Report January 2016

THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

JANUARY 2016 ÂŁ2.50

Challenging behaviour

The big impact of low-level disruption, plus behaviour expert Tom Bennett on classroom management

Y O U R AT L

A G E N DA

LEGAL GUIDE

FE CHANGES LIVES

The world of settlement agreements explained

001_ATL_JAN16 COVER.indd 1

FE must be protected says Mary Bousted

FINAL WORD

ADMISSIONS

Playwright Tamsin Oglesby on how parents choose schools

15/12/2015 14:24

NAKED NAKED BOARDS BOARDS We know a teacher’s time is precious.

Let TeacherBoards customise your boards for you!

We print any design onto felt or white boards and our Velcro friendly felt makes every display an interactive learning tool.

No backing paper No cutting No fuss Just amazing teaching. o

E

2

b

as

e lc r o di s p V y

la ys

5

t f elt c ol rig h

rs

i

de gn

Pr

th a ny

si

nt

wi d e

 01756 700501  Sales@teacherboards.co.uk  www.teacherboards.co.uk IFC_ATL_Jan16.indd Dec 2 Naked Boards.indd1 1

10/12/2015 14:37 12/2/2015 11:06:40 AM

Contents UPFRONT

Y O U R AT L

4 UPDATE

22 USEFUL CONTACTS

9 AGENDA

LEGAL ADVICE

ATL calls for changes to the education bill and a survey of independent schools

Mary Bousted explains why FE needs to be protected

11

WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND

ATL Cymru president Beth Jones talks about the future of education in Wales, and Bronagh Wright on behaviour management

How to get in touch with ATL

23

The complex world of settlement agreements

24 YOUR VIEWS

ATL members on mentoring, workload, graphic novels and the emergency services

25

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

27

F E AT U R E S

12

NOTICEBOARD

BEHAVIOUR

Information, events and opportunities to get involved

16 PROFILE

RESOURCES

Report looks at low-level disruption in the classroom

Tom Bennett on what needs to change in behaviour management training

21

GUIDE

Teaching students with English as an additional language

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 Editor Alex Tomlin News editor Sally Gillen 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 Mike Hine Art editor Clair Williams Designer Alix Thomazi Advertising sales Michael Coulsey or Anthony Bennett 020 3771 7200 Account manager Kieran Paul Managing director Polly Arnold

003_ATL_JAN16_CONTENTS.indd 3

29

Newsletters and ATL’s work-life tracker

30

FINAL WORD

Playwright Tamsin Oglesby on the true quality of a school

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 KIM KNAPPETT, ATL NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Happy New Year to you. I don’t know if you have made any resolutions, but one I’d like us all to make is to attempt to talk more to our colleagues this year.

When I started teaching it was a collaborative profession. We had staffrooms – with kettles. Many issues with difficult students or tough areas of the curriculum were solved over a cup of tea or coffee with other staff. Today, it seems we have become isolated in our classrooms and often feel we need to face these challenges alone – so be brave and talk to your colleagues.

If you are not sure where to begin then why not use some of the articles in this magazine to start the conversation?

Our cover feature on behaviour will strike a chord with everyone and you could talk to a colleague about the most common disruptive behaviour you see in your classrooms and how you deal with it. Also, on page 16, Tom Bennett shares his behaviour management journey and offers pointers that will hopefully help you keep your lessons on track.

There are also some excellent CPD courses available from ATL on behaviour management and I encourage you to look at what is on offer on page 15 or at www.atl.org. uk/learningzone. I can thoroughly recommend the online ‘Managing extreme behaviour’ course – it has really made me think about how I interact with students.

Cover illustration: Pom Lette

JOIN THE DEBATE…

report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

10/12/2015 12:50

PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH TURTON

U P D AT E

No pay rise for fifth of teachers in independent schools

ATL’s Mary Bousted addressed delegates at the independent schools conference

ATL’s independent schools survey found school fees rising faster than pay rises, while excessive workload was also identified as an issue

Almost a fifth of teachers (18.6%) in independent schools will not receive a pay rise this year, an ATL independent sector survey has found.

