THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
OCTOBER 2014 £2.50
MANAGING THE CAREERS MAZE
Young people are being let down by the current state of careers guidance
PAY
MONEY MATTERS
Advice on changes to teachers’ pay in England and Wales
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O FST E D
CHANGE OF HEART
Mary Bousted on Ofsted’s claims it is moving in a different direction
UNIONS
SPEAKING TOGETHER
The challenges posed to staff and unions by education policy
22/09/2014 14:41
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Contents UPFRONT
Y O U R AT L
4 UPDATE
21 USEFUL CONTACTS
9 AGENDA
GUIDE
ATL calls for a ‘fit and proper persons’ test for school managers, and warns that the new curriculum has been rushed in
How to get in touch with ATL
23
ATL advice on the latest changes to teachers’ pay in England and Wales
Mary Bousted on Ofsted’s changes and charm offensive
25
The view from…
11 WALES AND
LEGAL ADVICE
Guidance on the rights of expectant and new mothers at work
NORTHERN IRELAND
26
Philip Dixon on FE registration and Mark Langhammer on education spending
YOUR VIEWS
ATL members on SEN and the dangers of personal opinions
F E AT U R E S
Spotlight on…
27
CROSSWORD
Your chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
12 CAREERS GUIDANCE
A lack of careers advice and guidance is failing young people
16 IN PROFILE
Professor Howard Stevenson on the challenges facing unions
19 JOIN THE DEBATE
Do you have emotional resilience?
Report is the magazine from ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD Tel 020 7930 6441 Fax 020 7930 1359 Email report@atl.org.uk or membership@atl.org.uk Website www.atl.org.uk Editors Alex Tomlin, Charlotte Tamvakis Report is produced and designed for ATL by Think Publishing, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL Tel 020 8962 3020 Email info@thinkpublishing.co.uk Production editor Laura Evans Art director Darren Endicott Designer Nikki Ackerman Advertising sales Michael Coulsey, 020 8962 3020 Account manager Kieran Paul Managing director Polly Arnold
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28
NOTICEBOARD
Information, events and opportunities to get involved
29
YOUR RESOURCES
The new ELM magazine and CPD on offer to members
30
FINAL WORD
TV chef Rosemary Shrager on the value of apprenticeships
ATL accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication. While every reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, ATL can give no assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances. The views expressed in articles in Report are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect
ATL policy. Official policy statements issued on behalf of ATL are indicated as such. All rights reserved. Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of ATL. Cover illustration: Zara Picken
Welcome MARK BAKER, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, ATL It is a delight indeed to welcome you to October’s Report. I know the work will already be piling on as we do our all for children and young people; we’re racing through the autumn term with the summer but a distant memory. However, something to give us some cheer, and which may help to ease the burden a little, is ATL’s www.acurriculumthatcounts.org.uk website. Not only is it a place full of ideas and resources, but it reminds us why we entered our profession: to work together, to share and to celebrate. There are some fantastic ideas, so why not make a contribution yourself? It’s difficult to ignore that politicians have already turned their attention to the next election, so I can remind you of ATL’s education manifesto and the window of opportunity we have, as a profession, to influence what is right for education. If you’ve not yet had a chance to look, go to www.atl.org.uk/manifesto. Created from what you, our members, told us, it makes eminent sense and gives us some laudable principles that allow us to raise our own expectations of the policy-makers to deliver. Get involved where you can. Along with great articles on the crisis in careers provision and apprenticeships, Report brings you the views of Professor Howard Stevenson on the challenges facing education unions. Coming, as I do, from Rochdale, the home of the cooperative movement, it’s food for thought, and if we reflect on the work of the Rochdale Pioneers, there’s a lot that can be achieved when we all stand together.
JOIN THE DEBATE…
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
24/09/2014 11:18
U P D AT E
IN WORDS
“MANY ATL MEMBERS ARE CONTINUING TO FEEL THE IMPACT OF THE FINANCIAL DOWNTURN”
IN BRIEF
Academy and free school warnings Recent findings on the Government’s flagship programme are a cause for concern ATL has warned that a middle tier between Government and schools is becoming more urgent, after a major academy chain was heavily criticised by Ofsted because too many of its pupils are not getting a decent education. Ofsted inspectors visited 12 academies run by the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) in June and found that only five had improved since their previous inspection. They concluded: “Too many pupils in the Trust are not receiving a good enough education.” Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: “How could AET be allowed to expand its academy chain so rapidly without proper checks and balances to ensure it was able to support its schools? And who were the parents of the pupils meant to turn to if they had concerns about the quality of education provided? “The need for a middle tier between Government and schools is becoming more urgent as more examples of inadequate academy chains come to light. Pupils get only one chance to receive a good education.” 4 REPORT | OCTOBER 2014
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Meanwhile, new findings from the Sutton Trust showed varying success for the academy model, and that academy chains are still not taking the most disadvantaged children, while a report from the Institute of Education showed free schools are failing to serve the neediest children in their areas. It found schools in the flagship programme are opening in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, but are taking fewer poor children – those receiving free meals – than other local schools. Dr Bousted said: “Free schools have brought in selection by the back door and have become the elite institutions we feared they would be, dominated by children with the pushiest parents. Even where free schools have opened in deprived areas, they are still not taking the most disadvantaged children. This blows out one of the Government’s main rationales for free schools – that they would help poorer children. And even worse, the Government is depriving other schools and their pupils of large amounts of money to fund the opening of free schools.”
BARGAINING SUCCESS ATL members secured a successful deal in their first pay negotiations at their independent school. After members at Bristol Grammar School gained statutory recognition in September 2013, which gave teaching staff collective negotiating rights, they secured a cost-of-living rise of 2.7% to match RPI inflation for all staff. They also secured an enhancement of maternity pay from the statutory minimum, to a much better deal than provision in the maintained sector. Sara Bassett, ATL’s rep at the school and the union’s 2014 workplace rep of the year, said: “Our membership is very pleased with the outcome and so many staff have said just how happy they are that we pursued recognition and won it.”
JOIN THE DEBATE… report@atl.org.uk
@ATLReport
facebook.com/ ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
RECESSION IMPACT STILL BEING FELT ATL seeks redundancy pay for members following independent school closures Despite a recovering economy and reports of pupil numbers in independent schools returning to pre-recession levels, many ATL members in the sector are continuing to feel the impact of the financial downturn. Recent closures include St Hilda’s School in Westcliffon-Sea, Essex, where ATL is seeking redundancy payouts for 40 staff who lost their jobs with no notice, and Newlands School in Seaford, East Sussex, where the union is also working to ensure ATL members receive what they are due. John Richardson, ATL’s national official for the independent sector, said: “The independent sector can perhaps be seen as a microcosm of the country as a whole, where the economic recovery is centred on London and the south east. Many independent schools in the north of England are struggling with pupil numbers, as are girls’ schools and prep schools, and even then we are still seeing closures in the south east. “While the Independent Schools Council reports that pupil numbers have now returned to their pre-recession level, the impact of recession is still being felt by our members in the sector. ATL will robustly support members in any school that closes and ensure that they get any payments and redundancy pay they are due.” WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
22/09/2014 14:41
UPDATE
IN NUMBERS
“WE ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CLOSING OVERNIGHT”
‘Fit and proper persons’ test
89%
IN BRIEF
A robust check and financial audits are essential for school owners and managers, ATL has warned Anyone owning or managing a school must be subject to a robust ‘fit and proper persons’ test and schools’ financial management must be regularly audited, ATL told the Government during a consultation on school standards. While ATL welcomed some of the proposals to ensure the suitability of independent, academy and free school proprietors, it believes the criteria proposed are not comprehensive enough. ATL’s national official for the independent sector, John Richardson, said: “We are really concerned about independent schools closing overnight, and the mismanagement that leads up to this. There are already such tests for directors of NHS providers and football clubs. ATL is also unhappy this consultation has been conducted
over the summer, when schools are shut.” The Government proposals also include changes to address extremism through teaching and curriculum content, and promotion of provisions of the Equality Act 2010 and fundamental British values. Mr Richardson added: “Implementation of the Public Sector Equality Duty is the best way to ensure the principles of equality and diversity are reinforced in schools. We are also concerned about the subjective definition of fundamental British values, and think it is misleading to introduce an eventual duty to promote them in maintained schools through a rushed consultation on independent school standards.” The Government is due to announce the new standards and updated guidance to maintained schools this autumn.
MAKING SCHOOLS SAFER ATL’s Safer Schools network brings together the expertise of leading organisations, practitioners and academics in one place to signpost education professionals, young people and parents to resources, debates and support, so they can discuss and learn about a range of issues affecting young people. Whether you want to know more about female genital mutilation (FGM), tackling Islamophobia or the prevalence of sexting in schools, our Safer Schools network can point you in the right direction – see www.saferschools.org.uk.
