THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
MAY 2017 £2.50
Speaking up ATL members tackle a whole range of issues at Annual Conference
for education
ELECTION
EDUCATION ISSUES
Mary Bousted on what to consider when voting for a new Government
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FINAL WORD
BEAR GRYLLS
Developing better links between Scouts and schools
GUIDE
MIDDLE LEADERS
How to get a great start when stepping up to middle leadership
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Contents 19
UPFRONT
4
UPDATE
ATL launches the women’s network, and recognises our outstanding reps
7
NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION
GUIDE
How to prepare for becoming a middle leader
30
FINAL WORD
Bear Grylls on building character through the Scouts
As members vote for a new union, Report answers some important questions and explains how you can help shape the NEU
9 AGENDA
The education policies ATL would like to see ahead of the general election
11 WALES AND
NORTHERN IRELAND
Rachel Curley on pay in Wales and Mark Langhammer on paperclips in Northern Ireland F E AT U R E S
12
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
COVER PHOTOGRAPHS: SARAH TURTON
ATL members gathered in Liverpool to set the union’s agenda on funding, workload, child well-being, and much more
Report is the magazine from ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD Tel 020 7930 6441 Fax 020 7930 1359 Email report@atl.org.uk or membership@atl.org.uk Website www.atl.org.uk Editors Alex Tomlin and Charlotte Tamvakis Report is produced and designed for ATL by Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH Tel 020 3771 7200 Email info@thinkpublishing.co.uk Sub-editor Justine Conway Art editor George Walker Designer Alix Thomazi Advertising sales Michael Coulsey or Anthony Bennett 020 3771 7200 Account director Kieran Paul Managing director Polly Arnold
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Y O U R AT L
21-29
Use the USEFUL CONTACTS to get in touch; read ATL’s response to the primary assessment consultation; get expert LEGAL ADVICE on dealing with violent incidents at work; read other MEMBERS’ VIEWS; complete the PRIZE CROSSWORD to win a £50 M&S voucher; get the latest union events and info in NOTICEBOARD; plus newsletters and factsheets in RESOURCES
ATL accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication. While every reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, ATL can give no assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances. The views expressed in articles in Report are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect ATL policy. Official policy
statements issued on behalf of ATL are indicated as such. All rights reserved. Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of ATL.
Welcome SHELAGH HIRST, ATL NATIONAL PRESIDENT
I hope you are coping with the summer term, where I know you will be busy: • supporting students through end of key stage assessments • writing year-end reports for students’ parents/carers • ensuring all required year-end data is up to date • continuing to teach or support the learning of students. ATL is now preparing for the launch of and transition to the National Education Union. Please do get involved with your NUT colleagues in bringing us together and shaping our new union. At our Annual Conference, ATL’s general secretary, Mary Bousted set out very clearly how this new union will be a “game-changer” as we begin a new era of education trade unionism. Watch her speech at www.atl.org.uk/wednesday11-april-conference. Our students rely on us to speak out for the education system they need, and as the National Education Union we must continue in that endeavour. Also at this year’s Conference, in Liverpool, many ATL members gave up three days of their Easter holiday to represent you and speak up about and vote on the important issues we face, such as funding, pay, assessment, workload and curriculum. There is a full report on Conference on page 12 that clearly shows that, as education professionals, we have a vision for an education system of the future that is fit for purpose – one that others can aspire to work and learn in.
Cover photographs: Sarah Turton
JOIN THE DEBATE…
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
08/05/2017 15:22
U P D AT E
PHOTOGRAPHS: SARAH TURTON
LEARNING LESSONS
ATL reps (L to R) Huw Tindall-Jones, Louise Atkinson, Alison Knighton, Simon Holland, Gary Fletcher and Elizabeth Lampard, alongside Arturo Zindel, CEO of Affinity (ATL Protect)
Winning reps Six ATL reps from across sectors and roles were honoured with an ATL and AMiE 2017 rep award at Annual Conference Classroom teachers Simon Holland, who works at Bilborough Sixth Form College, Nottingham, Elizabeth Lampard, based at an independent school in Staffordshire, and Louise Atkinson, who works at Cumwhinton School in Carlisle, were recognised for their outstanding contribution as workplace reps. Support staff member Gary Fletcher received an award for his exceptional work as health and safety rep, while Alison Knighton, a higher level teaching assistant at Newker Primary School, was recognised for her campaigning work in County Durham against teaching assistant pay cuts. Huw Tindall-Jones, a newly qualified teacher at Plymouth School of Creative Arts, received an award for his hard work as an ATL Future rep, supporting members new to a career in education. The winners each received £150 and a certificate in a ceremony at Conference. Mr Fletcher, head of the learning resource centre and curriculum support at Unity Academy, Blackpool, and health and safety adviser for the Fylde Coast Academy Trust, said: “It’s a great honour to receive recognition for something that I am so passionate about. Being a health and safety rep with ATL can be a very rewarding experience in helping promote a good safety culture within the workplace. It also allows employees to raise issues that concern them with us as their rep. Perhaps the most important role is simply being there and talking to members regularly about their concerns.” 4 REPORT | MAY 2017
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Mrs Lampard, who works at Abbots Bromley School, said: “I’m delighted to have won the award, but I don't feel I’ve done anything special, I’ve just been doing what members pay their subscriptions for. If anyone’s wondering about becoming a rep, I would absolutely say ‘go for it’. “I started very small: just being there and making sure information was disseminated. You don’t have to jump in the deep end – start with what you can do, and work up to more challenging tasks as and when you feel able and ready. The London office and the branch committee are always willing to help, and new reps shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. When I wasn’t able to deal with something, I had absolutely sterling support.” The following were highly commended for their work as reps: Fiona Tocknell, union learning rep at St Richard’s Catholic College, East Sussex; Kenneth Parker, AMiE rep at Waltham Forest College, Greater London; Colette Gissane, workplace rep at St Albans High School for Girls, Hertfordshire; Tamsin Wright, workplace rep at Penryn College in Cornwall; Debra Kinsella, workplace rep at Moreton Community School, Wolverhampton; and Christopher Baldwin, a workplace rep at The William Allitt School, Derbyshire. If there is no rep or contact in your workplace, consider getting involved – see page 21 for more information. This year’s ATL and AMiE rep awards were sponsored by ATL Protect.
More than 100 members took part in ATL London Wide’s free CPD and networking session in March. ATL Future held a session on SEND, Mark Wright, director of AMiE, explored tips and approaches for personal and organisational well-being, while ATL regional organiser Jayne Whistance led a session on the casualisation of contracts, and zero-hours contracts. There were also workshops on personal branding, negotiating and equality. London Wide holds sessions four times a year for members in London, the south east and eastern regions. For more information see www.atl.org.uk/ london-events.
BOARD MEETING 0 Students from Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Liverpool – where every child learns to play chess – challenged ATL members to a game of chess at Conference. The children were joined by international master and former British junior chess champion Malcolm Pein of the charity Chess in Schools and Communities. A motion on the teaching of chess in school, proposed by ATL’s Brent branch, was passed at Conference. The motion called on ATL to encourage the Government to recognise the potential of the game of chess to aid children’s intellectual development, by seeking to give every child the opportunity to learn at school.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
02/05/2017 17:00
UPDATE
JANINA STRUK
NEW ATL WOMEN’S NETWORK
Sexism should be a hate crime Sexism, the impact of social security cuts and working conditions were among the issues raised by ATL delegates at the TUC women’s conference in March ATL member Julie Huckstep proposed the motion ‘Sexism is a hate crime’, explaining how classifying it as a hate crime would allow for tougher sentences. The motion was passed. She also spoke in support of a composite motion ‘Ending the gender pay gap’. ATL immediate past president Kim Knappett seconded the motion ‘The impact of cuts to social security’, which was passed with an amendment from ATL covering childhood poverty and narrowing the attainment gap. ATL president Shelagh Hirst seconded Equity’s motion
‘Working conditions’, and Soo Coates spoke in support of the motion ‘A fair deal for women in the new world of work’. Katie Harrison spoke in support of the motion ‘Mental health and the well-being of women teachers’, while Kim Knappett spoke in support of motions on first-aid training and on the negative impact of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, funding cuts and accountability measures on high-quality STEM teaching and career opportunities for students. All these motions were passed.
SCHOOLS ‘IN THE DARK’ AS CRISIS WORSENS
SHUTTERSTOCK
Overstretched schools in Northern Ireland being asked to plan for budget cuts will have profound consequences, ATL has warned One of the last acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly before the collapse of the Stormont institutions was the education committee’s debate about school budgets and contingency plans. The Department of Education told schools to plan for cuts of between two and six per cent, before inflation or “inescapable pressures”. Even before this, schools were predicted to be £75 million in the red in the next three years. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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0 ATL members and staff (L to R) Suzanne Beckley, Kim Knappett, Avie Kaur, Julie Gordon, Soo Coates, Shelagh Hirst, Katie Harrison, Mary Bousted, Julie Huckstep and Sundus Alzouebi
ATL launched its women’s network at Conference with a debate on sexism and sexual harassment in schools. In a packed session, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted was joined on the panel by Vicky Jenkinson from Girlguiding, Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of Kidscape, and Nardia Thornton of ATL Future, the group for members new to a career in education, for a discussion chaired by editor of Schools Week, Laura McInerney. To join ATL’s women’s network, email Monique Lowe at mlowe@atl.org.uk.
3 ATL member Nardia Thornton, Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of Kidscape, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted and Vicky Jenkinson from Girlguiding
Mark Langhammer, ATL’s director in Northern Ireland, said: “Principals are effectively being asked to make cuts while remaining in the dark about how much cash they are likely to have. After eight years of austerity and many rounds of redundancies, schools are being stretched to the edge. New cuts will have profound consequences. “Teachers and support staff will face redundancy. Reduced budgets will mean larger class sizes, fewer books and fewer basic resources. Many teachers report to ATL that they spend money from their own pockets to pay for basic resources such as paper, pencils and books. Primary schools wanting pupils to take computer-based maths and English tests must pay for them out of their own budgets.” MAY 2017 | REPORT 5
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UPDATE
NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION WHAT’S THE VISION FOR A NEW UNION? The NEU, with combined resources, aims to give its members excellent advice, support and representation; learning and development opportunities; and a stronger voice in local and national negotiations and campaigns. This new union will not replicate what already exists. It is a chance for ATL and the NUT to work as equal partners to build on what works well within both unions and within other unions. The NUT is the largest teachers’ union in state schools in England and Wales, while ATL has strong influence in every sector and role across the UK’s education workforce. This is a great opportunity to create a union ready to meet the current challenges and able to speak with authority as the voice of education professionals.
