached, I decided to wear my special enamel poppy badge celebrating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. It consisted of two inter-connecting poppies, a traditional red one and a white one with the number 75 embedded in the centre.

Crossing the junior playground one afternoon, I was approached by Charlie, a year 4 pupil, who I taught for one hour each week in the computer lab.

Never shy of asking a question, his gaze narrowed in on the badge and I began mentally preparing my explanation. It was not required. “Is that the number of years you have worked here?” he asked in all seriousness. Not for the first time, I was lost for words.

n Email your funny stories to educate@neu.org.uk

(Left) George on the picket line in 2023; and (right) finishing this year’s London Marathon

Cartoon by Tim Sanders

Alarming decline in UK student engagement

Warwick Mansell is a freelance education journalist and founder/writer of educationuncovered.

ANOTHER week, another concerning indicator on children’s wellbeing.

A detailed report on pupil engagement, based on a survey this academic year of more than 100,000 children in England, has just dropped. It has become the latest in a string of findings that raise serious questions about the effects of our education system on many young people, particularly in our secondary schools.

The study, based on surveys of children from year 3 to post-16, showed that one in four pupils disengage from school during year 7, in what the authors describe as a “steep and lasting drop in engagement”.

Pupils’ average enjoyment of school, on a scale of one to ten, drops from 6.0 in year 6 to 3.8 in year 7, the study found. The report, led by academic John Jerrim for the consultancy

ImpactEd, is replete with graphs on aspects ranging from commitment to learning and feeling safe at school to whether or not the child trusts their teacher, which fall off a cliff between years 6 and 7, and do not recover.

Professor Jerrim has used international data to make comparisons of England’s situation with elsewhere, with ImpactEd’s press release stating: “While engagement does decline through school in almost every country with data available, the magnitude of this fall is more pronounced in England than elsewhere, suggesting that disengagement is not just a symptom of age, but something atypical happening in our context.”

The study follows two major international surveys that have shown low and declining figures in relation to school enjoyment and “life satisfaction” more generally in the UK.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment survey found that the reported life satisfaction scores of UK 15-year-olds fell drastically between 2015 and 2022, with our teenagers faring worst on this measure among 27 European countries.

In April, I revealed how the Trends in

International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed how the proportion of pupils in England saying they disliked school had doubled in eight years to 2023: from 24 to 48 per cent among 14-year-olds and from 14 to 28 per cent among ten-year-olds.

All of these figures should pose profound questions about young people’s educational experiences. And, because of the crossnational nature of some of these metrics, globally more-or-less-ubiquitous factors –such as Covid’s impact or that of social media – cannot fully explain why our figures are worse than other countries’.

There are attempts to investigate further, notably through a cross-party backbench bid to amend the children’s wellbeing and schools bill to introduce a national measurement system for children’s wellbeing. But, in my view, there is also a need for a thorough review of young people’s education in this country, tracking children’s qualitative experiences.

For all the statistical excellence of ImpactEd’s report, there was no explanation as to what might be driving such stark statistics. Yet investigating causes as well as statistical effects seems urgent.

THE classrooms at St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School in Hackney, east London, have all the hallmarks of a happy learning environment: colourful pictures on the walls, pots of pens, toys, work displayed on the whiteboard and a cosy book corner.

But a closer look reveals that the shelves in the book corner are empty, and several large cardboard boxes are filled with resources. The tables and chairs are too many for the number of children in the class.

When the school closes on 18 July, it will be for good. This is despite Hackney council’s admission that it is a “high-performing school with excellent results for its pupils”.

Carly Slingsby has taught at St Dominic’s for seven years. As the NEU rep, she helped lead a fierce campaign to keep it open, taking 19 days of strike action before the closures were confirmed on 22 April. She says staff were devastated.

At the beginning of the academic year there were 215 pupils on roll. Now there are just 13 across years 1 to 5 and 44 children in year 6.

“After that final decision day, a lot of parents panicked and took their kids to other schools. We’re putting on a happy face, but morale is incredibly low. It can be a bit hard to keep the positivity going.”

Families forced out of London

St Dominic’s is one of six schools that have closed in Hackney in the past year, resulting in 120 jobs losses. At a meeting in January, all contracted staff at St Dominic’s were offered a ten per cent retention payment if they stayed until 31 August. But in January, this was retracted.

“The executive head just said, ‘that’s not happening any more’. And that was all the communication staff got,” says Carly. “The behaviour from the chair of governors and the executive head teacher has been shocking.”

Members passed a vote of no confidence in the chair of governors and the executive head and have balloted for more strike action in the hope of reinstating the promised payment. Some main scale teachers have found new jobs for September, but for those on the upper pay scale it is more difficult. “We’re too expensive,” Carly says.

Hackney council says falling pupil numbers have led to “reduced funding for the school and financial strain”. It is not alone; across London, pupil numbers are

‘Our community

A fall in pupil numbers is resulting in increasing as they are no longer deemed financially

Pupils, parents and teachers from St Dominic’s, St Jude and St Paul’s and Highbury Quadrant schools marched in central London earlier

has

plummeting. Data from local government collective London Councils shows the birth rate in London fell by 20 per cent between 2012 and 2022.

“People are choosing not to have kids in London because it’s so expensive,” says Carly. “The rent hikes are extortionate in Hackney. We’re seeing an exodus to areas like Waltham Forest and Redbridge. But now they’re becoming too expensive as well, and families are moving even further out.”

At St Dominic’s, 55 per cent of children were eligible for free school meals (FSM). Meanwhile, the average house price in the borough is £613,000 – most of those sold were flats – and private rents average £2,539 per month, Office for National Statistics figures show.

Benefits of smaller class sizes

Just three miles away, Highbury Quadrant Primary School sits on the Hackney and Islington border. It will close in August, along with neighbouring school St Jude and St Paul’s Church of England Primary School. The council cited falling rolls, a financial deficit and a Requires improvement Ofsted rating in its decision.

In January 2023, Highbury Quadrant changed from a two-form to one-form entry to accommodate fewer pupils. In the same year, it received a Requires improvement Ofsted grading. Phoebe Oakley has taught at the school for nearly three years. She said there were months of uncertainty before the decision was made, which affected pupil numbers.

“The council kept saying no decision had been made. But the minute it was announced we were at risk, we started to lose children.”

At the start of the year, Phoebe had 26 children in her year 5 class. But now only 15 remain, and the decision was taken to merge years 4 and 5. It has impacted on teaching and learning, says Phoebe. “I’m now teaching two curriculums, and I have a new group of children. It is challenging. It feels like you’re on quicksand. You never have a solid foundation and that’s really tricky.”

For those children who are left, it has been extremely difficult. “We’ve seen a lot of emotional disregulation. They are struggling to come to terms with the idea the school won’t be here. Lots of them don’t understand.”

Thompson reports.

For the school to be sustainable, Islington council said classes needed a minimum 26 children. While the smallest class was 22 children, most classes were at capacity, Phoebe says.

continued on page 28

PHOTO by Kois Miah

Interview Feature

continued from page 27

But she questions the funding formula that makes these large class sizes necessary, comparing them to independent schools who have an average of 16 pupils in a class. “Our children are some of the most disadvantaged in society. They would benefit from smaller class sizes, and yet they’re being penalised. It feels like an attack on working-class families.”

The site where Highbury Quadrant sits is already being eyed up by the council’s housing department, Phoebe says.

“We’re a massive site. It’s prime real estate. We’ve already had someone come and value the land.”

But the likelihood of new housing being affordable to working-class families in the area seems slim.