NEW CURRICULUM CONCERNS Less than a quarter of teachers feel their school is prepared Four in five education staff have not had enough time to implement changes to the curriculum, according to a survey by ATL and ITV ahead of the new school year. Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary for policy at ATL, said: “It is shocking, but not surprising, to find that less than a quarter of teachers feel their school is prepared to teach the new curriculum. The Government has rushed through the biggest change to the national curriculum in a decade,
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with key changes to English and maths at primary level, and as a result, nearly 81% of teachers said they hadn’t had enough time to implement the changes.” ATL also believes removing assessment levels from the curriculum is a worry for teachers, particularly as support offered by the Government has happened too late. Ms Ellis added: “Teachers slammed the Department for Education’s
of teachers described the Department for Education’s implementation of the new curriculum as chaotic or flawed
implementation of the new curriculum, with nearly 89% describing it as chaotic or flawed. Children face an uncertain time as their teachers try to make sense of the new curriculum. Our advice to members is to use your judgement to adapt and evolve your school curriculum.” See www.acurriculumthatcounts. org.uk for case studies and tweet your ideas, questions and comments using #acurriculumthatcounts.
FE PAY UPDATE Following consultation in June and July, ATL has agreed to accept pay offers for the FE and sixth form college sectors of one per cent for 2014-15, with slightly more for lower-paid staff in FE colleges. Some other unions in these sectors are consulting over these offers from the Association of Colleges and the Sixth Form Colleges Association. ATL’s national official for the post-16 sector, Norman Crowther, said: “ATL will be looking to improve member pay as the economy grows, and will support calls for better funding for colleges, including sixth forms, in the run-up to the election.” Implementation of the increase was yet to be announced at the time of going to press. For more information, see www.atl.org.uk/ fepaybackground. NEW OFSTED CHAIR ATL’s general secretary has welcomed the new chair of Ofsted into what she described as a “difficult role”. Dr Bousted said: “David Hoare has already shown a positive interest in the development of children through his recent work. He quickly needs to address the pressure placed on teachers from the current Ofsted regime, which is in disarray with questionable quality control processes. “He also needs to remember that schools are not businesses, and shouldn’t become businesses.” OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 5
24/09/2014 11:18
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22/09/2014 13:46 11:49 24/02/2014
IN PIC TURES
UPDATE
Profit and Ofsted warnings 4 Fiona Mactaggart MP and ATL president Mark Baker at last month’s reception
Education bosses: step up, or step away
PHOTO: SARAH TURTON
Education secretaries need to up their game and listen to professionals, or step away to avoid damaging children’s chances, says ATL’s new president Mark Baker set out his priorities for the year ahead at the president’s reception in London in September. “Up your game, and listen to those who know” was his message for the current secretary of state for education, Nicky Morgan, and her successors. He continued: “I say to policymakers, if you can’t deliver on the curriculum, on assessment and on inspection, then step away – you’re damaging the life chances of too many.” Education secretaries need to offer “a balanced and effective curriculum that meets the needs of all our children and young people”, he said, “not one that seeks to recreate your youth and fails to meet the needs of so many”. Mr Baker said it does not matter who the education secretary is if they continue the “endless round of upheaval and flawed policies”. He said governments’ “endless initiatives and countless reorganisations” have been major distractions from “our WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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really important work – to inspire, make learning fun and interesting, and support and help children feel secure”. He continued: “Mr Gove’s ideology, now his legacy, belongs to a time gone by and is not fit for the 21st century, with his narrow, academic curriculum more at home in the 19th century. There should be no place for an ideology where it doesn’t matter that children are different and learn in different ways. Schools should not be forced to focus only on the children who will provide the best returns, to the exclusion of the others.” Education matters because the life chances of young people rely on successful teaching and learning, he said, concluding: “It matters that young people have a stake in society, for their fulfilment in life, their role as citizens and everyone’s prosperity.” You can read Mr Baker’s speech in full at www.atl.org.uk/ presidentspeech. ATL’s manifesto is at www.atl.org.uk/manifesto.
IN BRIEF
SHAPING DEBATE ATL is holding a series of debates on critical issues facing the education sector in the coming months. Each event will see key figures from across industry, education and politics discuss subjects central to education. The first debate, in November, will look at the question of profit-making in education. Find out more about the events and how to follow the debate on Twitter at www.atl.org.uk/ shapeeducation. PARTY CONFERENCES ATL took part in a series of education ‘Question Time’ events on education issues at the party political conferences in September and early October. ATL’s general secretary Mary Bousted took part in discussions at the debates at the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat conferences, which were jointly organised with the NUT and were also attended by ATL’s president Mark Baker and vice president Kim Knappett.
A new model for school inspection and state funding for public services not to be for private gain were the issues highlighted by ATL at TUC Congress. Delegates in Liverpool last month heard ATL general secretary Mary Bousted propose a motion outlining conflicts of interest among academy board trustees and demanding a transparent and equitable funding system for all statefunded schools. “The evidence shows spending vast amounts on the creation of academies and free schools is a colossal waste of money,” she said. “The Institute of Education finds there is no evidence increased parental choice and school autonomy are effective ways of improving the educational attainment of children from poor backgrounds.” ATL president Mark Baker called for a new model for school inspection. He said Ofsted is “subject to political interference and is the enforcer of Government policy”, and has no adequate systems to achieve consistency. He added: “We fear Ofsted has become a damaged brand, which hinders the progress of children and young people. The longer we delude ourselves that schools are effectively inspected, the greater the damage.” The motion called for a new model of inspection based, among other things, on independence from ministerial and private sector interests, collaboration and support, the valuing of professional expertise and fairness, and consistency and transparency in judgements. Both motions were carried. ATL’s education manifesto is at www.atl.org.uk/manifesto. OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 7
24/09/2014 11:19
Introducing the new FFT Aspire FFT Aspire is the new reporting and data tool for schools, LAs and Academy Trusts. It provides key target setting and self-evaluation information using the latest curriculum and accountability measures – ideal for in-depth planning, analysis and preparation for Ofsted and Estyn inspections. FFT Aspire is very user friendly, presenting complex data in a way that can be easily understood and interpreted, supporting the roles of key staff in schools. •
FFT provides you with access to three high-quality self evaluation reports – our School/SLT Dashboard, Subject Dashboard, and the Governor Dashboard – early in the autumn term, when it’s impact is greatest.
•
Dashboard reporting available at all Key Stages - designed for teachers, department heads, assessment co-ordinators, senior leaders and governors.
•
Print off pre-defined dashboards or use ‘interactive’ dashboards to undertake more detailed analyses.
•
Sophisticated but simplified benchmark system allows you to control the level of challenge for your pupils, subjects and schools – choose from average, high or very high benchmarks.
•
New FFT ‘intelligent’ benchmarks use past performance at your own school to support target setting which is challenging and realistic.
•
Import new students, subjects and teaching group information from your MIS and get immediate access to targets for all of your pupils.
•
Export FFT benchmark estimates and pupil targets from FFT for in-year pupil tracking. Our new data integration function enables you to allow pre-population of target data and choose whether users can amend targets. You can also control the level of challenge by selecting default benchmark settings.
•
New collaboration module: securely share school level performance data to support joint school working and sharing of best practice. Collaboration allows outstanding schools to evaluate their success in supporting other schools and you can find schools with similar issues to share learning outcomes and build alliances.
•
New Student Explorer: provides full pupil history and includes opportunities and alerts indicators, helping schools to recognise pupil potential and support effective intervention strategies.
•
We always use the latest datasets available from the DfE and Welsh Government.