The National Education Union (NEU) will come into being on 1 September this year. Here we answer some of your questions and hear from members who are getting involved in its creation
lecturers, leaders and support staff across local authority schools, academies, independent schools, sixth form and FE colleges, and HE.
WHAT WILL IT COST TO JOIN?
WHO WILL BE THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE NEW UNION? After a transitional period, the new union will have joint general secretaries for five years, until 2023.
WHAT ABOUT OUR DIFFERENCES OVER INDUSTRIAL ACTION?
ATL and the NUT support the same types of members in England and Wales, including teachers, leaders and managers, and those in the independent and sixth form sectors. ATL also supports lecturers and leaders in FE and HE, as well as support staff across every sector. ATL also organises in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The NEU will offer membership and a democratic voice to every existing ATL membership category in the UK – teachers,
A new union will not replicate what already exists. It will be a chance to bring together the best elements of both ATL and the NUT to provide stronger representation and support in every workplace. Both unions believe in dialogue before industrial action. The new union rules state that indicative ballots must be held before action can go ahead to ensure the widest support of members, and no member will be forced to take action or be penalised for not taking action.
WORKING TOGETHER
The launch of the National Education Union on 1 September 2017 gives ATL and NUT members the chance to come together in branding workshops to create a joint vision for the new union. Here, three ATL members describe their experience of these discussions
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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Now is a great time for ATL members to get involved and help shape the new union. You can do this in a variety of ways: • responding to surveys, especially on the vision and branding for the new union • attending events, CPD or sector conferences, or a local branch meeting • engaging with fellow ATL and NUT reps and members in your workplace about issues, such as workload and funding • becoming a rep or contact in your workplace • contacting report@atl.org.uk with your views. See www.atl.org.uk/ getinvolved for more details.
Your subscription will not be affected for 2017. At the point when we start operating as a new union, no ATL or NUT member will pay a higher subs rate than they were paying before that date.
WHO WILL BE IN THE NEW UNION?
Kevin Morris, AMiE member, Wales “There were lots of happy faces, and plenty of good, honest and respectful discussion. I felt we were starting the journey together and we were all part of something new and exciting. Everyone participated and all encouraged each other to say
GET INVOLVED
what they truly felt. Everyone listened carefully to each other and both sides spoke passionately about a whole range of issues. Discussions were easy, conversations just seemed to flow, and it wasn’t long before people were making each other laugh. “Everyone just wanted it to work.”
Changes to trade union legislation also now require a high turnout and greater support in any industrial action in the education sector. For the latest updates on the transition into the new union, see www.atl.org.uk/NEU.
Louise Atkinson, teacher, Carlisle “There was a real buzz in the room, excitement over the prospect of a new union. NUT members saw it as a fresh start, a brand new union. I’ve worked with NUT members in my school, holding joint meetings on workload, where we found we all face the same pressures. “We also had some NUT trainee and newly qualified members come to ATL Future’s event on children’s mental health in December, and it was very clear there
that they are as passionate about the children in their care and a lot of the same issues around education as we are.” Alison Knighton, TA, Durham “As a TA, I was anxious, but the experience was very positive and inclusive. The NUT members were very accepting of my views as a TA. During the exercise, we were coming up with very similar ideas. I’d definitely say we were all singing from the same song sheet.”
MAY 2017 | REPORT 7
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AG E N DA
LIKE IT OR NOT (many, it seems, do not) we are facing another general election. Underpinning the debate will be Brexit – not if, but how it should be done. Theresa May has taken the gamble she will be returned to power with a greatly increased majority and the mandate to deal with her backbenchers who have been threatening revolt on a variety of fronts. A potential insurrection may take place over the proposals to reintroduce selection at 11. Having failed to mount a sustainable case that links grammar schools with increased social mobility, May is hoping to bypass the overwhelming evidence that selection does the opposite. Selection at 11 decreases social mobility and does nothing to improve the life chances of academically able children born to poor parents (because they cannot afford the cost of coaching to enable them to pass the 11-plus). What May hopes to offer the electorate is a dog’s breakfast of a policy, which seeks to square the circle between selection and social quotas (grammar schools being required to show that they educate a significantly higher percentage of children from disadvantaged and working families). How this will play with those troublesome backbenchers, for whom the prospect of social selection is an anathema, is anyone’s guess. Even bigger than the selection problem, however, is the funding crisis facing schools. At a time when numbers of pupils in England’s schools are reaching record levels, the Conservatives are resolutely determined to impose ‘efficiency savings’ amounting to eight per cent of the overall schools’ budget in England, a total of some £3 billion a year by 2019-20. The website www. schoolcuts.org.uk shows, school by school, just what effect this will have on their finances – and for many the prospects are dire. This is particularly problematic given schools are already finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain the teachers they need, knowing that soon they will need even more. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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An election for education ATL general secretary Mary Bousted looks at the education issues to consider as the general election approaches Any future Government must act to reverse these funding cuts. At a time when the future of our nation is at stake, we need a skilled, educated population to reverse the UK’s productivity decline. Schools must be adequately resourced to meet the huge challenge they face preparing the next generation for the future. Funding cuts threaten not just the next generation of children and young people, but the current generation of teachers, who face even greater workload pressures as class sizes increase, along with teaching hours, coupled with inadequate classroom resources, little opportunity for high-quality CPD, and fewer teaching assistants. Teachers and school leaders cannot work any harder or for longer hours. Already it is the shocking case that over half of England’s teachers have been working for less than 10 years. Huge wastage occurs because we do not, as a nation, take care of our teachers. Instead, we recruit them at huge expense, and then burn them out early in their careers, leaving too many with little option other than to leave the profession, when they should be considering a move to management positions.
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Tackling the teacher and school leader workload problem will require political courage and radical action. The accountability system needs to be completely reshaped. At present, league tables and Ofsted inspection judgements drive the unsustainable workload pressures that drive teachers away from teaching. Of course, schools must be accountable for the standards they achieve, but intelligent accountability recognises that teachers cannot be expected to undo all the harm caused to children if they live in poverty. Intelligent accountability also recognises that there is more variation in teaching quality within, rather than between, schools. The concept of a single grade for each school is a nonsense and should be replaced by more nuanced judgements, which recognise each school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Ofsted as a national agency should be disbanded, replaced by local inspection teams who know the schools in their area and the challenges they face, overseen by a national body that would moderate judgements. Beyond these ‘big ticket’ items comes the issue of what curriculum is fit for the 21st century, and how it should be assessed. The chaos of last year’s KS2 SATs, and the confusion around this year’s reformed GCSEs, shows how much damage can be done by politicians going ahead with their reform agenda without considering the consequences. We need less political recklessness and more sober, evidenced education policy. Britain can’t make a success out of Brexit without making a success of education. Politicians should remember that none of their reforms will succeed unless the profession is brought on board, involved in, and generally supportive of, the direction of travel. It is a long time since these requirements have been fulfilled and our education system is the poorer for it. For more on ATL’s pre-election activity, see www.atl.org.uk/ election2017. MAY 2017 | REPORT 9
02/05/2017 16:59
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THE VIEW FROM… WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
Wales
Northern Ireland
RACHEL CURLEY
MARK LANGHAMMER
Positive noises about devolution of pay and conditions
Counting paperclips while Rome burns
AT PRESENT, ALL teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales are employed under the terms of the statutory School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. As a result of the Wales Act 2017, teachers’ pay and conditions will now be devolved to Wales, and the first pay round is likely to take place within the next three years. ATL’s position has always been that devolution of pay and conditions could be to the detriment of teachers, not only in Wales, but in England as well. Barriers set up between England and Wales could affect everyone by inhibiting the ease of
movement between the two countries. There are also implications for other members of the education workforce, including support staff and FE staff. So we are pleased that the first minister, Carwyn Jones AM, has written to promise that teachers in Wales will never find themselves in a worse position than colleagues in England as a result of this devolution. He also promised “positive and productive dialogue on a Welsh approach to establishing a system of teachers’ pay and conditions”. ATL Cymru delegates at ATL’s Conference in Liverpool in April proposed a motion that sets out far more detail about how this commitment can be implemented in practice. This includes the vital need for the Welsh Government to commit to fully funding all agreed pay awards. Negotiations will continue over the coming months. ATL Cymru, along with our NUT Cymru colleagues, will be at the heart of those discussions to ensure that whatever new system emerges can deliver for teachers in Wales.
BY THE TIME you read this, Northern Ireland may have re-established a Government. If not, we will be in budgetary crisis. The Department of Education (DoE) has asked schools to plan for cuts of between two and six per cent. Taking account of inflation and inescapable pressures, the real-term cuts will be between four and eight per cent. In the midst of this, our education authority ordered school principals to undertake a stocktake of consumable items and resources, specifically seeking a count of Lego brick sets, envelopes, cleaning cloths, hole punches, pens, desk accessories, etc. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns. ATL advised principals, under our current industrial action, to ignore this onerous process. We advised that this action could be undertaken when the DoE provides adequate budgets for additional staff to carry out a task of such nugatory educational value. Education cuts of the order proposed will cause pain. We say they are avoidable and a matter of political
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choice. There are funds for some things, but not others. Consider the half a billion pounds of waste within the renewable heating scandal, or the £400 million in reduced corporation tax, without a single job or job target in return. What about the PFI/PPP contracts (and their exorbitant interest rates) in schools, hospitals and other infrastructure that could be bought out through the Public Sector Transformation Fund to make significant savings? Or, at UK level, the £133 billion ‘tax gap’? Or the prospect of financial expenditure – cited at £50 million – to ‘pay off’ paramilitaries? And our education authority wants principals counting paperclips!