“The type of people who live in Islington now are young professionals. Those families who can afford to live here send their children to private school. I pass lots of children in the morning on my way to work, but all of them are commuting out to private school, rather than going to their local community school.”

More than just places of learning

In areas of deprivation, schools offer much more than a learning space. They play a vital role in supporting children and families, many of whom have complex needs.

Carly says at St Dominic’s quite a lot of children were in temporary accommodation.

“Our wellbeing lead helped those families get beds, mattresses, washing machines; helped them fill out applications,

and secure money from charities. And parents who had been in that situation would also lend an ear and help. That community has gone now.

“I bumped into one of the parents recently and she said the new school wasn’t the same as being at St Dominic’s. Parents have always known they could have a chat at the door, come in a bit earlier, stay a bit later, and we’d be there to help out.”

Phoebe describes a similar situation at Highbury Quadrant: “When parents are in crisis, they can come to us. We are a first port of call for so many of them. For lots of our children, we’re their safe space. They have lots going on at home, but they know what they’re getting with us. It’s safe and secure.

“Those things can’t be measured by an Ofsted report. You can’t measure that day-today support.”

Staff, children and parents at Highbury Quadrant and St Jude and St Paul’s schools led a huge campaign with support from the local community. And while the council decided to go ahead with the school closures this year, it has stated there will be no further closures in Islington in 2026 on the back of the campaign.

Change is urgently needed, says Islington NEU joint secretary Terry Sullivan. “Schools are anchors for the local community. If you get rid of them, you change the nature of a city. You don’t get families and children there. This is the third round of cuts in Islington and we’re told, because of the falling

“People choose not to have kids in London because it’s so expensive.”

Carly Slingsby

birth rate, it’s not going to go away. That’s why public pressure on the government is really important. It needs a political solution.”

SEND

children particularly at risk

Closures are particularly challenging for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), for whom routine is essential.

“Those of us who work with SEND children know how important stability is and how crucial relationships are for their development. These closures are a huge setback for SEND children,” says Carly.

And yet, she says, there are children at St Dominic’s who have “disappeared with no warning” since the closure was announced.

“They’ll walk in and say, ‘it’s my last day’. And I’ve had no notification. No handover, no transition dates, no conversations with class staff about routines, regulations, strategies. It’s dangerous for our SEND kids’ emotional and physical wellbeing. They’re at other schools now and I have no idea if they’re coping.”

Privatisation and fragmentation

While falling rolls are a very real concern in London, they are not unique to the city. Department for Education data suggests that across the country, pupil numbers could fall by an average of 4.5 per cent by 2027. In the North East, this figure could be as high as seven per cent.

St Jude and St Paul’s pupils Tayler (left) and Evana, with Terry Sullivan, joint secretary, Islington NEU

PHOTO by Kois Miah

“Parents in crisis can come to us. We’re a safe space for many pupils.”

Phoebe Oakley

School closures are already happening in some areas. Less than 20 years after it opened, Monkseaton High School in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, will close its doors in August 2026. The council has said the budget deficit – predicted to be £7 million by 2027 – means the school is no longer viable. It has suffered from significant surplus spaces – just half of its pupil places have been filled.

But while falling pupil rolls have contributed to the closure, NEU organiser Paul Noble says a more significant factor is at play: “The thing that’s finally forced this is competition between schools and a lack of local authority oversight.”

Neighbouring Whitley Bay High School is oversubscribed and, Paul says, the council could have used this to balance admissions, without risking the viability of either school. Instead, the funding crisis in education, leading to a need for pupil numbers, has forced the schools to compete.

The situation was further complicated when, in 2013, the government bailed out Kings School, a private school located only three miles from Monkseaton and Whitley Bay. Its debt of £5m was cleared, and the school merged with Priory School to become a state-funded academy.

“Parents are sending their children there because they see it as a private school education,” says Paul. “It comes back to competition.”

“If you get rid of schools, you change the nature of a city.”

Terry Sullivan

The closure of Monkseaton is likely to impact other schools in the area, which operates a three-tier school system.

“Parents will see there’s a limited number of places left in the only remaining high school and, rather than risk sending their child through a middle school, they’ll probably choose a secondary transition.”

He is concerned this will lead to more school closures, and that pupils already in the middle school system may be forced out of the area if they fail to find a school place at the end of year 8.

Forced

to try and promote school Dean Gordon is executive head teacher at the Phoenix Federation in Deptford, Lewisham, south London.

The council describes the issue of falling rolls as “particularly acute” in primary schools, with one in ten reception places unfilled this year – a total of 2,370 surplus places.

Dean says the competitive nature of the education landscape has forced him to try and promote his school above all others in the area. “Previously, you could get on with the day-to-day job of being a head teacher. Now I’m always thinking, ‘what can I do to make sure our school is the school of choice within this local area?’

“It’s a real concern. If parents don’t choose us and we don’t have the pupils, there’s

“It feels like you’re going to market to sell your goods. It’s not nice.”

Dean Gordon

not enough funding and the whole thing comes crashing down.”

Phoenix has two primary schools, Lucas Vale and Grinling Gibbons, as well as Grinling Gardens, an alternative provision for primary age children at risk of exclusion. Lucas Vale has suffered a particular drop in pupils and, following a consultation with parents and the local community, Dean is working on a rebrand of the school. He hopes that ‘launching’ the school with a new name, uniform and changes to the curriculum will attract parents.

“We had to try something – there was nowhere else to go. When something is new, people are excited about it. We hope that families will think, ‘why not choose this school? It’s got a new vigour and a revitalised approach.’

“It feels like you’re going to market to sell your goods – it’s about who has the best offer. We’re doing everything to make our school look attractive, to persuade families to join our school rather than the school down the road. It’s not nice, but what else can we do?”

As part of his long-term strategy to attract pupils, Lucas Vale has recently rented part of its building to a private nursery, which Dean hopes will operate as a feeder to the reception class.

“We hope families will see this as the perfect continuation for their child’s education – a familiar space, the same people and wraparound provision. All under one roof.”

Artificial intelligence tools are set to revolutionise how we teach and how pupils learn. Sally Gillen asks if they are a time-saving change for the better, or could they stifle creativity and deskill the profession?

The future is here. We need to catch up

IF you could save 15 minutes at the end of an exhausting day by using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate a letter to a parent about their child’s lost coat, why wouldn’t you? Ways to cut workload are always welcome, so automating menial tasks seems sensible. But how about AI for lesson planning? Marking? End-of-year reports?

Many teachers are independently choosing to use open AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, chatbots which respond to prompts and can generate text and answer questions, to help with aspects of the job. Others are being encouraged by their schools to do so, some of which are buying in AI products that promise time-saving, workloadreducing benefits for staff.

In the past 18 months, the percentage of NEU members using AI for lesson planning has almost trebled, up from ten per cent in 2023 to 27 per cent this year, according to the union’s state of education survey published in April. The poll also revealed the number using AI for admin had more than doubled, from ten per cent to 21 per cent this year, and for resource creation it rose from 28 per cent to 41 per cent. Interestingly, the rise for marking was small: up from only three to four per cent.

AI’s impact on core teacher tasks

AI tools, it often feels, are taking over all areas of life. In education, their use raises important questions about how they are deployed in teaching and learning, and, crucially, what that means for core teacher tasks. AI’s main selling point is efficiency, but there hasn’t been enough investigation into how it impacts quality.

The NEU’s position is that AI technologies should only be used if they benefit education by giving staff more time and professional control, as well as enhance teaching and learning. Furthermore, the union believes educators must be involved to ensure AI is used safely and effectively, and staff and unions should be consulted before it is introduced in schools and monitored thereafter (see boxout, page 35).