2013
Self Valley Secondary Self Evaluation: School Dashboard Summary
Attainment & achievement
Pupil groups
Subjects
Pupil premium
% 5+ A*-C incl Eng & Maths
FFT Rank
80
60
Actual Results
2011
Your School Similar Schools…
National Average…
Low
40
60%
31
70%
80%
Significantly above the national average (57%)
20 High
Average Point Score (best 8)
340 FFT Rank
Your School Similar Schools National Average 60%
Low
80
60
40
55
20 High
65%
70%
75%
80%
In line with the the national average (342)
Pupil Progress – Achievement (2013) % 5+ A*-C incl Eng & Maths FFT Rank
Low
80
60
40
18
20 High
Average Point Score (best 8) FFT Rank
Low
80
60
40
20 High
92
Indicators
Filters
o Dashboard (PDF) o Table data (Excel)
CVA
School context
Export
Key Stage 4 Performance Summary
Pupil results – Attainment (2013)
62%
KS4
VA
Pupil list
+ 6% Significantly above the national average (zero)
- 10 pts Significantly below the national average (zero)
2012
Pupil Progress (Act vs Est)
2013
2011
2012
2013
Number of Pupils (% match)
150
154
155
95%
95%
95%
% 5+ A*-C (incl Eng & Maths)
53%
57%
62%
-9%
-2%
4%
Average Point Score (best 8)
12
-10
C-
C-
C+
0.3
0.3
-0.2
% achieving 5+ A*-A grades
10%
303
10%
15%
-5%
-4%
1%
% English Baccalaureate
21%
16%
23%
-5%
-10%
-3%
English: % 3 Levels Progress
71%
71%
78%
-2%
-2%
1%
English: % 4 Levels Progress
26%
28%
34%
-8%
-9%
Average Grade (GCSE, best 8)
320
340
10
Maths: % 3 Levels Progress
71%
71%
78%
-2%
1%
Maths: % 4 Levels Progress
26%
28%
34%
-8%
-9%
% 5+ A*-C incl English & Maths 65% 63% 61% 59% 57% 55% 53% 51% 49% 47% 45%
-1%
1%
-1%
Average Point Score (best 8 subjects) 350 340
School
330
FFT Rank
Low
80
60
40
20
High
43
320
Similar Schools
310 300
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
290
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National Average
To receive our free overview pack on FFT Aspire, please email hello@fft.org.uk To subscribe to FFT Aspire, or to see case studies of how other schools are using FFT Aspire, please visit www.fft.org.uk
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AGENDA
YOU MAY HAVE noticed Ofsted mounting something of a charm offensive lately. Michael Wilshaw and his deputy, Mike Cladingbowl, want to convince Ofsted’s many vocal critics that inspections are going to be different. No longer is Ofsted going to grade individual teachers on 20-minute lesson observations. In future, we are told, judgements on teaching quality will be based on evidence from observations, supplemented by evidence of the quality of pupils’ work, learning walks and the judgements of senior staff. In addition, Michael Wilshaw has promised less ‘boom and bust’ by reforming the way ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools are inspected, and going into ‘good’ schools more regularly to have a dialogue with heads and teachers. Only when it sees a ‘steep decline’ will it call for a full section 5 inspection. All this sounds very promising. And while I have no desire to cast doubt on the attempts to improve its inspection process, I must add a note of caution. The fact remains Ofsted will continue to outsource its work to additional inspectors. Even when Capita, Serco and Tribal’s contracts end next year, Ofsted will not directly employ its additional inspectors – they will be independent consultants. And while it is true Ofsted will train its additional inspectors directly, an improvement to the current system where they are left to the tender mercies of their private sector employers, the systemic problems in assuring the reliability and consistency of the judgements of its inspections teams will remain. Remember why Ofsted moved to a tick-box approach to lesson observations, and why a thriving industry of private training providers showing how to get a grade 1 lesson observation was created. Ofsted had to have a tick-box approach (introduction, tick; group work, tick…) in order to defend its additional inspectors’ decisions. Without tick-boxes many would be left without a framework to make legitimate judgements. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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A new dawn for Ofsted? ATL general secretary Mary Bousted applauds Ofsted’s intentions to improve its inspections but offers a note of caution about the scale of the task it faces This is where they will be left with Ofsted’s new stance. While I applaud its desire to reflect the complexity of the pedagogical approaches of teachers employing different approaches to teaching, differentiation and assessment, to do so would require a quantum change in its approach. It would take a massive uplift in the quality of its additional inspectors and such a transformation is not within Ofsted’s financial capacity because the training would need to be extensive, intensive and ongoing. Nor does Ofsted’s new stance address the fatal flaw in its approach to inspection: the underlying rationale that it has the knowledge
JOIN THE DEBATE… Can Ofsted change its spots? What would you like to see in the inspection system? Let us know at report@atl.org.uk.
to make judgements on school quality. It bases its inspection methodology on this: swooping into a school, examining data, observing teaching and interviewing the leadership. School leaders, whose jobs are as secure as their next Ofsted grade, play it safe, gold-plating their presentation of the school and creating volumes of busywork that result in teachers working 60 hours a week, every week of the teaching year. This is an intolerable workload built upon bureaucracy that distracts from the complex task of raising standards. Ofsted’s message to schools is: work your socks off, and then we will come in and tell you whether you are doing the right thing. The effect upon the profession is destabilising and demeaning. That is why ATL’s motion to TUC Congress this year (see page 7) called for a new approach to school accountability. It asserts accountability is essential but educational standards would improve with a less-pressured, local inspection system quality assured by a national agency, using up-to-date experience of classroom teaching and best practice inspection. With the involvement of current teachers, judgements would be better understood and improvement plans would be relevant and effectively supported. ATL is working with members to develop a new model for inspection that is rigorous, values professional expertise and empowerment, fosters mutual respect, and which underpins fairness, consistency and transparency in judgements, collating stakeholder perceptions and dealing in a transparent and equitable way with complaints against both schools and the inspection process. Ofsted has had 20 years to get its quality control problems corrected. It has failed to do so. Ofsted lacks the credibility and resolve to take the radical action needed to clean up its act. We must keep exposing its fundamental flaws until schools and colleges in England get the quality assurance system their professionalism deserves. OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 9
22/09/2014 14:41
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22/09/2014 11:49
THE VIEW FROM… WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
Wales
Northern Ireland
DR PHILIP DIXON
MARK LANGHAMMER
Have your say on the future registration fees of the Education Workforce Council
The crisis facing education spending: are we ditching Simon?
FROM APRIL 2015, all FE lecturers will need to be registered with the newly established Education Workforce Council. They will join their school-based colleagues who have had to register with the General Teaching Council for well over a decade. By April 2016, all support staff in both schools and colleges will be required to register as well. Those who do not will not be able to work in maintained schools or FE colleges in Wales. In common with schoolteachers, these new registrants will have to pay a fee to be registered. There will be no opt-out and no exceptions: that fee, wherever you work and whatever you do, will be taken from your wages.
In 2015, to ensure parity between schools and colleges, the Welsh Government proposes the flat rate fee for teachers and lecturers will be £18. But it acknowledges the fee will hike considerably in the following year. The Welsh Government has begun a consultation, which ends next month, about various models the new fee regime could take in 2016. They range from all staff – from heads to TAs – paying a flat rate of £49 per year to a model that tries to accommodate the differences of salary within the workforce. The Government’s preferred option is that teachers in both schools and FE pay £62, while support staff pay £30. I suspect by now that you have very definite views about this fee – and that is why we are surveying members about their views. Please take part in ATL’s consultation on this matter – see www.atl.org.uk/surveys (paper copies available on request). The higher our response rate, the more clout we will have in negotiations.
AS I WRITE, the devolved settlement stands on the precipice of collapse. The Westminster Government has threatened a levy of £87 million if the Stormont Executive does not impose a version of the coalition’s welfare reforms. There is no unanimity within the Executive to do so. This year’s Stormont ‘block grant’ was cut by £78 million. Whether the Executive implements reforms through budgetary cuts or they are levied through a fine amounts to the same thing: both options will suck money out of an economy barely in recovery. While the schools budget may be protected to a degree, the FE budget will be hit disproportionately. Technically, budgets for devolved matters such as education are governed by departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and fall within the scope of the Barnett formula. Welfare, however, is classified as annually managed expenditure (AME) and is directly funded by the Treasury. Parity was defined in 1938 by the then Chancellor of the
Exchequer Sir John Simon, who stated that in the event of “a deficit on the Northern Ireland budget that was not the result of a standard of social expenditure higher than that of Great Britain nor the result of a standard of taxation lower than that of Great Britain”, the UK Government would “make good this deficit in such a way as to ensure Northern Ireland should be in a financial position to enjoy the same social services and to have the same standards as Britain”. The current stand-off, with DEL finance supplementing AME on welfare, could represent a fundamental and unprecedented breach of parity, with unintended consequences in the future. Are we really ditching Simon?
Check out ATL’s curriculum website
Find out more about the changes to the curriculum, view our video case studies of schools taking new approaches to the curriculum, access resources and take part in the conversation about the curriculum.
acurriculumthatcounts.org.uk WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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#acurriculumthatcounts OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 11
22/09/2014 15:08
SPOTLIGHT ON… CAREERS GUIDANCE
Bridging the careers gap CAREERS ADVICE AND GUIDANCE IN ENGLAND IS IN BAD SHAPE. ALEX TOMLIN ASKS WHAT CAN BE DONE TO TURN THINGS AROUND A BLACK HOLE, on life support, a national scandal, in severe crisis – just a few of the worrying verdicts that have been made on careers guidance in England’s schools and colleges over the past year. In November last year a survey by business group CBI revealed “a yawning gap between the careers guidance essential to the future of our young people and what they are actually receiving”. The vast majority (93%) said they are not provided with all the information they need to make informed choices on their future career. In August this year, a survey from community website The Student Room found the majority cannot get on to a course, have had to return to study or cannot pursue certain careers because they didn’t pick the ‘right’ subjects aged 16 to 18. ATL’s own survey of members in July, carried out in conjunction with Barclays LifeSkills, shows 45.6% feel careers guidance is worse now than before changes made by the coalition Government, while 18.7% believe it has stayed the same but is still not good.
What is wrong? In 2011, the national careers service Connexions began to disintegrate after the Government cut its annual grant to local authorities for the service in
2010. Then local councils were told they no longer needed to fund it from April 2012. Some services do still operate in areas where local funding has been continued, but most have closed. “The Connexions model does not work,” Conservative peer Lord Nash said during a House of Lords debate in July, adding: “Schools should have responsibility for careers advice because they know their pupils’ aptitudes, interests, passions, strengths and weaknesses.” Members have mixed feelings about the withdrawal of funds for Connexions. In our survey, one member told us: “Careers guidance has always been under-resourced and underappreciated, and, in the case of Connexions, focused on goals that are far too narrow. But the current system is an appalling travesty, not just missing the point that guidance is about helping people make good career decisions, but diverting school resources to a lip-service scheme that is wholly inadequate.” ATL policy adviser Adrian Prandle explains: “The Government was absolutely reckless, especially in a period of high youth unemployment, to scrap the careers service without providing a proper replacement. They were thinking about savings and not about how it could be provided effectively afterwards.”