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MAY 2017 | REPORT 11
02/05/2017 16:58
ATL Conference
Members debated the key issues facing education in Liverpool in April FUNDING Opening debate with the first motion, which recognised the National Funding Formula (NFF) would benefit disadvantaged children but warned the overall funding pot is inadequate, proposer Anne Barker said schools in her county, which has pockets of deprivation, receive £44 million less than the national average. She said that in real terms, some schools will see their budgets plateau, while others will see a decrease. “There is a need for education funding to be increased urgently. Schools are at breaking point.” Seconder and primary deputy head Donna Jagger said cuts at her school meant she has been forced to turn down standout teachers for jobs, thank parents for donations to pay the electricity bill, and reduce support for children with autism. The motion, calling for ATL to lobby Government to monitor the effects of the NFF and put in place transitional funding urgently, was carried. Another debate on funding called for ATL to lobby the Government to boost real-terms funding for schools and colleges. Proposer Kim Knappett warned: “Education cuts never heal. If education is not properly funded, the children in our schools and colleges will suffer irreparable damage and will never get a second chance at their education. “The problem we face is not the new NFF; it is that the Treasury has not invested enough in education. If the cake is not big enough, it doesn’t matter how fairly you divide it – everyone goes hungry.” The motion was passed. Max Lunn proposed a motion condemning the Government’s drive to increase post-16 education while cutting funding for courses. “In real terms, funding for all post-16 students has fallen by at least 10% since 2012,” he said, adding that the requirement for all students to stay in education until age 18 has increased numbers in post-16 education significantly. The motion was passed. WORKLOAD AMiE council member and headteacher Robin Bevan called on ATL to lobby Government to reduce the key drivers of workload and develop a national strategy 12 REPORT | MAY 2017
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to recruit and retain staff, including increasing the number of leaders. “Teacher workload remains a major barrier to recruitment and retention,” he said. “It places the profession at the top of the league table of unpaid overtime. On average, it is 54 hours a week in term time. That is unsustainable.” He added that leaders allowing teachers to get on with their job was key, along with experience, expertise, stability and manageable classes, which matter more than anything in keeping planning, teaching and assessment sustainable. “But each of these, in different ways, is being undermined,” argued Bevan. “Staff turnover is stripping experience from the workforce. Data, marking and inspection
“THERE IS A NEED FOR EDUCATION FUNDING TO BE INCREASED URGENTLY. SCHOOLS ARE AT BREAKING POINT” paranoia are driving the workload machine until it spins out of control.” Supporting, Simon Clarkson, a teacher, said: “I am working harder than ever and I am barely coping.” He said Government needs to limit the number of tasks or the number of classes a classroom teacher has. Louise Atkinson gave the Department for Education (DfE) some credit for starting to tackle workload: “I’ve had huge success over workload using the DfE guidance. It won’t solve all the issues but it is a tool to empower teachers to tackle workload. With support from ATL, we put pressure on my headteacher but it wasn’t until she received the DfE guidance that she made changes.” Bevan agreed the DfE workload guidance could help, but added that unless underfunding and recruitment problems are addressed, the impact of any other changes would be “swept away”. Conference passed the motion. Next up was a debate on the need for clear guidance on directed time to address what Anu Jain described as disparities between schools. “At the heart of work overload are 1,265 directed time
calculations. It’s undeniable that there’s disparity among schools regarding these. Why should some of us be directed to work 79 hours more than others?” Speaking in support, Philip Pitt said: “Guidance is needed for school leaders as to the staff who are covered by the 1,265-hour limit.” Clare Kellett opposed the motion, saying it was “misguided and potentially very damaging”. The problem is not with the definition of 1,265 but the fact it isn’t implemented properly, she added. “The last thing we want is to hand the Government a golden opportunity to rewrite teachers’ duties and working hours.” The motion was carried. APPRAISALS AND PAY A motion calling on ATL to lobby the DfE to produce guidance on appraisal target setting was passed by Conference, after hearing from proposer Jean Roberts that ATL branch secretaries are dealing with cases involving members who are set unachievable targets. She cited a head of department setting a target of 100% staff retention for the academic year, which met with laughter from the audience. “Targets should be realistic, not numerical, and not imposed without consultation,” said Roberts. Supporting, Jacqueline Cashman said members are being put on capability for not meeting targets and given just weeks to prove themselves. “We need to empower people to set targets that are achievable and get CPD if they need support to achieve those targets.” In a separate motion, Brian Metcalf told delegates salaries are rising at a much lower rate than fees in the independent sector, and that it made more sense to spend money on teachers, not facilities: “People remember teachers, not sports halls,” he said. The call for an investigation into pay practices in the independent sector was carried. A change to pay in Wales prompted Lesley Tipping to propose a motion, which was carried, calling for safeguards as a result of the Wales Act 2017, which will see teachers’ pay and conditions devolved to the Welsh Government. 3Page 14 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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SPOTLIGHT ON… CONFERENCE 2017
TACKLING A TOXIC MIX PHOTOGRAPH: SARAH TURTON
Education professionals need to stand up and say no to the policies blighting schools and colleges, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted told delegates In her Conference speech, Mary Bousted drew attention to the difference between what Government ministers believe they have done to improve education and the reality for education professionals. Ministers, she said, talk of giving schools autonomy by liberating them from local authorities and education experts, and allowing teachers to own their professionalism and practice. “From where I am standing, I don’t see hordes of liberated teachers and school leaders. “The mistake, of course, is to equate structural autonomy with professional autonomy,” she explained. “The key
question is: what agency do teachers and school leaders feel they have to make appropriate professional decisions in their schools and in their classrooms, for the benefit of their pupils?” This professional autonomy matters, Dr Bousted explained, because it is the basis on which teachers and school leaders have the confidence to say ‘no’ to pointless and time-consuming practices such as marking in three coloured pens and making pupils write down verbal feedback, among others. “The confidence to use that little word would be the best antidote against the punishing, excessive hours worked by the
“THE MISTAKE IS TO EQUATE STRUCTURAL AUTONOMY WITH PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY” profession,” she told delegates, adding that we can all learn from teacher members in Northern Ireland and the Durham teaching assistants, who have been taking action short of strike action and protesting against workload and attempts to cut their pay. The ability to say ‘no’ would help tackle the recruitment and retention problems, with the statistic that more than half of England’s teachers have less than 10 years’ experience. “What do we do?” Dr Bousted asked. “We train ‘em, launch ‘em into schools, burn ‘em out and wave goodbye as they leave.” The challenges are even greater in FE, which continues to bear the brunt of the harshest funding cuts. “With restricted budgets, unmanageable workload, and the instability caused by the continuous cycle of mergers and restructures,” she said, “it is no surprise the FE sector currently faces a recruitment and retention crisis.” On top of these problems, she added, comes the Skills Plan, which calls for FE to provide T-levels and three million apprenticeships in the next five years. While its aims are laudable, she said, “if the Government really wants to achieve this,
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and create a 21st century workforce, it really needs to put its money where its mouth is by funding the Skills Plan properly, and treating the FE sector with the professionalism it deserves.” Delegates cheered in approval. Dr Bousted went on to point out that too much money is being spent in other areas of education, such as in some multiacademy trusts (MATs), where some CEOs are enjoying significant pay rises while the teachers they employ are restricted to the one per cent pay rises. And elsewhere, Bolton Wanderers Free School is closing after just two years, during which time it managed to spend a spectacular £600,000 on renting its building. These, and other, examples of corporate excess have no place in education, she said. “Schools should be models of the good society – places where equity and ethics are practised. Schools are public institutions, there to serve pupils, their parents and the local community – and the community should have a say in what goes on in schools; the interests of parents and pupils need to be protected.” Pupils also need protecting from assessment that is less about improving their education and more about monitoring school performance. Dr Bousted talked about the shambolic key stage 2 tests in 2016 that saw almost 50% fail to reach ‘expected standards’ and reading tests that reduced young children to tears. While the Government is proposing changes, much more needs to be done. And, for those taking GCSEs in just a few weeks, the picture is decidedly murky, with confusion over what constitutes a pass or a strong pass, and employers unclear over whether 1 or 9 is the top grade. On top of which, the marking of exams, assuming enough markers can be found, is decidedly unreliable. For young people facing this, she fears for their mental health and resilience. “It seems to me there is a toxic mix brewing – at its base is the funding crisis; mixed in with it is the teacher recruitment and retention crisis; added to it is the systemic failure of over half of MATS; and giving extra seasoning is the unreliability of national assessments at KS2 and KS4.” In the face of this toxic mix, she concluded: “We, the profession, must become more powerful. That is why ATL members voted so strongly to do something really difficult and daring… to stop being ATL and, with the NUT, to become the National Education Union (NEU). “The NEU has changed the game,” Dr Bousted told delegates. “We can no longer be ignored, no longer be sidelined. The collective voice of our members will be heard. And about time too.”
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Reviving the garden ATL national president Shelagh Hirst’s speech called for all members to get involved in building the foundations of the new union “You have a tangible commitment and enthusiasm to do your best for your students,” Shelagh Hirst told delegates as she paid homage to their expertise and professionalism. But she lamented the fact that the dedication “to do all we can for our students’ health and well-being in our highly pressurised education system too often comes at a personal cost to our own work-life balance, health and happiness”. She went on: “Members find their health impacted – physically and mentally; with sleepless nights, exhaustion, the constant feeling they should be doing more, and, no matter how hard they work, whatever they do, it is not good enough. They are under constant scrutiny, from Ofsted and appraisal systems, with the threat of capability measures sometimes after only one less-than-perfect lesson observation.” This toxic climate severely erodes professionals’ hope, health and happiness. “Now some of you may not believe this,” Hirst said, “although others here will remember, there was a time when Government had a ‘hands off’ policy of political non-intervention
She told Conference: “In my opinion, devolution of pay is precarious. It has the real potential to cause disruption to current staffing levels, adversely affect future staff recruitment and expedite poorer teaching standards. This policy must be very carefully monitored and the Welsh Government must be held to account if it shows any movement away from the current poor, but at least UK-wide, pay settlement.” When does part time mean part time? That was the question posed by Emma Weetch in a motion calling for an investigation into part-time working and whether it does in fact equate to full-time working. Weetch has gone to four days a week and is strict about not working her “magnificent Mondays”, but finds herself working extra hours on the other four days, something her headteacher told her she should have expected. “The expectation placed on parttimers is ever increasing,” Weetch said. 14 REPORT | MAY 2017
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in schools.” However, she added, this changed when education began to be described as a “secret garden”; a mystery to everyone bar those who worked within it. In the 40 years since, spanning her own career, Hirst explained that this scenario had now changed to the extent that the Government has full control and “we have another education garden; one where we have a political free-for-all, with so many gardeners not having a clue how to nurture and care for the seedlings.” It is in this scenario that the National Education Union will start life, as a “strong, dynamic and robust” organisation that is “not afraid to let the Government know enough is enough when it introduces policies that are unworkable. We can’t keep saying ‘we told you so’ when it gets things so wrong,” she said. She urged delegates and all ATL members to get involved now in the “big adventure” of the new union, “and build the foundations of the National Education Union, the union that will surely change the withering educational garden of today into one that flourishes”.