Findings from the survey, which were presented at the ATL independent schools conference in London in November, also showed that another 5.6% would receive a rise worth less than one per cent in 2015-16.

This is despite 29.8% saying school fees will rise between two and four per cent.

A female teacher in the south west, who responded to the survey, said: “I have not had a pay rise from my school in more than seven years but I am required to do an increasing amount of work as well as work at the weekends.”

The poll also found that excessive workload is a concern in independent schools.

Speaking at the conference, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “I know that workload is the number one issue for teachers in the independent and state sectors.”

Addressing more than 100 members, Dr Bousted said excessive workload means members increasingly do not have time to talk, relax, enjoy family life and pursue hobbies or in other words “to be human”.

CUT WORKLOAD TO HEAD OFF SUPPLY CRISIS, SAYS ATL Excessive workload must be tackled urgently to stop a recruitment and retention crisis in teaching, ATL has warned an influential group of MPs. In its submission to the Education Select Committee’s inquiry into teacher supply, announced in October, ATL says workload is the principal reason for teacher demotivation and teachers leaving the profession.

Trainee figures published by the Department for Education in November show the target had been missed for the third year

4 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

004-005_ATL_JAN16_NEWS.indd 4

running. The number of graduates starting teacher training was 28,000, 94% of the target.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “We hope the select committee listens to the wide range of evidence being submitted around teacher supply, including recruitment and retention.

“Many schools just do not have enough teachers to teach their pupils the subjects they need,” she added.

An ATL survey in January revealed 73% of trainee and

newly qualified teachers had already considered leaving the profession.

Schools are resorting to “desperate” measures to fill vacancies, in some cases travelling overseas to recruit and using expensive agencies, warns ATL’s submission to the committee.

However, both options will become unaffordable within five years with the squeeze on school budgets, says ATL. ATL senior policy adviser Alison Ryan said: “The Government

needs to think about what will not only bring people into the profession but also what will keep them there.

“It needs to address the impact of Ofsted, particularly on workload, and support school leadership, with the necessary expertise and funding to build school cultures that address workload and allow time and space for professional autonomy and development.”

The Education Select Committee will hold evidence sessions this year.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

15/12/2015 14:23

IN WORDS

Her recent TES column on workload generated more than 500,000 hits on Facebook – the most reader feedback ever received by the TES. In a wide-ranging speech, Dr Bousted congratulated the independent sector for taking the lead in opposing qualification reforms, including de-coupling AS- and A-levels, a position supported by ATL and the Confederation of British Industry.

Many in the sector had also warned against the abolition of coursework and teacher assessment in favour of “cliffedge” exams, she said. “The problem of poor-quality marking, highlighted by the independent sector, is not going to go away.”

Poor pay and reluctance among overworked teachers to take on more work is leading to a shortage of exam markers, at the same time as a shortage of teachers.

“Any Government, of any political persuasion, has two key responsibilities when it comes to education – one is to provide enough school places for pupils; the other is to ensure adequate teacher supply. The Government is failing on both,” she said.

Other speakers focused on well-being. In a keynote speech described by delegates as “inspirational” and “thoughtprovoking”, John Baugh, head of the Dragon School in Oxford, said the health and well-being of the pupils and staff comes above all else.

Empathy and compassion should be taught, he added, before outlining tips on how well-being can be addressed in schools.

Psychotherapists Lucinda Lidstone and Vicky Neagen looked at the pupil perspective of adolescent mental health, which led to a discussion about how staff can recognise and address mental stress in pupils.

If you would like to know more about ATL’s extensive CPD programme, independent sector network days and regional ATL events, visit www.atl.org.uk.

It is also possible to arrange school-based training sessions.

For further information, contact learning@atl.org.uk.

ATL’s workload campaign ‘It’s about time’ includes a worklife balance toolkit for teachers working in the independent sector. Go to www.atl.org.uk/ abouttime.