GOOD CAREER GUIDANCE – EIGHT BENCHMARKS FROM THE GATSBY FOUNDATION 1. A stable careers understood by programme – pupils, parents, Every school teachers, and college governors and should have a employers. programme of 2. Learning from career education career and and guidance labour market that is known and information –
12 REPORT | OCTOBER 2014
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Every pupil, and 3. Addressing the their parents, needs of each should have pupil – Pupils access to have different good-quality career guidance information about needs at study options and different stages. labour market Opportunities opportunities. for advice and
support should be tailored to the needs of each pupil. 4. Linking curriculum learning to careers – All teachers should
link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of careers.
5. Encounters with employers and employees – Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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SPOTLIGHT ON… XXXX
GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE This brief for schools and colleges highlights the principles of effective CEIAG as evidenced and agreed by ATL with the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Foundation for Educational Research and the 157 Group. It outlines how to audit and establish your CEIAG priorities; how to put into practice your plans using some suggested methods and tools; and how to review, evaluate and revise your plan. See www.atl.org. uk/careers engagement.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ZARA PICKEN
“THE GOVERNMENT WAS ABSOLUTELY RECKLESS TO SCRAP THE CAREERS SERVICE IN A PERIOD OF HIGH YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT” At ATL’s 2013 Conference, member and careers adviser Laura Kisby told delegates: “At a time of shrinking budgets, heads and governors have to decide on their priorities. Careers guidance is not always top of the list! It is the students who suffer, at a time when they face ever-more complicated choices in school qualifications, university courses and career paths.” Laura proposed a motion that deplored “the absence of specific funding to schools and colleges to meet the statutory responsibility to ensure students have access to independent and impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance”, and which was duly passed by members. The term ‘careers education, information, advice and guidance’ (CEIAG) may not trip easily off the tongue, but it does illustrate that young people need a complex range of support. Simply mandating schools to do more (with the promised threat of greater Ofsted scrutiny hanging over their heads) and producing a careers website will not help, ATL believes.
about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities,
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including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes. 6. Experiences of workplaces – Every pupil should have
first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their
“A website and call centre are no substitute for face-to-face advice,” says Adrian, “and even with the will to succeed, schools and colleges cannot be expected to fill the gap alone when they face severe pressures on time and money.” ATL’s survey shows members are willing, but are not best equipped, to provide comprehensive careers guidance. More than two thirds (67.2%) said teachers have the desire to provide CEIAG in some form, but only half (50.1%) felt they have the ability, only 34% the knowledge and less than a quarter (23.3%) the time to provide it. Teachers do know their pupils, but the majority do not have detailed knowledge about most careers outside of teaching. One member suggested students have an attitude of “Huh! They are just a teacher, what do they know about the real world?” Trying to offer CEIAG during such a time of change to the qualifications and curriculum landscape is also a barrier, members believe. “Constant change makes it difficult to maintain that knowledge when
exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks. 7. Encounters with further and higher education –
All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities available to them. This includes both academic and
3
vocational routes, and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace. 8. Personal guidance – Every pupil should have opportunities
for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level.
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 13
22/09/2014 15:06
GOLDSMITHS’ GRANT FOR TEACHERS
2015 GRANTS FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TEACHERS Take Time Out from the Classroom! The Goldsmiths’ Grants for Teachers provides an opportunity for teachers and headteachers to undertake a project of their choice, in UK or abroad, aimed at enhancing their personal and professional development. The Grant forms part of the long-term commitment of the Goldsmiths’ Company to support teachers and headteachers in the United Kingdom. Grants will cover travel, accommodation, materials costs, etc, up to a maximum of £3,000. In addition the Goldsmiths’ Company will pay a maximum of £2,000 supply cover to your school” For guidelines and further details visit our website: www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/charity-education/education/ or apply to: The Deputy Clerk, The Goldsmiths’ Company Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN
DON’T DELAY – APPLICATIONS MUST BE IN BY 1 DECEMBER 2014 The Goldsmith Company_ATL_ Sept14.indd 1
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SPOTLIGHT ON… CAREERS GUIDANCE
3
you have so many other priorities,” says Adrian. “Members think CEIAG is weakly supported through the curriculum, but they were very clear this is an issue of there not being enough time and opportunity.” Schools trying to do the best for themselves, rather than their students, is also seen as an issue by many members. “Schools are not impartial. They want to keep their students, not send them to more appropriate vocational providers,” was a typical comment. Others suggested bluntly that schools, under pressure from the accountability system, want to keep the highestachieving students, while shipping the lower achievers out. There was also a generally expressed belief that there is too much focus on getting students to university without really considering other destinations. “CEIAG needs people who can deliver it effectively,” says Adrian. “Both through trained professionals or good CPD that teachers and lecturers can tap into. A lot know they don’t have the knowledge themselves, but there’s a big gap as to where they can send pupils for help. They’re reluctant to just send them to a website.”
“EXPERIENCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR GETTING JOBS, BUT IT ALSO HELPS YOUNG PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO DO” How to make it better Adrian cites a recent report from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation as a useful reference for how careers guidance could be improved. The report, Good Career Guidance, by Sir John Holman, investigated six countries where research through talking to teachers, pupils and ministry officials shows both careers guidance and educational results are good. Researchers also visited five independent schools in England where careers guidance had been reported to be good. The report says saving one pupil from becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training) can fund significant CEIAG for 280 young people, and offers eight benchmarks of good careers guidance (see box on pages 12-13). ATL agrees with all these benchmarks, but the last, personal guidance, is particularly vital. Guaranteed faceto-face CEIAG for every young person needs to be reinstated – it is one of the key asks in our education manifesto ahead of the general election. Indeed, more than half (59%) of respondents in ATL’s survey said restoring guaranteed face-to-face guidance would improve CEIAG in England. This was narrowly topped by the 61.7% who want an end to the changes to qualifications and pathways that make it difficult to keep up, while providing more funding directly to schools (54%), providing more CPD for teachers (50.8%), ensuring there is a careers professional in every secondary school (48.9%) and making work experience compulsory (47%) were also cited as ways the Government could improve matters. Many members highlighted work experience and engagement with employers as vital to educating young people about their career options and showing what work is really like. “Students believe when they get out into the world, it will be just like WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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ATL’S EDUCATION MANIFESTO:
school or college: explicit instructions on how to do what they’re asked to do,” said one member. Adrian says: “Members expressed an interest in working with national employers, as well. They are very much in favour of work experience and internship opportunities. Experience is becoming ever more essential for getting jobs further down the line, but it also helps young people decide what they want to do. You want work experience that’s not a waste of time, giving experience and skills, and ideally following it up later, so it’s not an isolated occurrence.” There is willing on the business side, too, Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, says. “Business has its part to play, as our findings suggest a high level of interest from young people to engage with and spend time with employers to get ahead in their careers.” Adrian concludes: “There’s a sense in the survey that it’s always been a struggle, but some schools are still managing to offer good guidance and forge links with employers. But we’ve travelled even further from the universally effective service young people deserve and need. The Government must fund face-to-face careers guidance in schools and colleges, and facilitating proper partnership working with cross-sector responsibility is essential. “There’s a real willingness among our members to be a part of this. Members care and feel careers guidance is important, and it’s reassuring to know they see themselves as having some role. But we agree with them – it shouldn’t be them alone.”
JOIN THE DEBATE…
What do you think about the current state of careers guidance? What can be done to improve it? Let us know by emailing aprandle@atl.org.uk
Education is a vital route out of poverty and into decently paid employment. Too many young people are disadvantaged by cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance, the introduction of student loans and fees, and the abolition of the national careers service. We need to restore financial support and careers advice, so all young people have options as they move from school to further and higher education and into employment. You can see ATL’s manifesto ahead of the 2015 election and find out how to be part of our Shape Education campaign at www.atl.org.uk/ manifesto.
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 15
22/09/2014 14:51
IN PROFILE… HOWARD STEVENSON
A voice for the sector
Professor Howard Stevenson speaks to Charlotte Tamvakis about how education unions must rise to the challenges facing their members
16 REPORT | OCTOBER 2014
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where those staff concerned, for example, about bullying behaviour or improper conduct, can be too scared to speak out. He continues: “National pay scales have been effectively scrapped, performancerelated pay has been imposed in a wholly unhelpful way, there’s this culture where many people are afraid to express their opinion. The danger is we’re left with a whistleblowing culture in which people feel they can only say things by some sort of anonymous leak to the press. “Schools are such an important part of the fabric of our society; they must be about something more than helping young people compete in the labour market. Schools are about democracy and must be democratic.
those I work with, young teachers are having to work so hard, and they know they can’t keep that up.” Meanwhile, qualified status – deemed unnecessary by the current Government – gave a strong sense of professional identity. “‘I am a teacher’, and the badge for this was QTS, which gave you membership of the club and a strong sense of being part of, and proud of, your profession. This collective identity is important, but it becomes more difficult to forge in a working environment that is more heterogeneous,” he explains. The turnover of education staff is also a challenge for union membership. Where once it was a job for a working lifetime, the
“THERE’S A CULTURE WHERE MANY PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINION” They have to be about ideas, debate and challenge, and they’ve got to be about free thinking.” The move to uncouple schools from local authorities that started in the ’80s has gathered pace under the current Government’s academy and free school programme. While many schools have opened or transferred to academy status with good or consistent pay and conditions, some schools’ approaches have resulted in long negotiations with unions to secure improved deals for members. Stevenson says: “With academy chains becoming more and more important, you are going to see them want to change contracts, maybe quite significantly, so what teaching looks like could start to change.” He adds: “There’s an emerging view it’s not a job for your whole working life. In schools, such as
five-year average teaching career now means unions have to spend considerable time and money recruiting as the profession loses staff. With several unions competing for the same members, resources that could be used for representing and promoting the profession are instead used for marketing. Just as the Government has de-professionalised teaching, Stevenson believes it has also tried to marginalise education unions in England because they stand in the way of what they want. “You don’t get lurches in policy between governments in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland because there’s a more robust ongoing dialogue. In England, governments spend too much time talking to people who agree with them, who tell them what they want to hear,” he says.