“Be assertive. Life is for living, so enjoy your job, but do not let it consume you.” The motion was carried unanimously. SUPPORT STAFF SPEAK UP Support staff took centre stage for no less than four motions. Two of these focused on workload, with Clare Kellett inviting delegates to try and identify the support staff members in the hall. “Do they look weary?” she asked. “A bit frayed round the edges? Because support staff are often underrated – and certainly underpaid – and in many MATs and federations, they are overlooked, overworked and overwhelmed.” Kellett wished to focus particularly on an often disregarded section of support staff, namely: “The IT and finance teams, admissions, reception, exams, matron, librarian, site managers, technicians – the people who keep the place working.” The unofficially expanding role of many support staff was apparent in new TA
Craig McGregor’s story of finding himself directing discussion in an English class as he was the only member of staff to have read the book in question. He then found himself inadvertently setting texts for several classes, simply because colleagues hadn’t had the time to research the topic. The two motions – one calling for the Government to make it clear staff cannot be asked to do more in fewer hours and for less money, and the other for an investigation into support staff taken away from their official duties – were passed. Term-time-only pay was raised in a motion calling for a campaign to bring all support staff onto 52-week contracts. Emma Parker, a teacher who has supported the now-famous Durham TAs in their campaign against changes to their conditions, pointed out that a cut of £4,800 in salary was the norm. As the Durham TAs took to the stage to a well-deserved standing ovation, Parker told delegates the TAs inspire her every day and that “they give everything to children in their care”. A sense of déjà vu surrounded the fourth motion, which called for anonymity for support staff facing allegations, in line with that granted to teachers. A near identical motion was brought to Conference in 2015 but, despite multiple promises from education ministers, there is no sign of any change. SUPPLY TEACHERS “Roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen! Have I got a bargain for you! QTS, available at an hour’s notice, and cheap as chips!” Sue Groome tried to sell delegates a supply agency worker, “better than a teacher because they have fewer rights”. “How can it be fair,” she asked, comparing permanent teachers to agency workers, “to have two equally qualified staff treated so differently?” She, and subsequent speakers, pointed out that not only are agency workers paid a lower rate, with admin fees often taken off too, but they also do not have access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The motion, calling for all qualified teachers employed by agencies to have access to the TPS, and for all unfair agency charges to be banned, was carried. EQUALITIES A spotlight was shone on some of the most overlooked members of the education profession, with motions on disability and terminal illness. The first called for ATL to continue to follow the social model of disability and WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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PHOTOGRAPHS: SARAH TURTON
SPOTLIGHT ON… CONFERENCE 2017
to raise awareness of it. Proposer Eleanor Dyde separated the social model from the medical, with the latter treating disability as a condition or impairment to be treated or cured, while the social model sees the disabled person as someone who “wants and needs to be accepted” and “can be an asset at work”. This attitude helps the person “feel useful and valued rather than a burden”. Supporting the motion, Jo Toovey said: “Generally, there is an overwhelming misunderstanding of disability in education. Motions like this help give us a voice.” Conference carried the motion. “Many of us will work alongside a colleague suffering from a terminal illness at some time,” said Helen Porter, proposing a motion calling for terminal illness to be given the status of a ‘protected characteristic’ to prevent terminally ill employees being dismissed. As the retirement age rises, she said, we are likely to see more terminally ill people wanting to keep working, for financial reasons and to receive death-in-service benefits. She urged delegates to support the TUC’s ‘Dying to work’ campaign at www.dyingtowork.co.uk. The motion was passed unanimously. All staff should have access to toilets in education establishments during the working day, Rosanna Rackley told Conference. “Sometimes I need to pee, because, despite what some students may think, I am actually human,” she said. “As an adult in a school I cannot and should not use the same facilities as students. Some staff in schools are not aware it is a safeguarding issue.” The resolution wants ATL to research what’s actually happening in schools and colleges, and for guidelines to be available for them so they can ensure staff have access to toilet facilities. It was carried. With hate crimes on the rise, young people need to be educated so no one suffers harassment or abuse, and education staff need support recognising
THE DURHAM TAs GET A WELL-DESERVED STANDING OVATION WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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and challenging hate crimes and speech – this was the message to Conference from members of ATL’s Equalities and Diversity Committee. Chris Dutton said: “It is important we are all aware of the levels of discrimination certain groups in society continue to face and we have the confidence and support to challenge incidents of hate in schools and colleges.” The motion called on ATL to continue to lobby the Government for mandatory PSHE and age-appropriate SRE and updated guidance, while raising awareness of discrimination, and provide CPD and resources to educate young people to challenge hate speech and crimes. It was carried. STUDENTS’ WELL-BEING Helen Porter called on delegates to support her motion calling for ATL to: raise awareness of honour-based abuse and child abuse related to faith and belief – including FGM, forced marriage and breast-ironing; lobby Government; and provide guidance for members on recognising their signs.
“SOMETIMES I NEED TO PEE – I AM ACTUALLY HUMAN” A recent survey of ATL members found that, while more than 70% of respondents had been trained to identify and report FGM, numbers for recognising forced marriage, abuse linked to faith and belief, and breast-ironing were much lower. She said: “Breast-ironing or flattening is the pummelling or pounding of a pubescent girl’s breasts with hard or heated objects in an attempt to flatten them and stop them developing. “We may be the only adult outside the family who knows that child well. I may notice that girl has become very withdrawn lately, her sitting posture has become hunched,
CRAIG McGREGOR, A TA WITH TOO MUCH RESPONSIBILITY
she avoids PE. I might notice how she winces when raising her hand in class. It is everyone’s responsibility to share information to safeguard a child.” This motion was followed by one on human papillomavirus – or HPV – which is often discussed in reference to cervical cancer, although it is also linked to a range of illnesses, including throat cancer. Sree Varshini Rajkumar explained to Conference how increases in occurences of throat cancer are linked to an increase in young people engaging in oral sex. She told delegates: “It wasn’t until students at my school started questioning why only girls were being vaccinated against HPV that I first investigated the consequences of this disease. What I found was alarming. “The NHS predicts the number of HPV-related throat cancers will overtake HPV-associated cervical cancers in women in just five years. Over 360,000 boys are left unprotected each year.” The motion called on ATL to raise awareness of this issue, including the importance of safe sex for the LGBT+ community, provide resources for members and continue to lobby the Government for compulsory PSHE and age-appropriate SRE that includes this issue. Both motions were carried. SHOUTING FOR SEND SEND students are being let down, Graham Easterlow told delegates. Local authorities are outsourcing the writing of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), meaning these supposed cornerstones of support for SEND students are often written by people who have never met the student. He added that there is a crisis in the recruitment and retention of SEND staff and that SEND teaching was noticeably absent from the front page of the Government’s ‘Get into teaching’ website. Bob Groome spoke of TAs being made redundant while hundreds of SEND children sat at home because there was no 3
SUE GROOME TRIES TO SELL A BARGAIN TEACHER
ELEANOR DYDE: DISABLED EDUCATION STAFF SHOULD NOT FEEL LIKE BURDENS MAY 2017 | REPORT 15
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Investing in the future Funding, teacher training and access to good CPD are the key issues that need addressing, shadow schools minister Mike Kane told Conference A former primary teacher, the Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East said that, despite manifesto commitments to protect the money that follows a child into school and an increase in budgets, schools are facing their first real-terms cuts to budgets in nearly 20 years. Praising the website www.schoolcuts. org.uk for demonstrating the impact of the new funding formula on every school and region, he said the “so-called fair funding formula” will simply redistribute an inadequate sum of money. “While of course I support the principle that all schools MIKE KANE MP
one to support them. Rod Bissett, who works in the largest hospital school in the country, explained he was moved to work in the autistic spectrum conditions pupil unit, because he was “quite bouncy”. “Is that a qualification?” he asked, before stating that enthusiasm alone is not enough – proper training is needed. Easterlow concluded by saying SEND students have the quietest voices, so “we must shout about this until the Government has no choice but to take action”. The motion was carried. Jo Toovey and Karam Bales proposed a motion calling for research into the abuse of the exclusion system in dealing with SEND students. This was also carried, as was a motion calling for investigation into funding cuts in SEND education. Funding was also the theme of a motion calling for an investigation into the effect of reduced budgets and reduced local authority involvement in pastoral care. Proposer Emma Weetch said: “Teachers try to balance every day the mental health needs of learners, while at the same time they have to run the gauntlet of testing and the demands placed upon us.” The motion was carried unanimously. 16 REPORT | MAY 2017
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should see fair funding, the answer is not to take money away from existing schools and redistribute it. When budgets across the country are being cut, the solution is to invest in education to help every child receive an excellent education,” he said. For the fifth year in a row, the Government had failed to reach its targets for new recruits, Kane added, whereas, to achieve a universal high-quality school system, we need “to focus on our most important resource, our teachers. We need to review the training pathways into the classroom. There are too many routes into teaching and I would like to see the return of universities being back at the centre of the route.” He concluded: “The most effective way to improve our schools is to focus on the teaching experience, valuing the staff we have and ensuring education is an appealing profession for our highest achievers. We need to establish an increased entitlement to professional development and we need to introduce an appraisal system that rewards teachers’ contributions in and out of the classroom.”
ASSESSMENT ATL members demonstrated the strength of feeling against national tests in primary schools by overwhelmingly backing a motion to explore a possible boycott of all tests at primary level. Proposer Jean Roberts reminded the Government that teachers test children in primary schools to challenge them appropriately and help them learn, rather than to compare schools nationally on the results. She quoted Professor Brian Cox, who recently said: “I’m unaware of any research that shows that consistent testing is improving standards, and I recoil against using children as measurement probes.” Members lined up to support the motion. Rachel Murtagh talked of science students a decade ago who were enthused about the subject, but the same class now are falling asleep at their desks.