Our checklist (see boxout, page 35) has been developed in response to the growing number of schools introducing various types

of AI, often without consultation with staff, and the government push to expand use in schools.

Will AI ‘unlock the recruitment and retention crisis’?

Speaking in January at the Bett Show, an annual ed-tech event, education secretary Bridget Phillipson described a “vision for the future” in which AI would “reduce work or help unlock the recruitment and retention crisis that we face, so that once again teaching can be a profession that sparks joy, not burnout”.

She announced £1 million for 16 developers to create marking and feedback AI tools, one of several AI initiatives. In addition, the Chiltern Learning Trust has also been funded to develop an AI training programme for schools, although the NEU questions the relatively small amount of money invested into such an important task – just £241,000 – and how time-pressed teachers will find between four and six hours to complete the continuing professional development (CPD).

Above all, the NEU is concerned at how little involvement, even consultation, there has been with unions over the government’s hailed AI revolution. In her speech at the Bett Show, Phillipson went on to say teachers will be “set free by AI and other technologies: less marking, less planning, less form filling”.

No-one would argue against pointless form filling, but lesson planning? “For most of us that removes a part of our creativity, and also our ability to respond to the needs of individual children,” says primary computing teacher Patrick Martin.

“It deskills our profession because if you don’t need to create things, understand children or know about child development you don’t really need a qualified teacher, just a continued on page 32

Interview Feature

continued from page 31

“It removes creativity, and our ability to respond to the needs of individual pupils.”

Patrick Martin, teacher

technical administrator to deliver remotely.”

At his school, teachers are encouraged to use AI to create lesson resources, and Patrick sees the potential, having used it himself to generate ideas. In other areas, however, he questions its impact on learning.

“If you are teaching a primary school writing class and you give children a model text that has been generated by AI, and they are being taught to try to emulate that model text then what you’re doing is training children to write like a computer,” he reflects. “As educators, we obviously need to know how to use the tools, and we need to teach children how to use them, but the tools should be helping us and children be more creative, not the other way round.”

It’s an interesting point. As the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) points out, however good AI is at mimicking human processes, it cannot generate new ideas. Originality and creativity remain the preserve of humans.

Nicola Hawkins, also a primary teacher, says that for teachers using AI for lesson planning there will always be the caveat that they will need to check the information it generates for what are known as hallucinations, factually inaccurate information produced by AI from time to time. This is one way in which AI may not be a great time-saver.

Nicola and Patrick were among those who debated the impact of AI in education at this year’s NEU annual conference in Harrogate, a motion Patrick believes was long overdue. “The future is here,” he says. “We need to catch up.”

The passing of the motion means the union will now campaign for a bigger role in influencing how AI is developed and used in education. “There needs to be a furious intensity of campaigning,” says Nicola. “Educators need an informed say in the fundamental choices being made about AI, before those choices are made without us.”

Reduce workload? Employ enough staff

Like many, she and Patrick are sceptical about claims that AI will reduce teacher workload.

“I’m not convinced. It’s unproven and we also know that if you really want to reduce workload, you’ll fund schools properly to employ enough staff and pay them properly,” argues Patrick.

Nicola points to the rise in the use of standardised curricula packages (see page 19) as an example of how workload isn’t reduced but merely shifted. She says teachers have to think about how the package will need to be adapted to fit their cohort of pupils, and that’s intrinsically less satisfying and more stressful.

“It’s equally stressful if you don’t do that and just use the package. It’s like a ready-meal approach to education because – and many colleagues are frightened to say this – they feel they are delivering something second rate for children, and teachers care about that.” Teachers lose their autonomy, and children are short-changed.

And a deskilled profession is, of course, one with weaker bargaining power. “As a union, we need to look at what’s coming out with a massive microscope to work out what it will take away from teachers’ skill sets,” adds Nicola.

Interestingly, some teachers themselves are recognising the potential of AI and are partnering with developers to create products to help with the teaching role, but the field

“It’s unprofessional and unethical to use AI for censoring content and restricting books.”

Kristabelle Williams, school librarian

remains dominated by profit-driven big tech and smaller AI companies.

Research commissioned by the NEU and carried out by thinktank Demos Consulting has produced some interesting, though unsurprising, findings. It concludes that there needs to be a greater teacher voice in research and evidence surrounding ed-tech and AI, and that there is a weak evidence base for its impact on education practice.

Most of that evidence comes from those seeking to sell ed-tech products, say the researchers, which means they also have a concerning influence over the nature of edtech. There is a danger that those working in technology may significantly shape the nature of education itself, with the voice of teachers, parents and pupils being pushed out.

Another study by thinktank the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) looked at teacher autonomy and its links to satisfaction and retention. It found a strong link between autonomy and job satisfaction, perceptions of workload and manageability.

Demos Consulting, which looked at this study, has argued: “Its findings have significant implications in the context of AI and education practice. There is a live debate as to how using AI tools, in various forms and contexts, might affect teachers’ sense of autonomy. This could then have implications for recruitment and retention.”

Danger of using AI to censor content

It isn’t simply a case of being pro or anti AI. Many educators, south London secondary school librarian Kristabelle Williams among them, are intrigued by its potential, but wary that it may be used to take shortcuts that will ultimately deprofessonalise their role.

Sophie Stone, a sixth form librarian in Oldham, has similar concerns: “I feel there will be much less demand for our role in teaching research skills. A lot of students go straight to AI now instead of properly researching information. It’s the same with resources – there will be much less demand for them and therefore much less demand for people to manage them.”

Kristabelle also worries about the impact AI could have on the vital role of librarians in reader development, which involves recommending books, and any moves towards using AI software as a quick way to search books to identify what could be perceived as offensive content, such as

“Educators need an informed say before choices about AI are made without us.”

Nicola Hawkins, teacher

swearing and scenes of intimacy. “I don’t want it to be the case that we don’t need a librarian because we can just use AI to look at the content of books,” she says. “To begin with, AI might be hallucinating and bringing back the wrong stuff.

“Works should be judged as a whole. We are trained professionals and part of our role is curating and selection. Human curation and selection shouldn’t be left to AI. It’s deprofessionalising, as well as unethical and unprofessional to use AI for restricting and censoring books in this way.”

That said, while she is strongly opposed to moves in this direction, Kristabelle sees the temptation for librarians to take such a shortcut when they are so overworked and victims of job creep.

“There is already a struggle in a lot of schools to get the information literacy role of the librarian recognised and used,” adds Kristabelle. “School librarians are particularly positioned and qualified to teach critical

DAY WEAR

FRIDAY 17 TH OCTOBER 2025

CHANGE HEARTS. CHANGE MINDS. CHANGE LIVES.

continued from page 33

evaluation of AI content, assessing it for bias, misinformation and scams. Search engines bring back a lot of AI-generated content from websites, which isn’t particularly good or useful. There has never been a more important time for the school librarian in teaching information literacy.”

Younger pupils using AI Patrick agrees, and as the designated safeguarding lead at his school, increasingly sees the need to improve the digital literacy of his pupils.

He surveys pupils about their online activity every year. This year, for the first time, he asked if they had used AI apps to generate images, text or video and found about 20 per cent of those in years 3 to 6 had. Also, for the first time, he asked children in key stage 1 about their independent online activity.

Five years ago, digital literacy was already an essential but underdeveloped area of the curriculum, says Patrick, but it has become even more urgent given the risks of fake news, impersonation and AI-generated imagery.