PHOTO: SARAH TURTON
HOWARD STEVENSON started his first teaching post at a Leicestershire secondary school in the late 1980s, before an MA in his spare time led to a PhD and career as an education lecturer and researcher. And it was in the ’80s Stevenson believes the seeds of today’s education system were sown. “In 1988, the national curriculum was introduced; testing at seven, 11 and 14, as well as 16; league tables; and grant-maintained schools and city technology colleges, the forerunners of what we have now as academies and the first sign there was an intention to break up the system of schools based within local authorities,” he says. Now, more than 25 years on, he believes today’s system poses the most serious challenges yet to education staff and the ability of their unions to support them. Rapid changes by the coalition Government, most recently to curriculum and assessment, have brought increased workload and stress to heads and their staff. The pressure is compounded by competition from league tables coupled with a heavy-handed inspection regime. “Now, schools compete, parents choose and Ofsted acts as the body above all of that, deciding if a school is good or bad,” Stevenson explains. External pressure on schools to outperform each other is reflected in internal pressure in schools for staff to constantly prove they are getting better and better. Poorly managed performance pay reviews and classroom observations plus an increase in capability proceedings mean yet more casework for unions. This pressure on schools to act more like businesses has led to what Stevenson calls a “culture of fear”,
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IN PROFILE… HOWARD STEVENSON
“If you look at a country like Finland, and everybody does because it’s high-performing, it’s highperforming because it consciously reorganised its education system in a way that involved people, including the union. They developed a longterm view that was based on and built consensus.” In 1987, Stevenson’s first job was at a community college with strong links to the area, which provided education for all. “It was much more radical, innovative and dynamic than a lot of what you see today,” he says. “It annoys me we’re told teachers don’t like change, unions are an obstacle to change and local authorities are ‘one size fits all’; that was never the case – there has always been a lot of variation and innovation. “If teachers are to be treated as professionals, they’ve got to believe their views are important, and be part of the debate. But too often today they’re afraid to speak up, and that’s a major issue.” The hope lies in education staff, with unions supporting them, rediscovering their voice. “Despite all the problems,
IN BRIEF NAME Howard Stevenson AGE 51 WHEN DID YOU START TEACHING? 1987 CURRENT ROLE Director of research and professor of educational leadership and policy studies in the faculty of social sciences, University of Nottingham. RESEARCH INTERESTS Understanding the formation and development of education policy, educational management and teacher leadership, school and HE sector labour relations and investigation of teachers’ work through labour process analysis. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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there are always education staff doing great things, and teachers finding ways to do the right thing in spite of the difficulties.” He adds: “The challenge for unions is to help make this more visible, give teachers the confidence to raise the profile of that sort of work, and when people feel things aren’t right, give them the confidence to challenge that. You need the independent critical voice from the profession, and too often that’s been lacking.” The workforce must take responsibility for organising itself, recruiting new members and speaking out to influence decisionmakers. Yet Stevenson admits there are “all sorts of reason why teachers don’t get involved in unions” – they are very busy, they have caring responsibilities, or the meetings may be boring. “We all need to take responsibility, to participate and contribute to our unions so when they speak, they speak for the workforce.” Unions also need to work harder to engage and mobilise members, “so it’s not a passive process in which a small number of officials have conversations with a handful of politicians, but there’s the creation of a movement”. Stevenson sets the unions another challenge: “The education system is now highly fragmented; people feel much more isolated, and the unions compound the problem by being divided between themselves,” he says. So, not only is the workforce voice divided, but union resources are duplicated and stretched – and if the way forward for the profession is to come together, unions must work more closely together. “In their different ways, the education unions are all doing very similar things – trying to find ways to articulate a more optimistic vision of education and a better vision of what it is to be a teacher and work in a school, with the possibility of it being a sustainable and fulfilling career. “While I can see how multiple unions have coexisted, I don’t think it can be sustained. The challenges and threats facing the teaching profession and all staff in schools are too great. I think the unions have to find ways to work more effectively together. Teachers cannot afford to be isolated; their influence derives from their ability to speak collectively.” OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 17
22/09/2014 14:51
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JOIN THE DEBATE… RESILIENCE
Testing times ATL member, teacher, trainer and PhD researcher Fiona Birkbeck shares her views on the psychometric testing of trainee teachers and assessing their ‘emotional resilience’ MICHAEL GOVE was eager to shake up the teacher training system. As part of this shake-up, since September 2013, initial teacher training (ITT) providers must include behavioural assessment of trainee teachers as part of their selection, and potential teachers can be tested for their ‘resilience’. Trawl through the internet and you will find websites offering to ‘test’ applicants to ITT courses for their adaptability, their sensibleness and, above all, their ‘emotional resilience’. Pearson, Saville Consulting and others tell us their psychometric tests are being used by universities and colleges. Online questionnaires are used to show whether a candidate has, among other qualities, the necessary emotional resilience to cope with the pressures of working with children. Last year a spokesperson for what was then known as the Teaching Agency was reported as saying: “By screening applicants for a range of attributes and behavioural competencies considered essential to good teaching, we will reinforce what is already a rigorous selection process.” Sounds sensible so far. However, one of the implications of this personality testing is that whenever a negative event occurs, the focus will be on the teacher’s behaviour around the event. External factors, like time constraints or impossibly large groups, will be left unaddressed. Because seemingly it’s not the job, it’s the failing teacher with the ‘less resilient personality’ who will be the problem. And this is where my uneasiness with personality testing lies. Stress is definitely out: if you think you’ve got it, and you think it may be caused by external factors, such as sudden bureaucratic directives from above or under-socialised, overindulged pupils, well, you are wrong. You haven’t got stress – it’s just that you are probably not the right type to be a teacher; you are not resilient. But will the survivors of this test be more resilient, or will they just be the WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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“WILL THE SURVIVORS OF THIS TEST BE MORE RESILIENT, OR WILL THEY JUST BE THE PEOPLE LESS LIKELY TO COMPLAIN?” people less likely to complain when things become increasingly unmanageable? And as long as it looks okay, no one except the pupils will notice that it isn’t okay – not for a while, anyway. There will be classrooms where small moveable objects are flying around while the teacher sits calmly addressing one pupil’s individualised learning programme: resilient. There will be classrooms where kids are accessing their social life via mobile phones throughout the lesson and the teacher will smile and carry on demonstrating equations on the whiteboard: resilient. There will be confrontations where a teacher will mildly say: “I would rather you didn’t tell me to eff off”, and then walk
away down the corridor. Heart rate normal, breathing steady: resilient. Of course, resilience, although to be inbuilt in the new workforce, will still have to be maintained by offering a mentor to talk you through the worst of your experiences. In this brave new world, going to the mentor will be a mark of failure – your failure. Your practical problems won’t be solved by this mentor. Nobody will actually address them. If you are a middle manager, the bureaucratic nightmare that is your workload won’t be reduced. If you are a class teacher, the astonishing multilevel aspects of accountability – SMT, parent, child – won’t be removed. No, you will be expected to become even more resilient – resilient enough to cope with it all. You will leave your counselling session more able to put up with the least pleasant aspects of your job. Nobody will want to know your opinion of developments in your workplace – if you veer from a happy acceptance of the next assessment grid or the sudden inexplicable replacement of your whole syllabus with gobbledygook, you will be deemed to need more resilience training, as you are obviously not coping. You may think the school or college’s behaviour policy (or lack of it) or your leadership team may have some responsibility for the success of what happens in the classroom. Or you may even think that the Department for Education might take a smidgen of responsibility for reducing the number of support staff in schools. Or even ‘wider society’ should take some responsibility – but, no. If it all goes belly up, you are the one who is going to be sent to the resilience counsellor because you are not coping.
JOIN THE DEBATE…
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 19
24/09/2014 11:19
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YOUR ATL… CONTENTS AND CONTACTS
Your ATL EXPERT ADVICE, TEACHING TOOLS, MEMBER BENEFITS – AND YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY
IN THIS SECTION
25
LEGAL GUIDE
ATL solicitor Sharon Liburd explains the rights of new and expectant mothers at work
26
YOUR VIEWS
ATL members have their say on standing up for SEN and the dangers of personal opinions
27
CROSSWORD
Your chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
28
23
Guidance on the latest changes to teachers’ pay in England and Wales
“ATL argues that one per cent is insufficient to ensure teaching remains an attractive profession”
NOTICEBOARD
Including the opportunity to attend a TUC conference in 2015, and a date for your diary for members in the independent sector
29
RESOURCES
The newly redesigned ELM magazine and a focus on ATL’s ‘Creativity in the classroom’ course which promises to deliver brilliant classroom practice.