KILL TRADE UNION BILL, ATL URGES ATL assistant general secretary for recruitment and organisation Mark Holding addressed more than 2,500 people at a TUC rally opposing the Trade Union Bill.

The bill, which is going through Parliament, would require 40% of all eligible members to vote for a strike before unions could take action.

It would also allow employers to use agency workers if staff take strike action.

ATL has joined other unions in warning that, if passed, the bill would place disproportionate restrictions on the rights of WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

004-005_ATL_JAN16_NEWS.indd 5

ordinary employees in schools and colleges up and down the country.

Holding told the crowd at the event in November: “Today is about defending the basic rights of working people.

“ATL believes that using agency staff to cover for striking workers will put public services at risk,” he added. “Strike action could result in hasty recruitment of agency staff and we question whether these staff would all have qualified teacher status and whether they could be DBS-checked in time.”

UPDATE

“STAFF WANT TO PLAY THEIR PART ON RADICALISATION, BUT ALSO WANT CLEAR GUIDANCE”

IN BRIEF

ATL AT TRANS CONFERENCE ATL member Heather Salmon spoke at the National Trans Youth Conference attended by almost 200 people in Birmingham.

Heather, an assistant head based at an independent school in the north west, took part in a panel discussion. Issues covered included bullying and how a lack of understanding of trans issues and training for teachers can be addressed.

“These events are really important for young people to express their views on what effect being trans can have on their lives in general,” she told Report. “The lack of understanding in those who work with young people in education and medicine remains a huge barrier.”

GROUP TO TACKLE RADICALISATION A specialist task group on radicalisation has been set up by ATL, chaired by former president Hank Roberts. The first meeting of the group, which will develop guidance, took place in November. ATL lead equalities officer Wanda Wyporska said: “Education staff are increasingly asked to monitor their students and it is important for them to have the facts about radicalisation in the face of media scaremongering.

“Staff want to play their part in tackling radicalisation, but also want clear guidance.”

KEY STAGE 1 TESTS WON’T IMPROVE LEARNING ATL has warned education secretary Nicky Morgan that introducing new tests for sevenyear-olds is unnecessary, will lead to a narrowing of the curriculum, and betrays the lack of trust that ministers have in teacher assessment.

Morgan announced plans to consult on tests for children at primary school during a speech made at think tank Policy Exchange in November.

ATL assistant general secretary for policy Nansi Ellis said: “Formal testing is not the only way to assess children, and perpetuates the assumption that children can always make predictable linear progress.”

Ellis added that ATL would respond to the consultation.

Morgan announced the new tests as part of a package of changes that will also include a National Teaching Service, which will involve highperforming teachers being seconded to struggling schools.

Ellis said: “This isn’t the answer. Just because a teacher has performed well in one school doesn’t mean that they will be able to solve the problems of a school that may be struggling because it is, for example, based in an area of high poverty, joblessness and disadvantage.”

She added: “We also need to ask who will want to uproot their lives to live in another area of the country for two years. It may be young, newly qualified teachers without commitments, but who are also relatively inexperienced. What support will they have?”

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 5

10/12/2015 12:52

006_ATL_Jan16.indd 6

10/12/2015 14:36

U P D AT E

IN BRIEF

Action needed on teacher numbers ATL is pushing for amendments to the Education and Adoption Bill that would place a statutory duty on the education secretary to ensure there are enough teachers and school places

cut to the education services grant

FUNDING CONCERNS FOR EDUCATION A £600 million cut to the education services grant announced by chancellor George Osborne in the spending review is extremely concerning, says ATL general secretary Mary Bousted.

Dr Bousted said that while Osborne had recognised the importance of education in his November announcement, protecting it from the “worst excesses of his scythe,” nothing he had announced would address the recruitment and retention crisis.

“Four more years of a one per cent pay cap will cast teaching further and further adrift from the salaries of other graduate professions,” she said.

Osborne also said that sixth-form colleges would be eligible for academy status so that they would be able to reclaim VAT. Dr Bousted welcomed the VAT announcement as “good sense,” but added that sixth forms should not be required to become academies to reclaim tax.