“Independent messaging and social media use is something most of year 3 are involved in,” he adds. “We look at all the stuff happening in secondary and wait for it to turn up in key stage 2. From talking to children, we know this is an environment in which children are operating. The language around misogyny being used and attitudes towards pornography suggest these children are in a contextual environment where they are being exposed to harmful content and influencers, and that’s accelerated by AI.”

‘Dumbing down’ teaching

Teachers are taking the initiative and finding out more about AI. After attending a conference with others from the union, Nicola

Improving policy on AI at your school

STAFF SHOULD BE CONSULTED

Your employer should explain the reasons for introducing AI and how it will benefit teaching and learning.

WORKLOAD

Any new technologies should not increase workload. Your employer should carry out a workload impact assessment of technologies.

CPD AND TRAINING

You should be provided with training in how to use any AI tools but it shouldn’t add to your workload. You should have an opportunity to test the tools before they are introduced.

MONITORING AND STAFF INPUT

New technology should be evaluated over time, to ensure it is working well, delivering benefits to educators and learners without causing an increase in workload.

n Read the full checklist at neu.org. uk/about-ai

came away with mixed feelings. On one hand she saw examples of technology that could be very exciting for children, she says, giving them access to experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have. But there were also teaching packages, many similar to those used in the US, which she says had led to a dumbing down of teaching.

One talk on adaptive learning tools in particular stays with her. The presenter used

The government vision for AI

AI is being presented as a silver bullet for education, the solution to unmanageable workload and the teacher shortage.

Government-funded AI initiatives include £4 million from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for a ‘content store’ project, which brings together data on areas including curriculum and lesson planning. This can then be used by tech companies to mark work, create teaching materials for use in the classroom and assist with routine school admin.

The Department for Education has provided £1 million funding for 16 developers to create AI tools for marking and feedback tools, and the Chiltern Learning Trust, with the Chartered College of Teaching, has been given £241,000 to develop a five-module CPD programme for teachers.

words such as standardised and repetitive, with no room for learning support, but said the tool was likely to take off regardless, due to the teacher shortage and that it could replace missing subject specialists.

Exacerbate retention issues

It was a worrying sign of the direction of travel. Nicola feels the increasing use of standardised lessons will mean more experienced and specialist staff are likely to leave. Children, taught every subject in the same way, are likely to become disengaged.

“Nobody is thinking robotic teachers, but a human teacher who isn’t allowed to teach is just delivering and not actually teaching,” she points out.

She also worries that AI may bake in existing inequality and disadvantage.

“I can clearly see on one end a school like Eton and on the other a secondary in a deprived area with a deficit budget. What AI will look like in those schools will be massively different. A pupil having a relatively privileged education will be in a small class with subject specialists, but less well-funded schools will have huge class sizes and be pushed into a homogenised, test-driven curriculum.”

It’s a bleak vision of the future and just one of the reasons educators must be involved, to guard against what could be detrimental to themselves and pupils.

As Patrick explains: “We have to engage to try and shape AI’s use in education for progressive ends. If we don’t, and try to choose to pretend it doesn’t exist, it’s going to be imposed on us and on children. We don’t have the luxury of not engaging with this debate.”

NEU guidance

The union’s policy is clear: AI technologies should only be used if they benefit education by giving staff more free time and professional control, and enhance teaching and learning.

Educators must be involved to ensure the technology is used safely and effectively. AI should only be introduced after agreement with unions.

AI should not be introduced to enable bigger class sizes, with increased staff-pupil ratios, or increase workload in other areas.

Ask the union

Work-related stress protocols

I’M due to return to work after a period of work-related stress. What should be put in place before my return?

This will depend on the circumstances, so it is important to seek support from your NEU rep or district. It may be that a phased return to work would be appropriate.

The NEU can also support you in respect of the circumstances that led to your absence. If nothing changes in the workplace then you could end up on sick leave again.

It is unlikely that you are the only member of staff who has been affected by work-related stress, so a collective approach is likely to be the most effective.

A starting point is the NEU national stress survey, which can be distributed to members in your school to gather evidence about working conditions and the findings used to kickstart negotiations with management about what needs to change to keep all staff safe and healthy.

You can access the survey at neu.org.uk/mental-health-wellbeing or ask your rep to email healthandsafety@ neu.org.uk

Additional workload and TLRs

I’VE been made a subject leader in a primary school. My workload has dramatically increased, but I’m told the new role doesn’t warrant a TLR. Is this correct?

Teaching and learning responsibility payments (TLRs) are a vital component of the teacher pay system. They reward classroom teachers for taking on additional leadership and management responsibilities.

Without TLRs, schools would face significant challenges.

The school teachers’ pay and conditions

document (STPCD, part 4, section 20) states that staff cannot be held accountable for subject areas if they do not receive TLR payments. Any information suggesting otherwise is incorrect.

Teachers, including those on the upper pay range, should not be expected to undertake extra responsibilities without appropriate TLR compensation.

Discuss your concerns with your employer, referencing the relevant information from the STPCD. Contact your workplace rep if you have one, as you may find this is a collective issue.

Free CPD webinars for all NEU members

If your employer does not address your concerns satisfactorily, you can escalate the matter by contacting your local NEU branch or regional office.

Contact us…

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

n If your question is urgent, please call the AdviceLine on 0345 811 811

NEU members have exclusive access to our continuing professional development (CPD) webinars. Here are some of the courses coming up in the autumn term:

October

A week of webinars around the theme of behaviour and a series of webinars for early career teachers (ECTs) and trainees.

November Themed weeks on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and mental health and wellbeing, along with regular weekly webinar Wednesdays.

We will also be running a series of masterclass webinars for leaders and specific webinars for support and supply members.

n Webinars are recorded and available for 14 days after the live webinar for anyone who has registered for them

n For more information and to book, visit neu.org.uk/ national-cpd

IMAGE

by Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay

Fostering global citizens through language

Neetu Sadhwani is head of modern foreign languages (MFL) at Avanti House Secondary School in London. She leads the Harrow Collegiate for Languages and was winner of the TES award subject lead of the year in MFL in 2024. Sarah Thompson finds out what makes her a class act.

LAST year, fewer than half of students chose to study a language beyond key stage 3. The take-up of students studying a language at GCSE and A-level has declined significantly since 2004, when it became non-compulsory. But Avanti House, where Neetu has worked since 2015, is bucking the trend.

Of its 180 students, 141 (almost 80 per cent) will be taking an MFL GCSE this year.

So what’s the secret of her success?

“It’s about building that love for learning languages at key stage 2. I’m always thinking about how we can make it engaging for them,” she explains. “I tell my team: you are the magicians. You create the magic in your classroom.”

Engagement through challenges

Neetu believes in the power of games and challenges as tools to enhance student engagement. It creates an environment where they can learn while having fun and it helps them feel that learning a language is achievable, she says.

The whole school also gets involved in annual events to celebrate Bastille Day and European Day of Languages, with music, quizzes and food.

Neetu also supports students in their learning of community languages, such as Gujarati and Arabic. Harrow has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in London, and more than 150 languages are spoken in the borough’s schools.

Passion for languages from a young age

Growing up in Gran Canaria, Neetu was inspired by her surroundings and the economic environment. “It’s a small island, and the economy relies on British, German and French tourists, so languages are really important,” she explains.

Her parents were born in India and migrated to Spain. “At home, we spoke a mixture of Spanish, Hindi, English and

Sindhi (our local Indian dialect). There was always a variety of accents and languages.”

She would gather her younger siblings and pretend to be their teacher. “My passion was languages and teaching – all I had to do was put them together.”