USEFUL CONTACTS If you need help with matters related to your employment, your first point of contact should be your school or college ATL rep, or your AMiE regional officer if you are a leadership member. You can also contact your local ATL branch for advice and support. If they are unable to help, contact ATL using these details: General enquiries: 020 7930 6441 info@atl.org.uk BELFAST: 028 9078 2020 ni@atl.org.uk CARDIFF: 029 2046 5000 cymru@atl.org.uk
Membership enquiries: 020 7782 1602 membership@atl.org.uk
AMiE MEMBERS: contact your regional officer (details at www.amie.atl.org.uk) or call the employment helpline on 01858 464171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk
ATL’s regional officials are available to speak to you about work problems Monday to Friday from 5pm to 7.30pm during term time.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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Pension enquiries: 020 7782 1600 Out-of-hours helpline: 020 7782 1612
If you are not a member of ATL and would like to join, please contact us on
0845 057 7000 (lo-call)
Personal injury claims:
0800 083 7285 Call Morrish Solicitors LLP, ATL’s appointed solicitors, or go to www.atlinjuryclaims.org.uk. This service is open to members and their families, subject to the rules of the scheme. TERMS OF ATL’S SUPPORT ARE OUTLINED IN OUR MEMBERS’ CHARTER, AVAILABLE VIA WWW.ATL.ORG.UK. WHEN EMAILING ATL FROM HOME, PLEASE INCLUDE EITHER YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER OR HOME POSTCODE TO HELP US DEAL WITH YOUR ENQUIRY MORE EFFICIENTLY.
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 21
22/09/2014 14:51
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RESOURCES
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www.shakespearecomics.com 22 REPORT | SEPTEMBER 2014 Shakespeare_ATL_Sept_14.indd 1
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WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
23/09/2014 09:39
GUIDE
Teachers’ pay from September 2014 ATL senior policy adviser Simon Stokes explains the latest changes to teachers’ pay SEPTEMBER SAW another set of changes to arrangements for determining teachers’ pay in maintained schools in England and Wales. The changes may also affect you if you work in an academy, independent or free school that is following the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.
Cost-of-living increase The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) has remained within the one per cent public sector pay limit imposed by the Treasury. In its evidence to the STRB, ATL argued that one per cent is insufficient to ensure teaching remains an attractive profession, to both those already serving as teachers and graduates embarking on their career. Teachers’ salaries have fallen at least 12% behind inflation since 2010. In its recent reports, the STRB recognised the potential for a crisis in teacher supply because starting salaries and progression potential are worse for teachers than many other graduate professions. ATL believes this position will not improve as other professions begin to benefit from any upturn in the economy. The need for teachers will also increase in the coming years as the projected pupil population increase materialises.
Reference pay scales In 2013 the STRB replaced the main and upper pay scales with a minimum and maximum salary, and this year it did the same with the leadership pay spine. The STRB recommended a reference pay scale is published to give teachers a benchmark so they can measure their pay against that of other teachers at a similar career stage. In schools that have adopted the reference pay scales – and ATL believes more than 80% of schools have – the STRB’s recommendation means all points were increased by one per cent in September 2014; all teachers in these schools should have seen the increase in their salaries. In schools that have not adopted the reference pay scales, things are not as clear. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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The maximums and minimums of the scales must be increased by the one per cent recommended salary uplift, but only those teachers paid at the bottom of the scale will automatically receive the uplift. The school will determine the salary level for all other teachers based on the outcome of teachers’ performance appraisals. ATL expects all teachers to have received an increase in their salary of at least one per cent in September, and can see no justification for schools to deny this.
Teacher allowances and payments The STRB also recommended a one per cent increase to the minimum and maximum amounts payable for TLR payments and SEN allowances, with only those paid at the minimum automatically receiving any uplift. ATL believes schools should have increased all payments and allowances by one per cent to retain the structure and transparency of the additional responsibility payments within the school.
“THE STRB RECOGNISED THE POTENTIAL FOR A CRISIS IN TEACHER SUPPLY” Although the STRB has removed the list of 21 tasks, the principle remains that teachers should not be required to do duties or tasks that do not require the skills or professionalism of a teacher to carry them out.
Leadership group
Further guidance
As with all other teachers, those paid on the leadership group will have seen a one per cent increase in the minimum and maximum of their individual pay range, and ATL expects all leaders to have received at least a one per cent increase in September. For those recruited to the leadership group after 1 September, the school has the discretion to set its own scales and ranges between the maximum and minimum. If you are offered a leadership post in the future you will need to be clear about your starting salary and how your pay will progress as your experience grows in the role.
ATL has produced a series of factsheets to help members through the processes of appraisal and the linking of pay progression to performance. These can be downloaded from www.atl.org.uk/factsheets. You can find a copy of the 2014 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document at www.atl.org.uk/paynews, which gives the statutory framework for teachers working in maintained schools. It is increasingly important you are aware of your school’s pay policy and how this links to your performance. ATL is concerned about the impact changes will have on teachers’ salaries and will be conducting a survey in October and November to gather evidence to present to the STRB and the Government. We need as clear a picture as possible, so please complete this survey if you are emailed, or take part via www.atl.org.uk/surveys.
Workload Agreement The STRB has not recommended any changes to arrangements on: R rarely covering for absent colleagues R not invigilating external examinations R planning, preparation and assessment time.
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 23
22/09/2014 14:51
Oct 2014_Layout 1 19/09/2014 09:11 Page 1
Whatever legal support you require, we’ll be there for you Whether it’s help with your will, buying or selling your home, or family matters, Morrish Solicitors will provide you with friendly, professional advice, including confidential legal assistance, giving you peace of mind. In addition to our free personal injury service, as an ATL member, you and your family can enjoy exclusive rates for all of our legal services.
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19/08/2014 16:44 22/09/2014 11:50
YOUR ATL… LEGAL GUIDE
Maternity matters Employers have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of new mothers and mothers-to-be. ATL solicitor Sharon Liburd explains your rights
Varicose veins/swollen ankles and feet: long periods of standing should be avoided and suitable seating provided – it should be possible to rest with feet raised. R Stressful work situations: these can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure. If it is not reasonably practicable to remove the exposure to risks, changes to working conditions or suitable alternative work (at the same rate of pay) that is available should be considered. It may be necessary to suspend the employee from work for as long as necessary to protect her health and safety and that of her child. However, the employee must continue to receive the same salary and other benefits, such as pension contributions. Under regulation 25 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, the employer should provide suitable rest areas for an expectant mother or a new mother who is breastfeeding. There should be somewhere for the employee to lie down. It is not suitable for new mothers to use toilets for expressing milk. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 give those workers the same rights to use shared facilities (eg mother and baby rooms) as permanent members of staff. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate against workers on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity, irrespective of length of service. ‘Maternity’ refers to the period after the birth, up to 26 weeks. The Act also affords protection to those who are breastfeeding. Finally, those on maternity leave who are at risk of redundancy must be offered any suitable vacancy if it is not practicable to continue to employ them under their existing contract. They are therefore afforded priority over other employees in redundancy situations. It is also automatically unfair to select a female employee for redundancy because of pregnancy or maternity leave. There is no minimum qualifying service period. R
LIKE ALL employers, educational establishments have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment for new and expectant mothers, ie those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have given birth in the past six months. It is advisable for new and expectant mothers to inform their employers at an early stage of the pregnancy, especially if they have concerns about their health and safety at work. Regulations 16 to 18 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require the employer to carry out a formal risk assessment to take account of the risks to a new or expectant mother and/or her baby, once they have received written notification that she is pregnant, has given birth in the past six months or is breastfeeding. The employer can request, in writing, a certificate from a doctor or midwife confirming the pregnancy. The risk assessment must be carried out by a competent person who is able to take account of all relevant information, including medical advice received from the doctor or midwife. Once the risks have been identified, measures should be introduced to remove, reduce or control them. There is also a duty to update the risk assessment if it is suspected it is no longer valid. The assessment should be monitored and reviewed, having regard WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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to possible risks to the mother and/or unborn child that may arise during the different stages of pregnancy. According to the Health and Safety Executive, employers should pay particular attention to certain risks, which include: R lifting and other physical work R the threat of violence, eg from students R work-related stress R standing up for long periods R workload R exposure to infections R heat R lone/isolated working. Apart from the risks above, the following may have an adverse impact on work: R Morning sickness: although it tends to occur mainly during the first few months of pregnancy, it may last throughout. Breaks from work may have to be more frequent. Working in close proximity to toilet facilities is desirable in any event, as frequency of visits to the toilet often increases. R Backache: hormonal and/or postural changes during pregnancy often cause backache. R Lifting of heavy or awkward loads should be avoided as the risk of miscarriage and premature birth may be increased.
New and expectant mothers who are ATL members and have concerns about health, safety or employment issues are advised to contact ATL’s London office on 020 7930 6441.