“I’M UNAWARE OF ANY RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THAT CONSISTENT TESTING IS IMPROVING STANDARDS”
In a similar vein, proposing a motion calling for valid key stage 2 primary assessment, Godwin Agbi referred to the chaos surrounding the 2016 tests and said: “The children of 2017 should not be inflicted with the same failing structure.” Conference carried the motion. Moving to secondary assessment, Kim Knappett called for guidance on what the new GCSE grades mean, describing the current state as a “hodgepodge”. She invited her 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to tell Conference how she was working at level 5, and predicted 6 or 7, but she really did not know what that meant. Seconding the motion, Abdul Choudhury said he had supported members put on capability proceedings because of confusing and flawed data. The vagueness of the situation, he said, is demonstrated by the Government’s own website referring to “level 5-ish”. Finally, a motion on post-16 resits for maths and English called for an investigation into their effects on staff and students. The motion was carried. CURRICULUM A reduction in curriculum diversity was the focus of a motion calling for ATL to monitor the decline in provision of minority subjects and lobby the Government to evaluate all policy decisions through a public curriculumdiversity impact assessment. Robin Bevan said: “We run the risk the curriculum in our schools and colleges in the very near future will be a pale shadow of what it once was, and wholly unsuited to many of our learners. “My personal belief is this is the most profound change in the curriculum of our secondary schools – something nobody voted for. Because of the demand to increase the rigour and content of maths and English GCSEs, nearly every secondary school in the country has increased the amount of curriculum time given to maths and English, and in doing so has removed one subject choice from the range of GCSEs students are studying – essentially a 10% reduction in curriculum diversity.” The motion was carried. Starting with a recorder recital and finishing with a snippet from Shakespeare, Trevor Cope portrayed a series of arts subjects, including music, drama and art, which he said are “going, going, and, before long, gone” from schools. “The way things are going we’re losing those little special things that make school available and accessible to a lot of students,” he said. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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SPOTLIGHT ON… CONFERENCE 2017
PHOTOGRAPHS: SARAH TURTON
SREE VARSHINI RAJKUMAR CALLS FOR PROTECTION FOR BOYS AS WELL AS GIRLS
ROD BISSETT: IS BEING BOUNCY A QUALIFICATION?
Speaking about the Ebacc, Huw TindallJones, seconding, said: “Even in primary schools, arts are being sidelined as a result of increasing importance being placed on English and maths in SATs. “I’ve seen children who excel in the arts removed from these classes to attend English and maths interventions. I’ve seen the spark go out and have been powerless to do anything about it. “This motion calls on ATL to continue to advocate for the arts when consulting with the Government, not at the expense of other subjects, but as an equal.” Tindall-Jones also spoke to a motion calling for ATL to highlight good skillsbased learning within the science curriculum in primary schools and advocate a skills-based curriculum for science in key stage 3 that builds on the primary curriculum. He told Conference: “Despite my passion for the arts, I am a primary science specialist. I love provoking curiosity in my students, I love facilitating those ‘wow’ moments. I love science, yet I have no time to teach it.” Both motions were carried. In a motion on curriculum reform in Wales, ATL Cymru called on ATL to seek assurances the Welsh Government will not abandon the path of reform, that more support will be provided for all schools, that greater clarity will be provided about implementation, that early consideration of key stage 4 performance measures and qualifications will be given, and that additional INSET days will be provided. It was carried. “We need a society that values all qualifications equally,” Niamh Sweeney told delegates, proposing a motion on the Government’s industrial strategy, technical education and skills. “We have been waiting a number of years for vocational or technical education to be given the spotlight it deserves,” she said, but was disappointed with the detail. “Are the Government plans even new? Are the Government plans fit for the 21st century? Are the Government plans even strategic? Why do young people taking vocational or technical WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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RACHEL MURTAGH: TESTING IS SENDING STUDENTS TO SLEEP
GODWIN AGBI WANTS CHILDREN SPARED THE CHAOS OF KS2 TESTS
“TO SURVIVE, SOME LEADERS FEEL THEY NEED TO ASK STAFF TO CUT CORNERS, AND, WHEN CORNERS ARE CUT, STAFF AND STUDENTS SUFFER” qualifications need to commit to a workforce stream at 14, when others can have a more varied and flexible approach?” she said. The motion called for ATL to research the potential skills gap resulting from Brexit, lobby the FE sector to ensure FE is funded to fill these gaps, lobby for engagement with the sector during implementation, and lobby to ensure academic and technical education are embedded in the curriculum. It was carried. A separate motion calling on ATL to research the impact of leaving the EU and for the research to be used to campaign against possible detrimental consequences was lost. LEADERSHIP Ethical leadership was the theme of a number of AMiE motions. One was passed calling for ATL, AMiE and headteacher unions to work with ATL Future to develop a framework for ethical progression into leadership. It was proposed by ATL Future convener Louise Atkinson to address concerns about the rapid promotion of NQTs, without support and choice. Conference voted for a code setting out conditions needed for leadership to thrive, after hearing that leaders are working in a “high-stakes” culture, where they are expected to do more with less money. AMiE president Julia Neal, proposing, warned that unethical behaviour can be bred in such environments. Backing the motion, Simon Clarkson said: “To survive, some leaders feel they need to ask staff to cut corners, and, when corners are cut, staff and students suffer.”
SIMON CLARKSON: WORKING HARDER THAN EVER
He said leaders needed to be able to expect realistic challenge and reasonable job security. “We need to protect our leaders, to make sure we have the leaders our schools deserve. A code of conduct would start to do that.” Later, delegates voted for ATL to work with the National Governors’ Association to provide more training to governors. Proposing the motion, which also called for effective remedial actions if standards falter, headteacher and AMiE council member Robin Bevan said: “It’s not uncommon for school leaders to spend considerable amounts of time compensating for the misjudged actions of governors.” SUPPORTING NEW PROFESSIONALS Diane Wilson called for ATL to build on its resources for teachers and lecturers new to the profession to make them aware of the impact decisions around internet communication and lone working can have on their careers. She said: “It is particularly distressing in casework when the member of staff is so young. They are newly qualified, full of fresh ideas, beginning a rewarding yet demanding career, keen to do well and yet all their hopes can be dashed with the arrival of a letter indicating an investigation is on its way.” She described how one ATL member, who did not watch his computer shut down completely, discovered students had accessed his email account and sent insulting messages to members of staff. “It is imperative that inexperienced teachers are made aware of the necessity to have colleagues nearby, particularly after school hours,” she added, after describing a case in which it took five days to clear an NQT taken to a police station after an allegation from two seven-year-old girls. The motion was carried. n
MORE INFO
Details of all Conference motions are at www.atl.org. uk/conference. MAY 2017 | REPORT 17
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28/04/2017 12:03
GUIDE
Being a brilliant middle leader Authors and former teachers Gary Toward and Chris Henley explain what you need to do when making the leap to middle management
EVERY DAY ACROSS the world, teachers change lives for the better – creating little miracles, leaps in learning, and injecting confidence and inspiration. Beyond that, those who lead teaching teams have the amazing but challenging role of pulling teachers together to do this collaboratively in the most effective and exciting way. Without a doubt, schools need brilliant middle leaders who can inspire teachers to be at their very best for their pupils, every lesson. The leap from being a teacher to a teacher who leads is quite big. Whether you have achieved your new post internally or you are new to the school, you need to now think of yourself differently. The chances are that you will still have some teaching workload and hence, you will be part of the curriculum delivery team. Your progression to a leadership position catapults you into a different stratosphere. You are both a teacher and a leader of people; staff and
kids. From the very first minute, those you lead (and beyond) will begin to judge you. Fundamentally, they will be asking the same question: is she or he any good? They’ll all want different things. Here are a few you’ll need to nail in your first week. Your team will want to see that: • you can deliver in the classroom • you can hack the discipline • you will support them • you have a sense of humour • you have a plan (worth following) • you are organised. The kids will want to see that: • you can deliver in the classroom • you can deal with those who mess around • you have a sense of humour • you are in it for them • you listen • you are fair.
ALAMY
To find out about AMiE, ATL’s section for leaders in education, see www.amie. atl.org.uk
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The wider audience will want to see that: • you communicate well, personally and electronically • you are a whole-school team player • you have a positive personality • you are child-centred • you arrive early • you leave later than most. In short, you have to become a multifaceted, all-things-to-all-people kind of person and it’s this that often catches out the new middle leader. While teaching can be a challenge, at least you are Tarzan in your classroom jungle, and have the capability of ensuring you create the climate that will engage your pupils each lesson. Being a head of department, a team leader, a coordinator or a SENCO (to name but a few) opens up your jungle to the bigger beasts, who have all of the same engagement needs as pupils but equally have the ability to be difficult. Our top tip is to invest time in the first list. ‘Walk the job’, be visible, get the kettle on, find reasons to praise colleagues, offer support, and, of course, deliver great lessons so those you lead know you are on the ball. There are remarkably simple wins to be had, such as the new middle leader who gains status quickly by simply listening to their staff and investing in some new resources they’d wanted for ages, or the team leader who involves the whole team in creating the agenda for each meeting and keeps the meetings focused. Brilliant middle leaders look for these easy wins and, as they sense the tide flowing with them, gradually unfurl their ideas for future development and help the team to contribute and engage, never forgetting the need to ‘walk the job’. How your team feels about you is crucial, and it will be your communication skills over the long term that will help you have a buzzing team that is always working with you and gaining the best for the pupils of your school. Gary Toward and Chris Henley, along with Andy Cope, are authors of four best-selling books, including The Art of Being a Brilliant Middle Leader. Their training company is called Decisive Element, www.decisive-element.co.uk, and you can follow them on Twitter @PositiveWeather. MAY 2017 | REPORT 19
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A visa is not required for entering Northern Cyprus. On arrival at the border, a 90-day visa is automatically issued free of charge. A valid passport or personal ID card is required and must be valid for the entire duration of your stay. You are recommended to ensure that your personal ID card or passport is valid for another 6 months after entry. Additional information available at: http://mfa.gov.ct.tr/consular-info/visa-regulations/ * A deposit of 20% of the tour price is payable upon receipt of written booking confirmation. The remaining amount must be paid 80 days before departure. The price applies from 2 to 16 December 2017 from Manchester. For other travel periods, seasonal price increases apply as listed in the flight schedule. # Holiday price increase p.p.: £49. This tour is exclusively available for individual travellers and is valid only for the booker plus accompanying adults. The travel conditions of RSD Travel Limited apply. These can be requested from the travel hotline or viewed at www.rsd-travel.co.uk. Subject to misprints and changes. The photos show typical examples of what you can expect from our hotels. This trip requires a minimum number of 15 participants per travel date. 1 Price example was calculated on 7 March 2017 for the travel dates 16 December to 23 December 2017. Flight from Manchester to Ercan and Ercan to Manchester on wwwexpedia.co.uk, transfers airport – hotel – airport on www.holidaytransfers.com, Alion Beach Hotel and Hilton Park Nicosia on www.booking.com, coach tour on www.nbktouristic.com, excursions on www.explorecyprus.com and www.visitnorthcyprus.com. The comparative price for the Culture and Dinner package is based on the standard prices of our Turkish partner (www.nbktouristic.com). 2 RSD Travel Ltd. and RSD Reise Service Deutschland GmbH belong to a European group of tour operators that organises tours for customers from a number of European countries. The survey focused on tourists who travelled with RSD in 2016. The air holidays shown are protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays in this brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay, you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate. Our ATOL number is 10396. Please see our terms and conditions for more information.