Creating global citizens

There are so many benefits to learning a language, but above all, says Neetu, it gives young people a sense of their place in the world. “It’s important that students see MFL not just as an academic subject, but as a valuable tool for their future,” she adds.

“It supports them to become global citizens and enriches their cultural experiences. We are part of Europe. We are part of a global world. We don’t live in isolation.”

And students who might struggle in other subjects can excel at languages. “Languages offer them a new communication code and a different way to connect with the world,” Neetu says.

TES award acknowledged challenges

Winning the TES award was “a wonderful surprise”, and Neetu hopes it has helped highlight the importance of MFL.

Presenting the award, deputy head and author Dr David James congratulated Neetu on her commitment to her school, the local community and challenging national trends.

“Languages get hidden in the curriculum, because the focus is on core subjects,” says Neetu. She adds that a shortage of language teachers, an MFL curriculum that is content-heavy, and exams that are notoriously difficult have also exacerbated the decline in popularity.

GCSE language exam reform

In summer 2026, changes will be made to MFL GCSE exams to make them more accessible. For example, students will only be assessed on the vocabulary they have studied and not expected to decipher unfamiliar words. It’s a positive step, says Neetu. “Exam boards have realised the current stakes for language exams are very tough.

“We’re hoping the new exams will be more student friendly, and that young people will be tested on what they know, rather than what they don’t.”

Do you know a class act?

Email educate@neu.org.uk

Reviews

World War II

THIS incredible book about World War II will give you goosebumps. Using photographs and documents from the National Archives, it explains how life dramatically changed and explores the different roles and jobs for people during this time such as code breakers, double agents and the Women’s Land Army. Concise and informative, it is easy to dip into or can be read from cover to cover. A fascinating read and a superb resource for key stage 2.

Cindy Shanks

The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Feedback

HOW can educators provide purposeful feedback and reduce their workload? This informative guide explains.

Based on research and case studies, Ross Morrison McGill explores nine formative concepts for teachers to use as feedback in schools.

These include written, verbal and non-verbal suggestions for responding to children’s work to impact future learning.

The useful QR codes provide examples of how each case study school has used a type of feedback. The templates, videos and references provided enable educators to implement these valuable strategies to enhance learning outcomes. Suitable for use in primary and secondary school.

Cindy Shanks

The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Feedback by Ross Morrison

The National Archives: World War II: The Story Behind the War that Divided the World by Nick Hunter. Bloomsbury. £10.99.

Scientists on Survival: Personal Stories of Climate Action

THIS book features personal testimonies from those who joined Scientists for XR (Extinction Rebellion), many of whom have risked their reputations to do so. They warn of a bleak future unless urgent action is taken to address global warming. While some protest by gluing themselves to windows, others make their point through stand-up comedy, or walking across parts of Norfolk – predicted to be submerged by rising sea levels – wearing a mask and snorkel. This book should be in every school library and will inspire readers. Mike Follows

Scientists on Survival: Personal Stories of Climate Action edited by Zadie Smith. Michael O’Mara Books. £9.99

Read a book that other educators might find useful?

Send us your 100-word review to educate@neu.org.uk with a link to the book, plus your membership number, and your review could be published.

Read Like a Ninja

BRIMMING with ideas, this eye-catching book helps primary-aged children develop essential reading skills. These skills include reading high-frequency words, phrases, sentences and passages. The book also offers fun, timed challenges to improve fluency. Comprehension is clearly explained with practical strategies for retrieving information and understanding inference from texts. A recommended reading checklist promotes books for pleasure.

The parent zone section has useful tips and terminology for those helping their children to improve their reading proficiency.

Part of an exciting Ninja series, other books include Maths Like a Ninja and Spell Like a Ninja. This is ideal for children, parents, carers and educators.

Cindy Shanks

Read Like a Ninja by Andrew Jennings. Bloomsbury Education. Paperback. £4.99.

A Creative Approach to Teaching Science Outdoors

THIS book inspires teachers to take their classes outdoors. It offers a wealth of adaptable lesson ideas, with ample background information to build confidence.

The activities go beyond natural history to cover the key stage 1 and 2 curricula. Some, like making vegetable dyes, are based on familiar classroom tasks.

Two standout activities are A-maze-ing potatoes, where students explore how potatoes

sprout towards light, and Let’s pretend, which encourages children to imagine faces in clouds or trees – a pastime I still enjoy as an adult.

Overall, the book’s warm, inviting tone motivates outdoor learning.

Mike Follows A Creative Approach to Teaching Science Outdoors by Dr Sai Pathmanathan and Dr Penny Fletcher. Bloomsbury. £16.99.

McGill. Bloomsbury. £12.99

How children make book choices

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 on creating a reading culture.

IN April, I attended the NEU’s annual conference in Harrogate, where I delivered a session on building a classroom reading culture. It was a privilege to be in the company of so many passionate and dedicated educators, and I thoroughly enjoyed every conversation I had.

A couple of months ago, I came across a thought-provoking blog from Alice Reedy and David Reedy about the factors that influence children’s book choices. These included familiarity with the text, representation, genre and perception of themselves of readers.

It made me reflect on how the pupils in my class select books. Although we talk regularly about what we’re all reading, we don’t spend as long sharing the reasons behind our choices, and I felt that would be a valuable conversation.

I started by explaining a few things I take into consideration when deciding what to read. I talked about how I enjoy the familiarity of reading work from authors I already know, featuring characters I’ve already met.

Books recommended by friends and colleagues were also high on my list, with some people’s recommendations perhaps carrying more weight, depending on how similar I felt our reading interests were. Factors such as online reviews, social media and the kind of mood I’m in also played a part.

At this point, I asked the pupils to share in small groups what was important to them when selecting texts, with each group feeding back to the class. It was fascinating to hear what they had to say.

The influence of peers was clearly a major factor. Some children said that if they saw several of their friends reading the same book, it was probably going to be one they’d enjoy. Amulet, the graphic novel series, was

referred to repeatedly; there are nine in the series and there have been multiple times over recent years when they’ve all been off the shelves. The influence of individual children was also apparent.

“I have a look at what Josh is reading as we like the same things,” said one pupil. The idea of ‘fitting in’ was brought up several times. One child explained that if they read the same books as other pupils, building friendships might be easier.

“If the characters are like me” was something else that was mentioned frequently, which reinforces how essential it is for all children to be able to see themselves reflected in what they read. A lot of my pupils enjoy contemporary books set in school (The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, New Kid by Jerry Craft and Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott, for example), where they could be a character in the story. The importance of the blurb, the

front cover and “flicking through the pages” also came up. After discussing it further, one pupil said: “I don’t actually choose a book because of just one thing, there’s loads of things I think about,” which a lot of the pupils agreed with.

Taking all this into account, there are several implications for practice. Classroom shelves need to include books by writers that the children are already familiar with and books that are part of a series. Having multiple copies of popular books – a huge financial challenge – is important as it helps build a shared reading community. Genuine representation, with diverse characters, stories and perspectives that reflect the different experiences of individuals and communities, is essential. Many teachers understand that reading is a social activity that can be enhanced by interactions with others.

Independent reading time has increasingly moved away from the ‘everyone sit in silence and read’ model. Children are encouraged to sit with friends and talk about what they’re reading.

It’s impossible for educators to be aware of all the amazing children’s books being published, so “teachers need support in order to find the time and space to widen their reading repertoires and enrich their knowledge base” (Cremin et al, Teachers as Readers, 2009). We can, and do, support each other already, but improving teacher knowledge of children’s literature needs to be recognised as a critical part of ongoing professional development.