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 25
22/09/2014 14:51
YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS
Letters for these children shown by the members quoted TALKING SENSE ON SEN in the piece. In the face You can judge a country by how of adversity, it is it treats its most vulnerable reassuring that there citizens. I firmly believe in that are still teachers, and, adage and I also believe that of course, support staff, this country does not come out committed to helping smelling of roses when you look SEN children. at the treatment of children and I was further young people with special heartened by the educational needs (SEN). piece in September’s Pupils with SEN do require magazine about the new ATL more support, of course president Mark Baker, they do, and many where he declares will not follow his pride in having the same worked in SEN. The author of this letter wins £100 educational or I feel some hope in book tokens. If you want to voice career paths as that with so your opinion on issues raised in Report the majority many inspiring or any other aspect of education, please send a letter or email to the addresses of their peers, staff working below, including your phone but they can still with such number. One letter will be have their own special and chosen every issue to win achievements inspiring children, the tokens. and successes to we can still achieve celebrate if we give them great things. the support they need. The latest R Vine, Liverpool round of changes, dare I say, meddling, in SEN provision will MAKING UP THE RULES make it so much harder for them My family like to play a game, to achieve as much as they could. ‘When I rule the world…’ where we each announce what changes we The article ‘SEN in limbo’ will make when (not if) we have (Report, June/July 2014) made achieved world domination. I like for sobering reading on the whole, detailing how many pupils to play a more specialised version will be denied support, while staff with colleagues of ‘When I am secretary of state for education…’. work with reduced budgets and First up, I’d ban mobile phones yet more uncertainty. However, from the school premises; they’re one thing that gave me hope too distracting and I’m was the dedication and passion sure, even with my limited scientific knowledge, that they rot children’s brains and make them dull and listless. Second, I’d make everyone study To Kill a Mockingbird. The world would be an infinitely better place if we all embraced the themes of tolerance and courage displayed within. STA R L E T T E R
WIN!
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Overheard ATL members on Facebook on changing GCSE grades from letters (A*-G) to numbers (9-1) John Walker: Numbers for degrees make some sense as there is only one result, but listing a number of numbered results will be difficult for students, schools, parents and employers. Sara Friend: It is so counterintuitive, 1 is generally thought of as top! I wonder at what number students will start to feel like failures.
Staffroom etiquette: dear colleagues, please wash up after yourselves. Do not simply pile your dirty dishes in the sink. Do you still believe in the Washing-up Fairy? Sheesh! Finally, I’d make it a crime for anyone to describe teaching as a job of short days and long holidays. Anyone caught doing so would have to do the job for half a term. Of course, I’m never going to be education secretary, and that’s probably a good thing. My personal opinions shouldn’t dictate life for thousands of teachers and millions of young people. But then, neither should the personal opinions of any career politician whose only experience is that they once went to (most likely private) school. Education should never be at the whim of one person’s personal beliefs. It’s been said before and it will be said again: politicians need to listen more and pontificate less. The Washing-up Fairy, La-La Land
JOIN THE DEBATE…
John Clarke: This is a confidence trick designed to make you think all they are doing is renumbering the old system, when in fact they are creating a more elite system with more failures and greater distinction for those at the ‘top’. Responses on Facebook to an OECD report suggesting larger class sizes could be a good thing, plus the comment: “Larger classes in much of the UK would be disastrous because the student behaviour would be so poor, which is not a problem they have in the high-performing countries.” Sarah Garred: No they are not. The only reason private schools do so well is that they have smaller class sizes. It’s an excuse to save money. Alan Smith: Am I the only one appalled by the glib acceptance of the comment about behaviour?
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
23/09/2014 15:18
YOUR ATL… PRIZE CROSSWORD
WIN! A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
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ACROSS 1 Dad mixes syrup to make ancient paper (7) 5 Falsify PhD? (6) 9 I illuminated content of article by showing skill and talent (7) 10 For a 24-hour period, answer replaces ‘oxygen’ with ‘English physicist’ (7) 11 End of school? That is a fib! (3) 12 Bit of a lifelong wrong-doer (5) 13 and 14 New class try Spielberg film on early radio (7,3) 15 Greatly admire new prefects, though not top of form (7) 17 Therefore two points to your boys (4) 21 Fifty per cent like physical training, so retained (4) 24 Politely refuse to state the forms of a verb? (7) 27 Heads of education grow our sense of self-importance (3) 28 Swindle company? State that it’s true (7) 29 I enter scheme to become aviator (5) 30 University in lead at boozer! (3) 31 Wealthy businessman – or might end up as gateman (7) 32 Unorthodox trial involves me, a Protestant martyr (7) 33 Perhaps teach about Conservative leader – prestige! (6) 34 Begin with the French to cause a shock (7)
DOWN 1 Part of station where disorganised PTA left class of children (8) 2 Mad spaniels won’t hurt you! (8) 3 What rulers do, but it sounds like a strap (5) 4 Hairdresser has inventory of pigpens? (7) 5 Joins the opposing side, with all its shortcomings? (7) 6 Continue with broken crayon, right? (5,2) 7 No GCE in Dodge City, unusually – strange thing (6) 8 Go by bike to a recurring series of events? (5) 16 Sports award is copper penny (3) 18 Some modernist poem (3) 19 Foreign Office employee has educational certificate from capital of Turkey (8) 20 Fresh term with a fee that’s suitable for vegetarians (4-4) 22 Tombstone inscription – I get involved in development of the app! (7) 23 Storm when euro-MP is entered in exam (7) 24 After party, blues arranged a tennis match (7) 25 Along the Backs, Cam punters include this mischievous child (5) 26 Puzzle when poor Nigel, left out, gets Masters degree (6) 29 Lost in Europe, travellers discover ancient city (5)
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HOW TO ENTER
Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL October crossword competition, Think Publishing, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL. Closing date: 18 November 2014 If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here The winner of the October competition will be announced in the January issue of Report.
LAST MONTH’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 4 Bar 8 Bachelor 9 Of Arts 10 People 11 Teenager 13 Safari 14 Brand new 15 Loan 16 Townie 18 Extras 21 Fees 22 Peter Pan 24 Cattle 26 Assembly 29 Parity 30 Powell 31 Washable 32 Din DOWN: 1 Camera 2 Chaplain 3 Blue Nile 4 Brat 5 Rote 6 Tabard 7 Et cetera 12 Earn 13 Sat 14 Baden 17 Overshot 18 Escapist 19 Tutorial 20 See 21 Fail 23 Eleven 25 Little 27 Bold 28 Yawn CONGRATULATIONS TO JUNE/JULY’S WINNER – MRS GILLIAN CARR, HOVE
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Call us for a quick quote and see what we can do for you: 0800 656 97 14^ Little things matter *Available to new customers only. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Policies subsequently cancelled within 4 weeks of cover start date or with payments not up to date will not be eligible to receive offer. Gift Certificates will be sent by mail within 6 weeks of the commencement date of your policy. £35 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates to customers taking out a new combined buildings and contents policy or a contents-only policy. Buildings-only policies do not qualify for this offer. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right to offer alternative Gift Certificates of the same value in the event that Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates are unavailable. **Amazon.co.uk is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates (“GCs”) may be redeemed on the Amazon.co.uk website or affiliated website Javari.co.uk towards the purchase of eligible products listed in our online catalogue and sold by Amazon.co.uk or any other seller selling through Amazon.co.uk. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to any other account. Amazon.co.uk is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued by Amazon EU S.à r.l. All Amazon ®, ™ & © are IP of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. ^Lines are open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, except bank holidays, 9am-12.30pm Saturday. Calls from UK landlines are free. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded. Insurance underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 2116. Registered office: Pitheavlis, Perth, PH2 0NH. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. CFPHGA0009 01.14 BD34799.
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05/09/14 10:59 am OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 27
24/09/2014 11:19
YOUR ATL… NOTICEBOARD, GET INVOLVED
NOTICE BOARD
New chair for independent group
ATL’s Independent and Private Sector Advisory Group (IPSAG) has a new committee and a new chair, Helen Porter. You can raise any independent sector policy issues with Helen at hporter@exec.atl.org.uk.
Sector surveys ATL’s 2014 pay and conditions surveys for the independent, support staff and post-16 sectors are being conducted via email this month. Please look out for our emails about the surveys if you work in these sectors.
Independent schools conference ATL’s independent schools conference takes place on 8 November 2014 at the Hilton Hotel, Paddington, London. Highlights include the panel discussion ‘Teaching, leadership or structures – what is the winning recipe for education?’, the results of the 2014 independent sector survey, and seminars on peer review and working time. For more information, see www.atl.org.uk/ independentconference.
No vote, no voice The #NOVOTENOVOICE campaign is asking one million more people to register to vote in the 2015 elections. The lack of registered voters in parts of Britain is skewing the way things are decided at Westminster. Six million people who are eligible to cast their ballot in the general election are not #NOVOTENOVOICE signed up to vote. The New campaign aims campaign aims to get to get more people one million extra voters to register to vote by the time Britain goes to the polls next May. As part of the campaign, schools across England and Wales are being asked to help by taking part and, either in teams or as individuals, using their creativity and resources to produce 28 REPORT | OCTOBER 2014
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an exciting, creative billboard advert that persuades people to register to vote. The winning advert will be displayed in the Houses of Parliament and will be used to promote the #NOVOTENOVOICE campaign. Prizes include five new iPads for the winner’s school. All entries must be sent in by 12 noon on 31 January 2015. See www.votebooster.org/ education for full details.