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Salamis
Bellapais
• Nicosia: the last divided capital in Europe with an Ottoman caravanserai (admission included) and the impressive Selimiye Mosque (admission included) • St. Andrew’s Monastery (admission included): one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations on the island • Golden Beach: probably the most beautiful beach in Cyprus • Agios Afksentios Church (admission included): this venerable church was restored by an EU cultural project. • Ancient Salamis (admission included): excavation site of an ancient Roman town including the historical ruins of the gymnasium and thermal baths • St. Barnabas’ Monastery (admission included): apostle, martyr and Cyprian national saint. • Craftsmanship: in a traditional carpet-weaving factory. • Famagusta: picturesque harbour town • St. Nicholas’ Cathedral (admission included): now known as the Lala Mustafa Pascha Mosque, one of the most outstanding Gothic buildings in Cyprus. • Bellapais‘ Monastery (admission included): a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with its breath-taking location in the Pentadaktylos Mountains affording a fabulous view of Kyrenia.
All-in rate! Special rate for you as a reader of REPORT from only Airports Airport fees p. p. Departure day
• Miniature Park: (admission included): Cyprus‘ 15 most important highlights in miniature format Northern Cyprus • Artisanal tradition: in a jewellery and leather factory • Kyrenia: a gorgeous coastal town with an old harbour, an impressive fortress (admission included) & historic shipwreck now housing a museum (admission included)
Manchester £0 Thu, Sat
Your reservation code!
REP8568
0800 021 1658
Call now, absolutely free, to secure your preferred travel dates. The hotline is open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour operator: RSD Travel Ltd., Regent's Place, 338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BT, United Kingdom, Registered No. 07507940 (England & Wales).
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26.04.17 10:34 28/04/2017 12:04
YOUR ATL… CONTENTS AND CONTACTS
Your ATL
REMEMBER TO PASS YOUR COPY OF REPORT TO COLLEAGUES WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN IT
EXPERT ADVICE, TEACHING TOOLS, MEMBER BENEFITS – AND YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY IN THIS SECTION
27
LEGAL GUIDE
CROSSWORD
ATL’s legal experts on what to do if you’re threatened or assaulted by a pupil
Complete our cryptic crossword for the chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
23
29 26 YOUR VIEWS ATL members on fronted adverbials, curious historical concepts, and the days when teachers could have fun while doing their job properly
NOTICEBOARD AND RESOURCES Details of two new ATL factsheets on FGM and trans and gender-questioning pupils, ATL’s Independent Schools newsletter, the Scrutineer’s Report of the vote to form a new union, and how you can join ATL at London Pride in July
PRIMARY ASSESSMENT Have your say as ATL prepares its response to the Government’s primary assessment consultation
USEFUL CONTACTS If you need help with matters related to your employment, your first point of contact should be your school or college ATL rep, or your AMiE regional officer if you are a leadership member. You can also contact your local ATL branch. If they are unable to help, contact ATL member advisers on the general enquiries number below, or you can call our out-of-hours helpline between 5pm and 7pm Monday to Friday on 020 7782 1612. General enquiries: 020 7930 6441 info@atl.org.uk Belfast: 028 9078 2020 ni@atl.org.uk Cardiff: 029 2046 5000 cymru@atl.org.uk
AMiE members: Call the employment helpline on 01858 464171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk Membership enquiries: membership@atl.org.uk Pension enquiries: 020 7782 1600
SHUTTERSTOCK
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If you are not a member of ATL and would like to join, please contact us on
0845 057 7000 (lo-call)
Personal injury claims: 033 3344 9616 Call Morrish Solicitors LLP, ATL’s appointed solicitors, or go to www.atlinjuryclaims.org.uk. This service is open to members and their families, subject to the rules of the scheme.
TERMS OF ATL’S SUPPORT ARE OUTLINED IN OUR MEMBERS’ CHARTER, AVAILABLE VIA WWW.ATL.ORG.UK/MEMBERSCHARTER. WHEN EMAILING ATL FROM HOME, PLEASE INCLUDE EITHER YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER OR HOME POSTCODE TO HELP US DEAL WITH YOUR ENQUIRY MORE EFFICIENTLY.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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MAY 2017 | REPORT 21
02/05/2017 16:42
Gain QTLS:
Advance your career A new enriched QTLS since September 2016 The benefits of QTLS · It enhances your career prospects · Recognition of your status as a professional teacher or trainer · QTLS continues to hold legal parity with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) · It demonstrates your commitment, skills and knowledge to employers · It is an excellent CPD opportunity that will build your confidence and enhance your skills
Apply QTLSbefore from April 31 May 2017 Apply forfor QTLS 31sttoMay 2017* https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/qtls https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/qtls
*
* To be eligible to apply for QTLS, you need to be a member of the Society for Education and Training (SET).
Education and Training_ATL_May_17.indd 1
02/05/2017 11:58
Join our team Over 20,000 teachers mark GCSE and A-levels with us every year. Find out why, by becoming an examiner this summer.
aqa.org.uk/apply 01483 556 161 examine@aqa.org.uk
022_ATL_MAY_2017.indd 22
Last few vacancies for 2017 available in: •GCSE English •GCSE Religious studies •GCSE and A-level Geography We are now accepting applications for 2018 for most subjects.
03/05/2017 09:23
JOIN THE DEBATE PRIMARY ASSESSMENT
Primary problems
SHUTTERSTOCK
ATL policy adviser Anne Heavey responds to the publication of the Government’s primary assessment consultation IN MARCH 2016, ATL, along with other trade unions, entered into a series of talks with the Department for Education (DfE) to address our concerns about the new primary assessment system. We agreed that over the course of our talks we would try to establish a long-term plan to enable us to move towards a system for primary assessment and accountability that everyone – parents, teachers, leaders and politicians – could buy into. These talks were somewhat disrupted by the arrival of a new prime minister and secretary of state for education, but the result is the recently announced consultation on primary assessment in England. At the heart of this consultation is an uncomfortable and difficult contradiction around how we currently measure progress in schools, and how the DfE would like to do so in the future. The consultation presents a compelling case for why the current key stage 1 assessments are not good enough as a ‘baseline’ for a progress measure: the assessments were not designed for this purpose; there is an incentive to deflate results at key stage 1; and there are only three teacher assessment categories – so only three ‘starting points’. And yet this is the system by which schools are being measured now, and WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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will be until at least 2025. If it isn’t good enough for the long term, why is it good enough now? The arguments made for why a reception baseline could perform better fail to address any of ATL’s concerns. They also ignore the fact that many of the schools that tried out baseline in 2015 chose not to continue with it in 2016, despite DfE incentives. In 2015, a total of 15,421 schools undertook DfE-approved baseline assessments, while in 2016 just 3,901 did. This strongly suggests many schools rejected this policy. We need to think again about the best way to hold schools to account. ATL has long held the policy that statutory assessment of all children should not take place before school leaving age. Instead of testing every child for school accountability, we would prefer to see the introduction of sample assessment, supported by self-evaluation.