Finding time to learn about how the children you teach choose their books is definitely worth doing, and something I’ll be prioritising when I meet my new class in September.

Have a great summer.

jonnybid.bsky.social

n Read David and Alice Reedy’s blog at bit.ly/book-squad-blog

The graphic novel Amulet is a popular choice. Insets: children revealed their reasons for choosing a book

¡GRACIAS!

THANK YOU for supporting the Viva la Educación appeal and providing Cuban schools with more than £100,000 of educational aid. We hope you can also support Cuba Vive and help deliver life-saving medical supplies today. á

SAVE THE DATE!

Viva la Educación Conference

Cuba, education and the blockade

Saturday 15 November 10am-5pm Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BB

C uba Vive

Medical Aid Appeal

End the Blockade on Health

US sanctions are depriving the Cuban people of vital medicines and surgical supplies.

Cuba’s commitment to health as a human right has helped the country achieve a world-renowned health service. Today, these achievements are under threat from the US blockade.

The Cuba Vive appeal sends life-saving medical aid throughout the year, with £180,000 raised so far.

Find out how you can support and donate to Cuba Vive at cubavive.org.uk

An opportunity to learn about the Cuban education system and discuss the challenges of teaching under the blockade and with limited resources. Hear from guest speakers from Cuba and past participants in NEU delegations.

Two Cuban teachers will spend the week before the conference visiting UK schools. Please get in contact if your district would like to host them for a day.

More details available soon. Contact international@neu.org.uk for more information.

First year students at the San Alejandro School of Visual Arts with paints, brushes and paper

Braille machines delivered by NEU members on the October 2024 Cuba delegation

Remembering Srebrenica 30 years on

11 JULY marks the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide when more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered in what the UN has described as the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.

The wider Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995 saw more than 100,000 killed, thousands of women raped and more than two million people forced from their homes.

The NEU has this year stepped up its education work in schools and its support for education charity Remembering Srebrenica UK.

Srebrenica massacre

In the years after declaring independence in 1992 following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina suffered war, ethnic conflict, division and unrest.

On 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladić systematically murdered 8,372 Muslim men and boys in the UN safe zone of Srebrenica.

The UN had created the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1993 to prosecute offences, including the crime of genocide. The court charged 161 people, leading to long prison sentences for those convicted of the worst crimes. In 2021, the ICTY ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede, who was part of the union’s delegation to Bosnia in May, described the visit as powerful and eye-opening.

“What happened in Srebrenica and across Bosnia Herzegovina was horrendous. So many innocent people killed simply on the basis of their ethnic or religious identity. It shows where intolerance leads when leaders stoke divisions. There are many lessons for today and UK political leaders must understand that their words have consequences, and that violence can quickly escalate when neighbours become strangers.”

The delegation visited Potočari on the outskirts of Srebrenica, home to the memorial centre and the cemetery where 6,000 identified victims of the Srebrenica massacre have been buried.

The cemetery is a sobering sight – rows and rows of white tombstones bearing the

names of those buried – many just teenagers. The delegation laid flowers in memory of those who were murdered.

The delegation spent time at the memorial centre – formerly the HQ of the Dutch peacekeeping force which failed to defend those who took refuge there. It is now a museum and education centre describing the events leading up to the massacre and its aftermath.

Mothers of Srebrenica

The delegation met with the Mothers of Srebrenica, a group of women who have campaigned relentlessly over the past 30 years for truth and justice for their loved ones who were victims of the massacre. Despite the trauma of their losses, their message is that of peace and reconciliation, not revenge. They ask visitors to tell their story so that “never again” can such events occur.

The delegation held a number of meetings with key organisations and people in Sarajevo, including the UK ambassador. It also visited the War Childhood Museum, which hosts the memories of the children who lived under siege in Sarajevo and who have donated an item that holds for them their strongest memories of that time, such as a toy or a piece of clothing.

Siege of Sarajevo

Sarajevo, the capital of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, lies in a valley surrounded by steep hills covered in lush forest and vegetation.

In April 1992, Serb forces took up positions in the surrounding hills and

bombarded the city for 1,425 days in the siege of Sarajevo. Almost 14,000 people were killed, and two-thirds of all buildings were damaged or destroyed.

However, the city never fell to Serb forces, in large part due to the Tunnel of Hope, which was built in secret from the grounds of a house close to the airport.

The 800-metre tunnel, measuring just one metre wide and 1.6 metres high, enabled the movement of troops and arms into the city along with food, medicine, telephone communications and electric cables.

It is said that the tunnel saved the city and its 300,000 people.

n Join us on Thursday 10 July from 5.307.30pm at NEU HQ in London for a Srebrenica 30th anniversary memorial event. Attendance is free but please register at neu.org.uk/ remembering-srebrenica

Find out more

NEU members are asked to step up their activity in support of Remembering Srebrenica in this important anniversary year.

n Organise a memorial event. Remembering Srebrenica lesson plans and education resources are available at srebrenica.org.uk/learn

n The NEU/Remembering Srebrenica book of children’s poems, Together We Are One, along with lesson plans, can also be found at srebrenica.org.uk/learn

n The NEU video made for this year’s anniversary can be found at neu.org.uk/ remembering-srebrenica

The delegation, including general secretary Daniel Kebede (left), visited the memorial centre

Zero days of sick pay

WHEN considering a new school or role, most staff don’t check the terms and conditions. Before you sign a contract, check everything.

Contracts from a community school will state national pay scales and Burgundy Book or Green Book terms. Contracts should state notice periods and other things, and there is always a staff handbook or policies to read.

In the wild west of academies, free schools and other contracts, there are terms and conditions (T&Cs) and policies almost as good as those in local authority-run community schools. However, there are also appalling ones. The worst I have seen recently was an academy trust: “Zero days of sick pay in the first year, three days per year after the first year.”

Imagine signing up for a new role and finding out later your new T&Cs are awful? Most

19 inspection days, 91 lessons observed

WHILE clearing out a cupboard I came across a 1998 Ofsted report (right) for a single-entry primary school at which I was chair of governors at the time.

Not only was the full report more than 60 pages, I thought younger teachers might be interested in the summary of inspection evidence. I have handed the report back to the school to go into its archive.

While our outcome was good, it was definitely not a pleasant experience for the staff and governors. Name and location withheld

staff only look at employment policies when a situation arises – for example, a period of illness, maternity leave, medical appointment leave – or worse still, when an allegation arises, an incident happens or competency is mentioned.

Norfolk NEU has an impressive Where to teach guide (wheretoteach.co.uk). Everyone should ask for a copy of the school handbook/employment

polices before they accept a new post, especially in academy trusts, free schools or private schools. Name and location withheld

Support sex workers, not stigmatise them

I AM writing to express my disappointment at the outcome of the vote to decriminalise sex work. This motion was voted down at the TUC women’s conference. After reading so much excellent news, I had to double-take to be sure I had read correctly (Educate, May/June, page 17).

Delegates at the women’s conference seemed to have missed the point completely, and fallen into the rather snobbish

and misogynistic trap of judging sex workers for their trade.

If we are going to make moral judgements about the careers our students move into (and I think we do have a responsibility to give them information so they can make ethical choices), perhaps we could start with the arms industry? Or big oil?

Surely we should be showing solidarity with sex workers and promoting safe and legal working conditions? If we wish people to be able to move out of the sex trade, then decriminalisation would give sex workers more opportunity to move into other work if they wished, rather than being criminalised.