The protection of core funding for 16 to 19-year-olds in FE colleges was also welcomed by ATL. However, Dr Bousted said she feared for the FE sector following earlier catastrophic cuts.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

007_ATL_JAN16_NEWS.indd 7

ATL has joined forces with other education unions and groups including the National Governors Association (NGA) to argue for a new clause that would make the education secretary accountable for making sure there are enough teachers.

The group argues that such a clause would address a fundamental flaw in the draft legislation, which makes no reference to dramatic rises in pupil numbers, nor the teacher recruitment crisis. The group is also continuing to push for

the removal of a clause in the bill that would compel the education secretary to turn so-called ‘coasting’ schools into academies. Another clause that would deny schools, parents and teachers a say in a choice of academy sponsor should also be taken out of the bill, says the group.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “When there is no evidence that academies raise standards more than any other type of school, it is a mystery why the Government wants to force schools in this direction.

Workload campaign launched Teachers put in an average of 16.5 hours a week over their contractual hours according to data collected by ATL as part of ‘It’s about time’, our campaign to tackle workload.

Around 500 members have recorded their working hours on ATL’s work-life tracker, developed as part of the ATL workload campaign.

Early results from the tracker, which allows teachers to record time spent on different tasks, reveal 24% say the task that takes the most time is marking, while for 15% it’s lesson planning. Just 3.5% said teaching occupied most of their time.

At the launch of ‘It’s about time’, held at ATL’s London office in November, general secretary Mary Bousted said teachers are exhausted by undertaking a vast range of tasks that do not improve children’s learning.

External drivers of workload are causing unconfident leaders – many of them teachers without management training – to try to cater to what they think are Ofsted requirements.

ATL president Kim Knappett added that teachers are spending 10 hours at school a day and then working at home. “They are coming in with the cleaners and then being escorted off site [as school closes],” she said.

To find out more about the campaign go to www.atl.org.uk/abouttime.

“Becoming an academy is not right for all schools,” she added.

“The bill would deny parents, staff and governors a say over what is best for a school’s pupils and staff by making academy conversion the only option.

They would not even have any choice about the sponsor, which would be chosen by the regional schools commissioner.”

As Report went to press, amendments to the bill were being debated in the House of Lords. To find out more about ATL’s action on the bill go to www.atl.org.uk/edubill.

Let pay body do its job ATL is urging the Government to relax its one per cent pay cap to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis General secretary Mary Bousted called on the Government to allow the independent School Teachers Review Body (STRB) to determine the pay award for 2016-17.

“The Government is in denial about a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention,” said Dr Bousted. “It remains wedded to a one per cent limit on public sector pay increases – one per cent that not everyone will get.”

Her comments came as ATL submitted evidence to the STRB and also as a major study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded starting salaries for teachers in the UK are among the lowest in Europe.

The OECD found NQTs in England and Scotland earn at least £2,000 less than the European average. The starting salary for a primary school teacher is £27,768 in England and £27,576 in Scotland.

The European average is £29,807.

Teachers’ salaries in England and Scotland are “going backwards in real terms”, said the OECD.

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 7

15/12/2015 14:18

Aviva car insurance from just £198 Plus save up to 20% online

We offer great value car insurance, with prices from £198 – that’s all 10% of our customers paid for our standard cover*.

We offer great value car insurance so you can relax outside of work. With prices from £198 – that’s all 10% of our customers paid for our standard cover*.

Plus, you could save up to 20% online – 15% of our customers are expected to receive the maximum saving**.

Get a quote online in five minutes^ at aviva.co.uk/atlcar *10% of customers buying comprehensive car insurance with us from August to October 2015 paid this price or less for our standard cover (excluding optional extras).

The price you will pay depends on individual circumstances, cover chosen and payment method. **Discount depends on individual circumstances and does not apply to optional extras. Minimum price applies. ^Source: average online quote times June to August 2015.

Insurance underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 2116.