“WE WOULD PREFER TO SEE THE INTRODUCTION OF SAMPLE ASSESSMENT, SUPPORTED BY SELF-EVALUATION”
This approach works well in many other countries, including New Zealand and Finland, and has been introduced here with the new National Reference Tests. The PISA assessments, which our education ministers hold in high regard, are also run as sample assessments. ATL was hoping the introduction of sampling would be proposed in this consultation; the new multiplication check – notwithstanding our concerns about the check itself – could offer an opportunity to trial the sampling approach. There are some positive proposals in the consultation: the recognition that best-fit assessments for writing should be introduced in place of secure-fit is especially welcome. The detail of this, and other proposals, is extremely important – moving to best-fit alone will not be good enough, as many ATL members have also called for the criteria to consider the impact and creativity of writing quality. In the consultation, the DfE outlines its statutory assessment principles as follows: “We believe that our assessment system should provide rigorous, reliable and trusted data that can be used, as part of a broader range of information, to measure accurately and hold schools to account for the progress they make with their pupils. It should reflect the fact that we are ambitious for all of our children, regardless of their background or circumstances, and it must be inclusive in its design and operation. It must also be proportionate.” To summarise, statutory assessment should be rigorous, reliable, trusted, accurate, ambitious, inclusive and proportionate. As we prepare ATL’s response, we want your views on primary assessment and accountability, including whether the vision outlined in this document will achieve the DfE’s own objectives. To join ATL’s primary assessment and curriculum network and contribute to the consultation response, email aheavey@ atl.org.uk. Members interested in taking part in proposed joint events with the NUT and representatives from the Standards and Testing Agency to feed back to the DfE should email Monique Lowe at mlowe@atl.org.uk. For full details of ATL’s work on primary assessment, including policies and blogs, see www.atl.org.uk/ primaryassessment. MAY 2017 | REPORT 23
02/05/2017 16:46
Trade Union Services
HAVE YOU HAD AN ACCIDENT? AS A UNION MEMBER, WE’LL GUARANTEE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 100% OF YOUR COMPENSATION Changing government legislation means many legal firms now keep up to 40% of your Personal Injury compensation to cover costs. But at Morrish Solicitors, we believe that every penny you’re awarded should go to you. As an ATL member, you and your family members can enjoy friendly, professional legal advice from Morrish Solicitors, including our FREE Personal Injury service. So if you’ve been injured and it wasn’t your fault, talk to us today. For your FREE Personal Injury Service call
033 3344 9616
Complete a claim form at atlinjuryclaims.org.uk Or for more member benefits visit morrishsolicitors.com/atl
MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE • CONVEYANCING • WILLS AND PROBATE • FAMILY MATTERS
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28/04/2017 12:13
YOUR ATL… LEGAL GUIDE
Violence at work
SHUTTERSTOCK
ATL solicitor Felicia Epstein explains what you can do if you are assaulted or threatened by a pupil IF YOU HAVE been assaulted or threatened by a pupil, ATL expects your employer to take action. Your views should be taken into consideration when planning how to manage the consequences of an incident. The assault should be reported to the police with a view to prosecution. You may be reluctant, but it is an important step to take, particularly if you seek compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) scheme. It is vital that schools support staff in pursuing more actions where appropriate. This sends the message that assaults on staff are unacceptable. Ensure you always report and record each incident. You should also request a risk assessment to ensure all steps are taken to avoid such incidents in the future. See www.atl.org.uk/ riskassessments. When the assailant is a pupil, the school must: • immediately suspend the pupil, pending a prompt assessment of the appropriate disciplinary process and penalties • ensure the assault is reported to the police at the first available opportunity • deal with the assailant promptly, fairly and, above all, firmly under the school’s disciplinary system • ensure the assaulted teacher is not asked to teach or supervise the pupil if he or she returns to school. If you are injured as a result of an assault, your employer may need to report this to the Health and Safety Executive. Sometimes an incident is so serious staff may collectively consider refusing to teach the pupil. Refusal to teach, supervise or have other professional contact with the pupil is a form of industrial action. It is a last resort and ATL should always be consulted before the decision to refuse is taken. More information is available from www.atl.org.uk/ refusaltoteach. WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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After an incident you are entitled to: • complain about circumstances connected with your work that you reasonably believe to be harmful or potentially harmful to your health and safety • leave, propose to leave or refuse to return to your place of work in circumstances of danger that you reasonably believe to be serious and imminent, and which you cannot reasonably be expected to avoid • take appropriate steps to protect yourself or others from danger that you reasonably believe to be serious and imminent. Your employer should not subject you to any detriment (such as a written warning) for taking such action. If you are dismissed for exercising these rights, your dismissal may be automatically unfair. You may have the following rights: 1. Constructive dismissal When employers break their fundamental obligations under the contract of employment, an employee can resign either immediately or by giving notice. The employee should state clearly and in writing that the employer’s conduct has been so unreasonable that the employee is entitled to leave. In order to claim constructive dismissal you have to resign and leave your employment. This is an extremely serious step and you must seek ATL’s advice first.
“IT IS VITAL SCHOOLS SEND THE MESSAGE THAT ASSAULTS ON STAFF ARE UNACCEPTABLE”
2. Sick pay Your entitlement to sick pay should be set out in your contract of employment or statement of terms and conditions. Teachers in maintained schools who are absent as a result of an assault in the course of their employment are entitled to full sick pay from the day of the assault up to the date of recovery, for a period not exceeding six months. This is in addition to regular sick pay entitlement as per the Burgundy Book. Support staff benefit from provisions in the National Joint Council for Local Government Services’ National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service (Green Book). Contact your employer for details of the scheme that applies to you. Independent school teachers’ sick pay entitlements may equate to provisions in the Burgundy Book. You should check your contract or statement of employment particulars for your entitlement. 3. State benefits If you are disabled as a result of an industrial accident you may be entitled to claim industrial injuries disablement benefit. 4. Employers’ insurance Teachers in maintained schools have the benefit of their employers’ insurance under section 8 and appendix V of the Burgundy Book. Substantial compensation is payable, but only in the event of death or permanent total or partial disablement arising from an assault. Staff in independent schools may have equivalent benefits incorporated in their contracts or statements. Provided their contract incorporates the Green Book, support staff in maintained schools have similar benefits in part 3, section 7. Payments are made in the event of death or permanent disablement arising from a violent or criminal assault suffered in the course, or as a consequence, of their employment. 5. ATL insurance ATL members receive insurance cover and protection, including personal accident cover. See www.atl.org.uk/ insuranceprotection for full details. 6. Compensation CICA makes financial awards to compensate individuals, including for physical and mental injuries caused by violent crime.
For more information, see www.atl.org. uk/assault.You can contact ATL using the details on page 21. MAY 2017 | REPORT 25
02/05/2017 16:41
YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS
Letters demonstrate that it moves from ‘formal’ to ‘informal’ more than once in a piece, and in more than FORCE-FED FRONTED one piece. It seems the most ADVERBIALS spurious criterion for showing I totally agree with Dr Bousted a high level of writing. There about the mess Michael Gove is nothing mentioned about created and walked away from effective and engaging (Report, March 2017). However, communication at this standard. her article focuses largely on the Furthermore, spelling is being problems for secondary schools, which are enormous. But primary assessed twice, in the GAPS schools are similarly in dire straits, (progress in grammar, punctuation and spelling especially in regard to the testing assessment) test and in writing. and assessment of writing. To be deemed to be working at The curriculum, which is itself the expected standard, children overly demanding at this age, are expected to know has been so tightly ‘most’ of the random interpreted that it list (based on no is unachievable The author of this letter wins research, and for the majority £100 in book tokens. If you want to which often of children, if voice your opinion on issues raised in Report or any other aspect of education, do not equate truly assessed please send a letter or email to the to the rules to the criteria addresses below, including your required to required and if phone number. One letter will be chosen be studied it is truly pupils’ every issue to win in the spelling independent work. the tokens. curriculum) drawn We are forceup for Years 3 to 6. It is feeding children of 10 a legal requirement that children and younger with colons, with special needs, like dyslexia, semi-colons, fronted adverbials, are accommodated within exam passives, modals, etc, which often leads to turgid, verbose and and assessment systems, but no unnatural writing – not a pleasure allowance can be made for such children within the current to read. This is because every primary assessment regime. element on the assessment The Standards and Testing criteria must be evidenced in Agency has worked to ensure the children’s work. Standards that moderation is standardised of work expected at level 6 only throughout the country. This two years ago (the average level should ensure, perhaps, that all at KS3, and which very few moderators go semi-colon primary children achieved) are hunting! But it will not address the now the expected standard. real problem. Thanks, Mr Gove. To prove a child is achieving L Boztas, Surrey a ‘deeper’ standard, work must STA R L E T T E R
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26 REPORT | MAY 2017
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HORRIBLE HISTORY I read your article ‘Myths of the mind’ with interest (Report April 2017) and would like to encourage a critical review of other baseless shibboleths of teaching that emerge about once a decade from so-called experts who either don’t teach, can’t teach, or are primarily motivated by an opaque ideological mission. As a history teacher, I had ‘second order concepts’ thrust upon me about 20 years ago. No one dares question them. No one remembers what ‘first order concepts’ were any more. It’s all very curious. Essentially, these second order concepts (things like ‘similarity and difference’) are meant to emerge from a good knowledge of historical content; patterns ought to emerge. But dogma puts concepts ahead of content, and now we are ordered by smug apparatchiks to drop content altogether and just teach concepts or the minimum content required to grasp the concept. It’s like learning to mix and bake but without any knowledge of ingredients or only being allowed to experiment with the potato. This regime is bonkers, pernicious and totally neglects the purpose of history; to create knowledgeable children able to make sense of the world and their place in it. It strips the subject of the joy of knowledge and doesn’t prepare them for exams that increasingly test children on accurate content recall. So while we are looking under the cold stone of “baseless folk theories”, let’s review some of the other harmful and unnecessary theories which riddle faculties as well. Each subject has them; let’s see more of this. Name supplied
JOIN THE DEBATE…
A NEW HOPE After 35 years in the profession, I may well have taught my last lesson recently, and inevitably it is time for reflection on the state of education. Firstly, I feel very fortunate to be among the very last of a blessed generation who could afford to semi-retire at 55 and still get a decent pension. I am dumbfounded and deeply concerned that younger colleagues will have to work long into their 60s before this becomes viable. Also, we had, I feel, much more fun in my earlier days. Almost without exception the people I worked with were totally committed to children and their learning, but we had more time to enjoy the job and life too. We were treated as professionals to a far greater degree, we could choose how to teach and even to an extent what to teach. The formulaic approach brought on by excessive testing and league tables has damaged the integrity of real and inspiring teaching and learning. Perhaps we all tend to look at the past through rose-tinted spectacles and are maybe too pessimistic for the future. But in one key sense, nothing has changed – it is still an enormous privilege to work with young people. They have made me laugh, and occasionally despair, but never once have they been boring. There is one way in which the future may be a bit brighter for those still teaching – the new union will give us a far stronger voice in our dialogue with a political class who labour under a delusion that they understand education and how best to improve it. I Richardson, Beverley
report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion
Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
02/05/2017 16:39
YOUR ATL… PRIZE CROSSWORD
WIN! A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher
Prize crossword ACROSS 1 Difficult situation – cover is back on Austen novel (7) 5 Part of Harrow is established as the most sagacious (6) 9 His same arrangement of Handel work (7) 10 Turn a different way, followed by a left – it’s innate (7) 11 Went in front of Leeds Education Department initially (3) 12 She is so leaving new school before start of Easter (5) 13 Passed hand gently over bad rot in broken desk (7) 14 Number admitted to Brentwood (3) 15 Non-presence at school – graduate returns to changed scene (7) 17 Spool of film showing Scottish dance? (4) 21 The Spanish manuscript: ‘Trees’ (4) 24 Our town, broken, exhausted (4,3) 27 An old school one might be a draw (3) 28 Angry reaction as Open University introduces great change (7) 29 Epitaph on a Yorkshire city (5) 30 Clever humour leads to work in teaching (3) 31 Tour and redesign circular building (7) 32 Afternoon meal to celebrate eighth ‘A’, perhaps (4,3) 33 Looked after team leader, then finished (6) 34 Study units adapting US model (7)
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HOW TO ENTER
Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL May crossword competition, Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH. The closing date is 23 June 2017. If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here: The winner of the May competition will be announced in the September issue of Report.
LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 4 Sad 8 Fine-tune 9 Oliver 10 Hearts 11 Tintagel 13 Gandhi 14 Headship 15 Need 16 Mousse 18 Cutest 21 Free 22 Obtained 24 Nearly 26 Disclose 29 Tudors 30 Agenda 31 Imparted 32 Lot DOWN: 1 Cinema 2 Degrades 3 Outshine 4 Sent 5 Down 6 Finals 7 Benefits 12 Iced 13 Gym 14 Heard 17 Oxbridge 18 Cenotaph 19 To and fro 20 Try 21 Fees 23 Accent 25 Larder 27 Oral 28 Exit CONGRATULATIONS TO MARCH'S WINNER – SONIA FIELD, HARROW
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02/05/2017 16:38
You’re about to retire. Decisions. Decisions. How will you make the most of your additional pension pot? There’s a lot to consider. Do you need more income now? Or would you rather leave it invested in case you need it later, or pass it on to your loved ones? What about tax? First decision – talk to us. An ATL Plus partner, we offer practical, affordable advice specifically for education professionals about accessing additional pensions.
Book a complimentary, no obligation appointment. Call 08000 85 85 90. Email appointments@lighthousefa.co.uk. A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down. Your eventual income may depend upon the size of the fund at retirement, future interest rates and tax legislation.
Making your money work harder
LIGHTHOUSE FINANCIAL ADVICE www.lighthousegroup.plc.uk/affinity/atl Lighthouse Financial Advice is a trading style of Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited. Registered in England No. 04795080. Registered Office: 26 Throgmorton Street, London, EC2N 2AN. Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited is an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lighthouse Financial Advice and Lighthouse Advisory Services are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Lighthouse Group plc. 2017-04-06 17.0951
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02/05/2017 14:59
IN P YOUR R O F IATL… LE NOTICEBOARD & RESOURCES
NOTICE BOARD SCRUTINEER’S REPORT – ATL INSTRUMENT OF AMALGAMATION
This is the scrutineer’s report on the vote to form the National Education Union: This report is issued in accordance with the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 as amended. Do you agree that the Association of Teachers and Lecturers should amalgamate with the National Union of Teachers to form a new trades union? YES: 21,722 – 73% NO: 8,008 Spoiled or otherwise invalid voting papers returned: 111 Total number of voting papers returned to the scrutineer: 29,841 - 25% Members entitled to vote in the election: 120,898 Supplementary ballot papers (replacements): 185 Total number of voting papers distributed for the purposes of the ballot: 121,083 The scrutineer is satisfied: (a) that there are no reasonable grounds for
believing that there was any contravention of a requirement imposed by or under any enactment in relation to the ballot (b) that the arrangements made with respect to the production, storage, distribution, return or other handling of the voting papers used in the ballot, and the arrangements for the counting of the votes, included all such security arrangements as were reasonably practicable for the purpose of minimising the risk that any unfairness or malpractice might occur, and (c) that Popularis has been able to carry out our functions without any such interference as would make it reasonable for any person to call our independence in relation to the union into question. Popularis has inspected the register of names and addresses of the members of the trade union at its own instance. No request has been made by any member to inspect or examine the register. No matters were revealed which Popularis considers should be drawn to the attention of the trade union in order to assist it in securing that the register is accurate and up to date. ATL did not appoint one or more independent persons other than the scrutineer under section 100D.
PARTNER OF THE MONTH Thinking about a new role? Working in partnership with Hays Education, the ATL Job Finder offers a personalised service to ATL members looking for their next position. Using their network of 35 offices and working exclusively with 300 partner schools, academies and trusts to facilitate all their permanent vacancies, Hays can support your transition into a new NQ, teaching, support or leadership role. Visit www.hays.co.uk/jobs/atl to see jobs locally or further afield, should relocation be an option. For further help and advice email atl@hays.com.
ATL AT LONDON PRIDE 2017 ATL will be joining the London Pride march on 8 July 2017. The theme of this year’s Pride is ‘Love happens here’, marking the 50th anniversary since Parliament first voted to legalise homosexuality in the UK. Pride in London will be marching with a message of hope, acceptance, activism and love. All marchers must have an official wristband, so if you would like to march with ATL, email Simon at sstokes@atl.org.uk.
RESOURCES NEWSLETTERS The new issue of Independent Schools newsletter has been sent to all members working in the independent sector. It explains how independent members will be included and celebrated in the new National Education Union (NEU). There is also a round-up of all the independent sector goings-on at Annual Conference, new guidance on using school vehicles, and the chance to join ATL marching at London Pride. Being a Rep newsletter has been sent to all workplace, union learning and health and safety reps and contacts. It explains in depth what impact the NEU will have on ATL reps and contacts.
WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
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The two main campaigns of the fledgling union will be workload and funding, and there is advice on resources you can use to spread the word on those, as well as an update on teachers’ and FE lecturers’ pay for 2017.
Elsewhere there are details of the summer rep conferences, rising support staff membership, and new publications and training courses.
FACTSHEETS Since October 2015 there has been a requirement for doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals to report known cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) to the police. ATL’s new factsheet, Mandatory Reporting of FGM, outlines the reporting process for FGM in education settings. We have also created Trans and Genderquestioning Pupils, a factsheet that sets out some of the first steps you can take to support gender-variant or questioning pupils, and the resources available to help you. These, and all ATL’s factsheets, can be found at www.atl.org.uk/factsheets.
MAY 2017 | REPORT 29
02/05/2017 16:37
FINAL WORD… BEAR GRYLLS
Intelligence
plus character
ILLUSTRATION: PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH
Chief scout and international adventurer Bear Grylls explains how Scouts and schools can combine to provide a fuller education LET ME START with a confession. I was no model pupil. I was awkward and struggled with so many things, but I also had a huge amount of curiosity. I wanted to find out about the world, and most of all, what my place in it would be. I was what you might call ‘raw material’. Thanks to some caring teachers and persistent mentors – among them my Scout leaders, instructors and my parents – I was shaped into something resembling a ‘whole person’. The process continues! As a child, I remember learning as much outside the classroom as I did at my desk: climbing, martial arts and, of course, Scouting. I didn’t know it then, but I was acquiring a character education, developing my sense of selfworth and self-awareness. I was learning to weigh up risks, make decisions and develop initiative. By overcoming setbacks, making mistakes and picking myself up again, I was learning resilience. 30 REPORT | MAY 2017
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Most people now agree that academic attainment alone is not enough. I love the quote from Aristotle: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Of course, it is vital our young people are literate and numerate, and have good critical skills and global awareness. But they must also have a sense of themselves – their own character and moral compass. These skills aren’t always easy to teach in a classroom. For more than a hundred years, Scouting has delivered such non-formal education. Through fun and adventurous activities, both indoor and outdoor, we help young people develop these skills; learning by doing. The outcomes are impressive. A major study conducted by researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow found that, by the age of 50, those who had taken part in Scouting or Guiding when younger are around
Adventurer, writer and television presenter Bear Grylls has been chief scout since 2009.
15% less likely to suffer from mood disorders than those who had not. The authors of the study suggested that the benefits of learning ‘soft’ skills through Scouting, including teamwork and self-reliance, coupled with the benefits of being outdoors, ultimately led to improved health and well-being. So how can school and Scouting work better together? Teachers have been challenged to deliver British values; spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Ofsted now demands attention to ‘wider achievement’. We found that 90% of teachers are favourable towards non-formal learning, while nearly 60% said they would welcome partnerships between their school and Scouting. However, we also discovered that the young people who could benefit most are missing out. More than a third (39%) of free school meal (FSM) students said that if they ‘had the opportunity, they would like to be part of the Scouts’, compared with less than one-quarter (23%) of non-FSM students. That’s a huge shame when young people in Scouting report more confidence in every single character trait. Through a Department for Education project, we trialled schools working with local Scouting. The response was resoundingly positive, with teachers reporting improved relationships with their pupils. Over 80% of young people who took part said Scouting made them want to come to school. Nearly 90% said it made them want to try new things, while 90% said it made them feel proud. That’s important. A partnership with Scouting won’t be for every school. Buy-in from senior leadership and competing priorities can hinder success. But if this feels like something your pupils could benefit from, register at www.futureprepared.org.uk. There is no single approach that works for every pupil, but, with a combination of informal and formal opportunities, we can give them the best possible chance they deserve. “Intelligence plus character,” said Martin Luther King, “that is the role of true education.” WWW.ATL.ORG.UK
02/05/2017 16:35
Free fundraising kit for your school AllStar Games is a brand new fundraising event that gets your class or whole school excited to raise money to save lives, have fun and get active.
You decide on the event that works for your school. • Activities for all ages and abilities • Can be part of an existing sports day or a one-off event • Keep 20% of funds raised to spend in your school
FIGHT FOR EVERY HEARTBEAT bhf.org.uk
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ORDER YOUR FREE FUNDRAISING KIT TODAY Go to bhf.org.uk/allstars to find out more
© British Heart Foundation 2017, a registered charity in England and Wales (225971) and Scotland (SC039426).
28/04/2017 15:56 17:05 02/05/2017
Make
your backup plan.
You work hard every day to help prepare them for their future, but what about your future? If long term illness strikes, do you have a plan?
FREE CINEMA VOUCHERS ATL Protect is an innovative new plan designed specifically to provide a valuable income to ATL members who suffer loss of salary through long term illness. Invite us to pop in to your school for a brief chat about ATL Protect and we’ll give - on the spot - two free ODEON cinema vouchers to each member we meet who is eligible for ATL Protect!
To invite us to visit you and your ATL colleagues in your workplace, please contact us at: phone
0800 138 1690
the-team@affinity.co.uk
web
affinity.co.uk/schedule-a-visit
Visit affinity.co.uk/cinema for full details of cinema voucher offer. Please refer to the ATL Protect policy summary on affinity.co.uk for more information, terms, and conditions. Affinity First Limited is an appointed representative of Irish Life Assurance plc which is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of Irish Life’s regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
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28/04/2017 12:18