Teacher’s pet Sunny

Sunny is the tortoise of Stanlee Uy, a primary teacher in Bristol.

Stanlee says:

“Sunny isn’t just a tortoise, she’s a true member of our school community.

“Her presence soothes students, making her a source of comfort and joy.

“She’s even in our class photos because she’s one of us.”

If you have a treasured pet you’d like to show off, email a high-resolution photo with 50 words about what makes them so special to educate@neu.org.uk

Please write The editor welcomes your letters but reserves the right to edit them. Write to Letters, Educate, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD or email 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.

Sex work might not be aspirational for some of these voters, but let’s get real – most people aspire to get food on the table and pay their bills. If sex work allows them to do this, who are we to judge?

Then there are those sex workers who are being exploited or are victims of sexual and other violence, and feel trapped, unable to go to the police through fear of being charged themselves. Let’s show a little solidarity to our most vulnerable sisters and others here.

Thank you for your excellent magazine and the vital work you do.

Name and location withheld

Improve parental offer

IT was fantastic to read about members at Dunraven Educational Trust winning for mothers (Educate, May/ June, page 12). The success of their action will leave so many Dunraven teacher-parents financially better off, enabling many to afford more time at home with their new babies.

Burgundy Book maternity pay is woeful compared to what is on offer elsewhere in the public sector, such as the 26 weeks’ full pay enjoyed by our colleagues in the Department for Education. Fathers and non-birthing parents receive no enhanced entitlement at all, forcing them back to work after a fortnight and depriving their partner of practical and emotional support that is often much needed.

If this government is really serious about improving retention and recruitment in the profession, then it needs to urgently address and improve the Burgundy Book maternity offer, and introduce enhanced paternity pay, to ensure teaching is a job that works financially for those who wish to start families.

Rosie

Kelly-Smith, London women’s organising forum, co-founder NEU Parents

Star letter

Struck by the warmth of refugees in Calais

I TRAVELLED to Calais with a delegation of nine NEU Cymru members to volunteer with charity Care4Calais. It was my first time and the experience changed me.

We visited a refugee site known as ‘hospital toilets’, named for its location beside a hospital and a toilet block. In the wind and rain, we served hot drinks, gave out clothes, facilitated haircuts and offered first aid.

Most of the community were Sudanese young men, some barely adults. I worked at the medical station with a nurse. One man had recently lost several toes. His dressings hadn’t been changed in weeks, and he was too afraid to visit a hospital, terrified that seeking treatment might mean deportation.

Despite this, I was struck by the warmth of people. A young refugee from Yemen stood beside us all afternoon, translating Arabic and offering reassurance.

He had been training as a nurse before he fled.

Their resilience moved me most. In the rain, they danced. They played football with makeshift goals. They laughed. They tried, in those moments, to just be human.

When it was time to pack up, the refugees helped us load the van. They waved us off and walked back into the trees. We returned to warmth, dry clothes and shelter, while they went back to mud and cold. That stark difference will stay with me.

Care4Calais is desperate for volunteers. We met students who were giving six days a week, all summer. But they can’t do it alone. I left with an ache knowing we couldn’t do more, but also with hope, because through the NEU, we stand together to support those who need it most. Scott Roberts, assistant branch secretary, Denbighshire

n To get involved in international solidarity in Wales, email elizabeth. mclean@neu.org.uk n care4calais.org/get-involved

NEU Cymru members, including Scott (third from left), at a Care4Calais warehouse

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BRING the magic of London’s Kew Gardens into your classroom by accessing hundreds of free resources and challenges that support students to engage with science.

Based on Kew’s cutting-edge research, the resources include presentations, practical activities, research topics and videos.

Suitable for all key stages, the resources look at issues such as threatened habitats, researching medicinal plants and exploring nature-based solutions to global challenges. n Visit endeavour.kew.org/about

Europe-wide study on safer internet use

SECONDARY school students in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex and north London are being invited to take part in a Europe-wide study aimed at reducing the harmful impact of internet use on mental health.

The five-year BootStRaP study will monitor internet use among young people aged 12 to 16 years. It will explore internet use, potential harmful behaviours and how to reduce the risks. Students will be asked to download the BootStRaP app, which will monitor internet usage time and phone use patterns, while prompting them to answer questions about their health and mood.

Participants will be offered free resources about healthy internet use, along with expert

advice on how to reduce risks and avoid developing problematic use.

n Visit internetandme.eu or email bootstrap@herts.ac.uk

Financial literacy resources

THE Financial Times’ (FT) charity, the FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign (FT FLIC), is dedicated to alleviating poverty among young people through financial education. It has developed a free secondary school curriculum for years 7 to 13, featuring six expertly designed 50-minute lessons per year group.

The curriculum helps students make informed financial decisions, manage risks and prepare for the world of work. It includes interactive activities, engaging videos, case studies, quizzes and supporting teacher resources to ensure confident delivery.

Created by experienced teachers to be fun and engaging, all resources have been quality assured by the PSHE Association.

n Visit resources.ftflic.com

Toolkit for adopted students

A FREE resource created by adopted young people provides insight into some of the challenges of school life and looks at how educators and other students can best support them.

Produced by Coram Life Education, the toolkit includes short films, with first-hand accounts of adopted young people, interactive lesson plans which link to personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, guidance for teachers and ideas for further training. Suitable for key stage 2 and 3 students, the resource looks at issues such as friendships, relationships, lesson topics and what educators should know.

n Visit coramlifeeducation.org.uk/adoptables

IMAGE by Daria Nepriakhina/Unsplash

Are your membership details up to date

Have you moved house since you joined the NEU? Or perhaps you’ve got a new job at the same workplace? Or moved to a completely new workplace? Have your hours changed? Or are you about to go on maternity leave?

It’s important that your union has the correct details for you. If your details are out of date, you could find that you’re:

missing out on important mailings paying too much for your membership fees

unable to access NEU representation or assistance, including legal advice excluded from ballots

Checking and updating your membership details is easy at my.neu.org.uk

If you have difficulty accessing myNEU or you have a more complex query, email the membership team at membership@neu.org.uk

Please note: changes to subscriptions, including fee holidays during maternity, shared parental and adoption leave, can only be processed in the current subscription year (1 September 202531 August 2026). We are unable to backdate requests for previous subscription years.

your membership details – visit

IT’S vital that the NEU has up-to-date details for all its members. You may be eligible for reduced subscriptions – for example, if you work part-time, are about to take maternity leave or retire.

It’s important that we have the correct address for you for balloting purposes so, if you have moved, make sure you tell us your new home or workplace address.

The easiest way to update your details is by logging on to myNEU. Go to my.neu.org.uk to manage

your membership, including updating your address, workplace and equality information. Alternatively: n call us on 0345 811 8111 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) n email membership@neu.org.uk

THIS beautiful photo was captured by David Weeks, a teacher in Cheltenham. It was taken on Redwood Tree Walk near Rotorua in New Zealand, on a spectacular spring evening as dappled sunshine filtered through the trees to create this mosaic. You can walk on platforms through the trees, day or night.

Why not send a picture to us at educate@neu.org. uk It should be large and high resolution, accompanied by 50 words about its subject. We send a £20 book token to each featured so don’t forget to include your address in the email too.

n or write to Membership & Subscriptions, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD.

Access myRewards today

myNEU is also a portal to accessing hundreds of exclusive discounts available to members through myRewards. From savings on your weekly shop to holidays and special treats, you could save up to £1,000 a year.