Registered office: Pitheavlis, Perth, PH2 0NH. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

CFPPCA0005 11.2015

J5822-CFPPCA0005-1115.indd 1 008_ATL_Jan16.indd 8

04/12/2015 10/12/2015 14:42 14:36

AG E N DA

FURTHER EDUCATION HAS a long history of being the ‘Cinderella’ of education. Westminster politicians have little direct experience of FE. It is not something MPs’ children usually go into to further their education. I, however, have had direct experience of FE. Rarely do I include personal experiences in this column, but such is the scale of the financial crisis looming in the sector, that I feel it incumbent to tell my daughter’s story.

My daughter endured secondary school. Despite the best efforts of her teachers, she did not thrive.

The thought of A-levels filled her with dread. Continuing the same academic approach would only end with her dropping out of education.

And so it was that we found ourselves at the local FE college and my daughter’s eyes lit up when she realised she could follow a BTEC level 3 course in fine art.

The rest is history. She thrived, applied to university and achieved a good degree. For her, FE was not only a second chance – it was a place where she discovered what inspired her, and where she learned that commitment brings rewards and results. These are the most important lessons in life, and it was in an FE college that my daughter, like millions of other young people, learned them.

The FE sector delivers well over half the education and training of young people aged 16–18.

The sector educates and trains nearly three million people each year, with provision geared to improving employability, social cohesion, productivity and economic growth. But the FE budget, unlike the school budget, is not protected – and it faces a catastrophic financial meltdown, even if the chancellor’s November statement was not as bad as feared for the sector. Year-on-year cuts to adult education, estimated to be around 40% since 2010, have resulted in a very significant fall in the number of adults able to access high-quality, employment-related training. Some of the cuts have been targeted at basic English courses, which are fundamental to any attempt to build community cohesion and to increase WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

009_ATL_JAN16_AGENDA.indd 9

FE changes lives The savagery of cuts to FE will damage the UK’s productivity, says ATL general secretary Mary Bousted employment among underrepresented groups.

The reductions of 17.5% for FE students aged 16–18 have also had a huge effect on college finances.

Traditionally, FE colleges take many students with poor GCSE results who take longer to progress to more advanced level qualifications. Since last year, FE colleges have had a new, major challenge placed upon them – to provide teaching in English and maths to those students who fail to get a grade C in those subjects at school. A typical FE college might now have to teach GCSE maths to a thousand young people. The Government has, rightly, made competence in English and maths a national priority, but it places a huge burden for this on FE colleges, without extra resources.

Now the alarm bells are sounding and politicians are beginning to

JOIN THE DEBATE… report@atl.org.uk

@ATLReport

facebook.com/ ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

take notice. Skills minister Nick Boles tells FE college principals that they must be more strategic and compete against private trainers, particularly for apprenticeship funding. FE college principals reply that it is extremely difficult to act strategically when funding is not only cut year on year, but also in-year, which means colleges cannot invest in their staff or plan their curriculum to meet the needs of the local community.

A recent letter to the prime minister from 128 college principals asked for greater stability in FE funding, including a three-year funding cycle, no further reduction in adult FE funding and consistent and equitable funding for all 16- to 18-year-olds at FE colleges. These are modest proposals, but the Government does not appear to be in listening mode.

The savagery of FE cuts makes no sense at a time when there is great concern about UK productivity.

As FE and skills expert Professor Alison Wolf has argued in a recent report, Heading for the Precipice, apprenticeship numbers are overwhelmingly in areas that are cheap to deliver. She notes: “Among apprenticeships which lead to a higher-level craft or technician level award (level 3 or above) less than five per cent are in engineering, manufacturing technologies or science, and only about one per cent in ICT.” In the light of these alarming figures, it should be noted by everyone, including politicians, that it is FE that delivers over half of all construction, engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships and delivers training to 35% of all large employers in the country.

What is the Government thinking as it slashes funding to a sector that is so vital to the UK’s current and future productivity? Professor Wolf has said that the cuts in FE funding are “catastrophic”. This is so obvious as to be undeniable. And one thing is certain – damage done to the FE sector will not be easily repaired in coming years. We will have lost large parts of an essential element in our education system, to the detriment of all those learners for whom FE is a lifeline.