TUC conferences in 2015 ATL members have an opportunity to shape and take part in debate at the TUC women’s and black workers’ conferences in 2015. TUC women’s conference takes place over two days between 11 and 13 March, while the black workers’ conference is 17-19 April. If you are interested in joining ATL’s delegations, email equalities officer Wanda Wyporska at wwyporska@atl.org.uk, stating the conference you’d like to attend, your membership number and a 100-word statement about why you would like to take part.
TeachMeet opportunities Hays Education, one of ATL’s partners, is offering a unique opportunity to hear from Sir Tim Brighouse, one of the most influential figures in education, and well-known presenter and trainer in the sector, David Cameron, at a series of TeachMeets it is hosting. The events are designed to allow teachers to share good practice, innovation and personal insight in an organised but informal setting. The format is straightforward and is designed to allow as many as people as possible to take part. Anyone can participate and contributions should be in the format of a two-, five- or seven-minute presentation of your choice, focusing on the exchange of practice or research. There will be time for questions and comments to the presenters, but the aim is to keep things informal and moving at pace.
The following events run from 5-7pm, with snacks from 5-5.15pm. Email the contact shown for more information: R David Cameron – 13 October – Portsmouth – lucyann.cox@hays.com. R Tim Brighouse and David Cameron – 14 October – Woking – emma.pearcey@ hays.com. R Tim Brighouse and David Cameron – 22 October – York – jonathan.hipkin@hays.com. R Tim Brighouse and David Cameron – 10 November – Coventry – michelle.storer@ hays.com. R Tim Brighouse and David Cameron – 11 November – Nottingham – michelle.storer@ hays.com. R Tim Brighouse and David Cameron – 12 November – Biggleswade – hazel.baxter@ hays.com.
GET INVOLVED
Come and hear debate about the themes of ATL’s education manifesto and ask MPs about their education policies at a series of events as part of ATL’s Shape Education campaign this autumn. If you are interested, email organise@atl.org.uk with your choice of location.
Midlands 20 November, Birmingham Panel includes: Mary Bousted, Tristram Hunt MP and Richard Hatcher of the Birmingham Campaign for State Education (CASE).
South east 22 November, London (part of an ATL London Wide event) Panel includes: Mary Bousted and Rushanara Ali MP.
North west 27 November, Manchester Panel includes: Bill Esterson MP and ATL president Mark Baker.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
24/09/2014 11:20
YOUR ATL… RESOURCES AND LEARNING ZONE
ATL RESOURCES ELM magazine The freshly redesigned ELM magazine for members of AMiE, ATL’s leadership section, is out now and leads with a look ahead to the general election and the education issues that will help decide the outcome. It also asks if graded lesson observations can be trusted and whether colleges should still be doing them. Elsewhere, new Association of Colleges president Richard
Atkins outlines his hopes and priorities for his year in the role. There are also views from Wales and Northern Ireland, a look at staff happiness, performance-related pay, CPD strategy and ATL general secretary Mary Bousted on Michael Gove’s education legacy. The magazine is available to read online and to download as a PDF from www.amie. atl.org.uk.
Rep awards postcard ATL’s rep awards are open for 2015. We have sent a postcard out to all members who have a rep or contact in their workplace, to make it easier to nominate your outstanding workplace, health and safety, union learning or leadership reps. Simply go to www.atl.org.uk/ repawards for more information and if you wish to nominate your ATL rep.
Read and download the magazine from www.amie.atl.org.uk
LEARNING ZONE Creativity, questioning and engagement: brilliant classroom practice Run by a leading trainer in the ‘Mantle of the Expert’, Hywel Roberts, the ‘Creativity, questioning and engagement course’ focuses on great learning and teaching; how you can integrate humanity and innovation into a curriculum that matters. It refers to current and emerging practices and supports the Ofsted framework. It supports you in taking risks in the classroom by building your confidence and creativity. This course gives you the tools and techniques that work and that will have a positive impact on the learning and progress of the children in your care.
Course programme R R
defining a repertoire of practice building lessons to behave for
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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R R R R R
For more information go to www.atl.org.uk/ repawards
CPD COURSES 2014-15
questioning as a tool of engagement shifting negative tension to healthy learning tension planning strategies to support great learning and engagement using the classroom as a resource for learning strategies and tools to take away to positively impact on learning and progress.
Dates and locations 10 November 2014 – London 29 April 2015 – Bristol 17 June 2015 – York
5 Trainer Hywel Roberts in action
For more about this and all courses, and to book, see www.atl.org.uk/learningzone
OCTOBER 2014 | REPORT 29
24/09/2014 11:20
FINAL WORD… ROSEMARY SHRAGER
COOKING UP A CAREER
ILLUSTRATION : PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH. PHOTO: CHRISTIAN BARNETT
TV chef Rosemary Shrager on the importance of apprenticeships
I CAME TO COOKING slightly later in life and I think this affected the way I learned. Originally I trained as an interior designer, and I enjoyed my first job with a firm of architects preparing the layouts for a large hotel, but all I wanted to do was meet the chef. I stayed in that job for 18 months, but it wasn’t in my heart so I left and got my first job in a kitchen. I wish that apprenticeships had been more widely available when I first learned to cook; I would have loved to have had that opportunity, structure and support. In many ways, I did it the hard way, learning ‘on the hoof’ in pubs and restaurants, always thrown in at the deep end and terrified of getting it wrong. I remember rushing home each evening to write up my notes, so that I would remember everything I learned in the kitchen. Opening my own cookery school has been the realisation of a lifetime’s ambition. It’s also given me a chance to start teaching young people professionally, and I discovered the best way to go about it was to offer apprenticeships. What became clear to me was the fact that being an apprentice wasn’t initially perceived as ‘cool’, but we are slowly changing that. We have to continue to sell this idea to young people; the image of apprenticeships is generally improving now and I am pleased to say we are seeing a much more positive attitude. Becoming an apprentice is an absolutely ideal way to learn to cook 30 REPORT | OCTOBER 2014
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and become a chef, and I’d really like to spread the word on this. You’re getting paid – it isn’t much, but it’s something – you don’t have to borrow money, and you’re working in a proper environment, learning all the skills you need and getting a good work ethic from the start. Remember that some young people are just not cut out to pursue academic qualifications, and apprenticeships should never be seen as second best – they are a sound way of learning vital skills a young person will have for their entire life. At my cookery school, one of our key duties is to find work for our apprentices. We go out and look for suitable restaurants, hotels, etc, to take them on. This is very time consuming for us because we have to ensure the establishments we work with will treat them properly so they will learn as much as they can. We ask each student what sort of establishment interests them; we also help them with interview techniques and any other support and guidance we can offer at this stage. Interviews aren’t easy for anyone, particularly inexperienced young people, but we get there in the end. Reputation is incredibly important, and, as a new business, it’s up to us to build ours so that the trade wants to take our apprentices on. Every detail is crucial, and, from the moment they start with us, until we send them safely them off to their first job, we have a duty of care.
Young people need encouragement, this is very clear. I would say to all the wonderful educators out there, encourage young people interested in becoming a chef to find out about apprenticeships, and remember that they could ask any catering establishment – be it a restaurant, pub, café, etc – to do a little work experience to find out if it is what they would like to do. An apprenticeship offers a unique opportunity, because, if you work hard enough, you could be offered a permanent job at the end of it.
TV chef Rosemary Shrager has written six books and runs her own cookery school in Royal Tunbridge Wells WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING IN SCHOOLS AND AT HOME
CREATIVITY IN THE NEW PRIMARY CURRICULUM Innovative, practical approaches to teaching reading and writing through history with Pie Corbett
Image: ZSL London Zoo
Museum of London: Mon 3rd Nov 2014 ZSL London Zoo: Tues 5th Feb 2015
Who is
What’s it all about?
will we do?
An outstanding educational writer and poet, he is renowned for his creative approaches in the classroom. He regularly lectures on education around the UK
These new creative training and conference events will look at ideas to help you to support pupils, drive up standards, support aspiration and raise attainment levels
The museum is an inspiring backdrop for a day delving into narrative in the study of history. The zoo event will focus on developing writing through animal observation
Pie Corbett?
What
More details at Jubileebooks.co.uk Book now to avoid disappointment!
BOOKING FORM: Please tick the appropriate box to indicate which event you are booking
PIE CORBETT AT THE MUSEUM OF LONDON - 3RD NOVEMEBER 2014 PIE CORBETT AT ZSL LONDON ZOO – 5TH FEBRUARY 2015 £199.00 + VAT includes lunch & refreshments Group booking over 5 delegates receive a 10% discount. Please return to: Events Coordinator, Jubilee Books, 31a Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath, London, SE3 7AE T. (020) 8293 6060 or (020) 8265 4645 F. (020) 8465 5111 Email: eddie.burnett@jubileebooks.co.uk A confirmation invoice will be sent to the email address submitted on this form. Fees can only be reimbursed upon receipt of written/emailed cancellation notice at least four weeks before event. Museum booking
Zoo booking
deadline: deadline: 12th January 2015 3rd October 2014 IBC_ATL_OCT14.indd 1
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