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Quick crossword

Across

1 ___ the Great: King of Wessex who fought the Vikings (6)

7 ___ constant: number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance (8)

8 Mauna ___: Hawaiian volcano (3)

9 Peter Paul ___: Flemish painter (6)

1O Thomas ___: composer of Rule, Britannia! (4)

11 Mike ___ : actor who played Austin Powers (5)

13 Star Trek ship (7)

15 Self-playing musical instrument (7)

17 Primary river in Rome (5)

21 Salvador ___ : surrealist Spanish painter (4)

22 Number of people in a cricket team (6)

23 Short-winged diving seabird (3)

24 Nursery rhyme bush (8)

Sudoku

25 City in the west Netherlands (6)

Down

1 Eg garlic or onion (6)

2 ___ Cotton: TV presenter and author (6)

3 Fruits grown on palm trees (5)

4 Leo ___ : author of War and Peace (7)

5 Desert in southern Africa (8)

6 Country whose President is Emmanuel Macron (6)

12 Official currency of China (8)

14 Brisk tempo (music) (7)

16 Person in Greek myth who flew too close to the sun (6)

18 Richie___: Australian cricketer and commentator (6)

19 Ian ___: Scottish writer of the Inspector Rebus novels (6)

20 ___ Streep: Mamma Mia! actress (5)

Across 1 - ___ the Great: King of Wessex who fought the Vikings (6)

7 - ___ constant: number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance (8)

8 - Mauna ___ : Hawaiian volcano (3)

9 - Peter Paul ___ : Flemish painter (6)

10 - Thomas ___ : composer of Rule, Britannia! (4) 11 - Mike ___ : actor who played Austin Powers (5) 13 - Star Trek ship (7) 15 - Self-playing musical instrument (7) 17 - River that flows through Rome (5)

21 - Salvador ___ : surrealist Spanish painter (4)

22 - Number of people in a cricket team (6)

23 - Short-winged diving seabird (3)

24 - Nursery rhyme bush (8)

25 - City in the west Netherlands (6)

Down

1 - Eg garlic or onion (6)

2 - ___ Cotton: TV presenter and author (6)

Sudoku solutions will feature on this page next issue.

3 - Fruits grown on palm trees (5)

4 - Leo ___ : author of War and Peace (7)

5 - Desert in southern Africa (8)

6 - Country whose President is Emmanuel Macron

12 - Official currency of China (8)

14 - At a brisk tempo (music) (7)

16 - Person in Greek mythology who flew too close

18 - Richie ___ : Australian cricketer and commentator

19 - Ian ___ : Scottish writer of the Inspector Rebus

20 - ___ Streep: Mamma Mia! actress (5)

Prize crossword

WIN!

A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

Across 9 Dreadful chore connected with arts backing for musicians group (9)

10 Being a bit pushy enables this animal to scavenge successfully! (5)

11 Units of study seldom returned with universal content (7)

12 Midlands university has serious conflict with Scottish fishing port (7)

13 Georgia joins me for tennis, maybe (4)

14 Wasn’t Doris moving about on the floor below? (10)

17 Newspaper article after EU break-up (7)

18 Doctor seen wandering around Germany – here? (7)

20 Unusually I represent bold resourcefulness (10)

23 James is good in French and top in Design! (4)

25 Highly educated Shakespearean King – Edward, in short (7)

26 They enjoy a book – possibly dreariest without it (7)

28 Determination to succeed with Verdi translation (5)

29 Move back and forth, breaking local ties (9)

Down

1 Class in favour of end of term! (4)

2 A chartered accountant aimed upwards to the world of learning (8)

3 Part of Stoke Elementary becomes a university (5)

4 Medical instrument is too strange – copes somehow (8)

5 Unfinished drawing altered by Cambridge college (6)

6 Teach Iris about fund-raising organisations (9)

7 Twins hide in college minibus (6)

8 Colonel perhaps was in charge of King’s initially (4)

13 Blunder in showing affection (5)

The winner and solution of this prize crossword will feature on this page next issue.

15 Say ‘on hold’ regularly to gathering of clergy (5)

16 Faithfully promise to arrange UEA grant before end of June (9)

18 Poor C grade is ignominy (8)

19 Co-eds in a muddle concerning cathedral matters (8)

21 Gastric trouble, no end of gas – very distressing! (6)

22 The rod becomes distorted when extremely warm (3-3)

24 End of roof beginning to bend in strong wind (5)

25 Boys start looking at domestic science (4)

27 Observes ends of lessons, like some inspectors (4)

Send your completed crossword, with your contact details, to: July/August crossword, Educate, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD, or email a photographed copy to crossword@neu.org.uk. Closing date: 31 July.

This issue’s quick crossword solution (p48)

The terrible cost of not funding speech support

Fact file

Jane Harris is chief executive at Speech and Language UK. Visit speechand language.org.uk

ACROSS the country, in classrooms filled with chatter and learning, there are children who are bright and eager to participate but can’t understand what is being said, or find the words to be able to join in.

Two million children are currently struggling with speech and language challenges – a 35 per cent surge in three years. These are the children sitting quietly at the back, the pupils who grow frustrated when they can’t express what they’re thinking, the students teachers worry about but don’t always know how to help.

34% of SEND pupils

Children with speech and language challenges now make up the largest group with special educational needs and disabilities, accounting for 34 per cent of the total. They are six times more likely to fall behind in English and 11 times more likely to struggle with maths by age 11. Perhaps most troubling of all, they are at greater risk of developing mental health problems and make up two-thirds of the young offender population.

When children cannot effectively express their thoughts, understand instructions or engage properly with their peers and teachers, frustration builds. Behaviour deteriorates. Learning suffers. What begins as a speech and language challenge cascades into isolation, anxiety and a life left off track.

Teachers are doing their absolute best with classes full of children, not enough support and far too little time. Parents find themselves jumping through hoops, searching for information about how to help their child.

Specialist teaching, adapted curriculum

The government’s latest proposals miss the mark entirely. The support programmes being announced have not been designed

for the million-plus children needing them. Programmes like Early language support for every child or the Nuffield Early language intervention were never designed for children with lifelong speech and language challenges.

More speech and language therapy in schools is welcome and could help children with developmental language disorder, but will never be enough for children with complex speech and language challenges. They need specialist teaching, an adapted curriculum, specialist pedagogical approaches and often occupational or physiotherapy, as well as access to technology. None of these programmes provide this.

Meanwhile, Labour’s decision not to renew funding for the early years professional development programme will hit the youngest children hardest – when early intervention could make the biggest difference.

Every educator needs proper training and resources to support children with speech and language challenges. We need early intervention, not waiting lists that stretch for months, while children fall further behind. We need specialist provision for the hundreds of thousands of children with complex speech and language challenges. We know firsthand that when these children receive proper support, the outcomes are life-changing.

Investment needed for early support

At Speech and Language UK, we deliver targeted support at scale. This includes Tots Talking, a programme that helps parents support their children’s speech and language development; Talk Boost, an evidence-based group intervention; and Early Talk, a training programme that gives practitioners everything they need to know about speech and language development.

We also train staff in primary and secondary schools through programmes that support older children and help teachers adapt their everyday practice. Our two special schools change children’s lives – with almost every student from our secondary school in Nottinghamshire, Dawn House, going on to education, employment and training.

What makes this crisis so solvable is that the solutions and expertise already exist, and the economic argument is clear. Speech and language therapists know what works. Educators are working tirelessly and want to support. Families are ready to help their children. What’s missing is the political leadership willing to fund and co-ordinate proper help.

The cost of inaction far outweighs the investment required for proper early support. We know how to fix this. The question is whether the government will choose to.

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