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 9

10/12/2015 12:54

Trade Union Services

INJURED AT WORK? 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

010_ATL_Jan16.indd 10

10/12/2015 14:36

THE VIEW FROM… WALES / NORTHERN IRELAND

Wales

Northern Ireland

BETH JONES The new president of ATL Cymru, Beth Jones, on the future of education in Wales

HAVING COMPLETED MY initial degree in educational studies, I developed very early in my career a conviction of the importance of a curriculum based on evidence of how children learn. It should be geared towards developing a lifelong thirst for learning and practical useful skills rather than the imparting of a body of knowledge.

I became increasingly involved in ATL when I saw Government policy and

interventions undermining pupils and teachers. ATL has provided a means to challenge concerns in a very constructive and proactive way. Within the last year there have been opportunities for me to speak on behalf of the union to the education minister and to Estyn.

Looking to the future, I have a glimmer of hope.

The Donaldson report outlined a vision full of optimism – literacy, numeracy and digital competence for all.

It sets out a curriculum that promotes ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives. The clouds on the horizon are the overly ambitious timescale for implementation, and the tentative funding provision.

Forever the optimist, however, ATL is well positioned to influence policy for the benefit of our pupils and I look forward through my position as president of ATL Cymru in giving my all to play my part.

“THE DONALDSON REPORT SETS OUT A CURRICULUM THAT PROMOTES AMBITIOUS, CAPABLE LEARNERS”

BRONAGH WRIGHT A guest column by ATL member Bronagh Wright, a regional head of alternative education provision at Northern Ireland’s new Education Authority, on promoting and sustaining good behaviour THE CONCLUSION FROM the Department of Education’s review, Promoting and Sustaining Good Behaviour, is that, for most schools, pupil behaviour is not a problem.

Mildly disruptive behaviour was at 20% or below, moderately disruptive behaviour at 10% or below and seriously disruptive behaviour at five per cent or below. A small number of schools reported low levels of pupils as unmanageable.

We have to remember that all behaviour provides clues as to how we can manage and support a young person, and sometimes when the most challenging behaviour is improved, the ‘added value’ to learning is huge.

As a teacher of more than 20 years and a service leader for more than four years, I can see the direct link between behaviour, learning styles, trauma, mental health, SEN and the support we can provide. Teachers can enhance learning and do change behaviour. We

can all access behaviour management resources online and use the worldwide expertise available. It would be prudent to have relevant research included in our initial teacher education and staff training days.

Training will require financial resources and, with the establishment of the new Education Authority, I hope we will begin to take a strategic approach to help teachers, parents, guardians and young people to effectively manage all types of behaviour to enable all of us to make real progress.

Excessive workload is one of the most serious issues facing the education profession.

ATL’s work-life campaign, ‘It’s about time…’, empowers you and your colleagues to tackle work-life issues, to reduce working hours and unnecessary workload.

Working excessive hours? Struggling to balance work and life?

011_ATL_JAN16_NI.indd 11

Use our work-life tracker to track your working hours and identify the major drivers of your workload:

www.atl.org.uk/abouttime

it’s about

time...

ATL’S WORK-LIFE CAMPAIGN

10/12/2015 12:55

Students are under increasing pressure inside and outside school, which can lead to disruptive behaviour in the classroom.

Words by Sally Gillen

Classroom

behaviou ILLUSTRATION: POM LETTE

12 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

012-015_ATL_JAN16_FEAT copy.indd 12

WHETHER YOU ARE in your first or your 31st year of teaching, managing behaviour in the classroom always presents challenges.

The Government-commissioned review into managing behaviour in schools, which was announced in September and is led by expert teacher Tom Bennett (see page 16 for an interview), proves the point. Originally set up to look at how initial teacher training (ITT) prepares new teachers for tackling low-level disruption in class, the review was later

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

10/12/2015 12:57

SPOTLIGHT ON… CLASSROOM BEHAVIOUR

expanded to look at all the challenges of “managing behaviour in 21st century schools”.

Announcing the broader review, schools minister Nick Gibb said it would “probe deeper into behaviour more generally to ensure that no child has to put up with having their education disrupted by misbehaviour”.

Disruption in the classroom is a daily challenge but remains broadly at the same level, figures from ATL’s behaviour survey show. This year’s poll found that 89% had dealt with disruptive behaviour in the last 12 months, while in 2013 – when ATL last asked members about the issue - the figure was 88%.

Similarly, the main causes of disruptive behaviour remain the same, with emotional problems and a lack of boundaries or role models topping the list.

Findings from this year’s survey do, however, point to increases in other reasons for disruptive behaviour.

For example, in 2013, 33% of members surveyed believed mental health problems lay behind disruptive behaviour, which rose to 49% this year.

This 16% increase in the past two years reinforces ATL’s growing concerns that students’ health is suffering because of the relentless testing they are subjected to, and the linked performance pressures heaped on schools, which can filter down to the classroom. Testing and exams were cited as the main cause of stress (65%) among those polled (see right), followed by the pressure by schools to do well (61%).

ATL senior policy adviser Alison Ryan says: “We know that there is incredible pressure placed on students now because of exams and testing. Social media, which doesn’t end with the school day but follows children home, is also piling on stress.”

Threats and assaults Inside and outside school, some children are overwhelmed trying to cope with stress from multiple sources, which can find an outlet in the form of disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Ninety-four per cent of respondents to ATL’s survey had been threatened verbally, which has increased from 77% in 2013. Physical assaults included being sprayed in the face with deodorant, headbutted, pinched, scratched and tripped over.

Ryan says: “Alongside heavy workload and other pressures, these behaviours are incredibly stressful and difficult for staff to face and staff need to have the opportunity to share experiences and get the support they need to deal with the behaviours and manage the impact on their own well-being.”

The UK’s growing rights-based culture is also contributing to disruptive behaviour and presents a difficulty for teachers tackling it, say staff. A lack of respect for staff among students, combined with a confidence in asserting their rights, can be challenging. “Kids are king and don’t they realise it, so it’s really difficult to get on top of the behaviours,” said one member who responded to the survey.

Another said: “Students seem to know about ‘their rights’ and make sure teachers are aware of that.”

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

012-015_ATL_JAN16_FEAT copy.indd 13

Ryan comments: “Most people would acknowledge that the higher status now given to children’s rights is positive and, indeed, vital. However, students also need to understand that with rights come responsibilities. So a student who is talking and distracting other students needs to have it made clear that his or her individual right to speak does not come before other students’ rights to learn. Students must feel like citizens of the school.”

But promoting good behaviour among students, together with a sense of belonging to the school, is increasingly a challenge when a significant section of the pupil population – children with SEND – may feel isolated because they are not getting the support they need in the classroom.

SEND reforms that began in 2014 are piling extra pressures onto staff who are already struggling with mounting paperwork. Education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which replace statements, were intended to improve outcomes for children with SEND. A statement was just that, a bald statement about what a child will receive; for example, 10 hours of speech and language therapy a term. A plan focuses more on the outcome a child wants; ie Jonny would like to be able to communicate with his friends and for that we will put in place the following.

Introduced to draw services together, with the SENCO at the centre as a key worker, the spirit of EHCPs was fantastic, says ATL policy adviser Anne Heavey. “No one could argue with the plans.”

In practice, in many areas the EHCPs are not delivering. Nearly three quarters (74%) of those who responded to this year’s behaviour survey could not cite a positive impact, with 36% saying the EHCPs had no impact and another 38% not knowing if they had had an impact. Just 0.3% said they had led to a significant improvement.

Implementing the EHCP demands huge resources – human and financial – at a time of shrinking schools budgets and soaring workload, says Heavey. “This is a very expensive reform. The annual budget for an EHCP is £6,000 per child. If we are going to do this properly there must be sufficient funding.”

The introduction of a new SEND code of practice for 0-25 for SENCOs and classroom staff, published in September 2014 by the Department for Education, places responsibility for the progress of pupils with SEND onto classroom teachers. The code says that where a pupil is making less progress than expected, “the first response to such progress should be highquality teaching targeted at their areas of weakness”.

It is a laudable but unrealistic aim, says Heavey.

Meeting the needs of and managing the behaviour of students with a broad range of SEND – a class of 30 will have, on average, five students with SEND – is an increasingly challenging task for many teachers, especially as school budget pressures are resulting in support staff redundancies, says Heavey. ATL’s survey found 64% said initial teacher training did not have a strong enough focus on identifying SEND while 3 57% said there was not enough CPD available to

If you think pupils are under more pressure/ put under stress, why do you think that is?

64.9% Testing and exams

60.8%

Teacher/school pressure to do well

60.2%

Lack of parental support

51.1%

Family breakup

47.9% Overcrowded curriculum

33.9% Body image/ pressure to look good

30.3% Peer pressure

30%

Problems with friendships

29.8% Cyberbullying

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 13

10/12/2015 12:57

014_ATL_Jan16.indd 14

10/12/2015 14:36

SPOTLIGHT ON… CLASSROOM BEHAVIOUR

28.6% Poverty

27.1%

Family pressure to do well

25.1%

English not their first language

24.5% No time for relaxation

22.2%

Worried about getting into the best school/ university

21.4% Volume of homework/ coursework

20.2%

Celebrity culture

17.6%

Physical or verbal bullying

Source: ATL survey of 1,250 members, September 2015

15.8% Media/ advertising

adequately prepare teachers for identifying students with SEND. In his review into ITT, published in January 2015, Sir Andrew Carter commented on the number of organisations that had raised concerns about how inadequately ITT prepares new teachers to address SEND. His report recommended that SEND should be included in a framework for ITT content and, where possible, there should be structured and assessed placements for trainees in special schools or mainstream schools with specialist resourced provision.

Essential help provided to children with SEND has been lost in many classrooms through support staff redundancies. All of which has made the job of managing behaviour among this group with hugely varied needs more difficult for teachers.

“A lot of teachers are not confident about identifying and teaching children with SEND,” says Heavey. Her comments are echoed by respondents to ATL’s survey.

“The needs of SEND students are varied and class teachers struggle to focus on all needs, especially as they keep changing, ie those with needs opt in and out of your class – often with high frequency,” said one member.

Another said: “Staff need more specialist and specific CPD. Support staff are generally far more knowledgeable about SEND than teaching staff,” while another said: “As a teacher in a community school I am expected to teach inclusive lessons without knowing the full extent of a child’s SEND. As SEND is so broad it makes differentiation very challenging.”

Passing the buck Unfortunately, reforms such as the EHCP, designed to improve support and outcomes for students with SEND, have left some with less help. Worse still, Heavey says ATL has heard of schools suggesting to children and their families that they would be happier at other schools.

Urging students with SEND to transfer only pushes problems elsewhere and impacts on those students’ learning, potentially adding to another teacher’s management of disruptive behaviour.

“Behaviour can be a form of communication, a reflection of how a student feels about themselves, about their learning,” says Ryan. “So you need to

14.4% Impact of the credit crunch

11.1% Religious or cultural experiences

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

012-015_ATL_JAN16_FEAT copy.indd 15

“BEHAVIOUR CAN BE A FORM OF COMMUNICATION, A REFLECTION OF HOW A STUDENT FEELS ABOUT THEMSELVES, ABOUT THEIR LEARNING”

get behind that to support the young person. They may have family worries related to parents breaking up, unemployment or money worries, or have selfimage issues where they feel they don’t fit in. Their behaviour might indicate mental and emotional health issues. One-to-one support and input from behaviour support teams can also help.”

Behaviour policies, which are drawn up with and given to parents, are a must, says Ryan. “In some schools the behaviour policy sits on a shelf gathering dust,” she adds. “It should be a living document that is regularly reviewed across all staff, with room for parents and pupils to have input to increase its power and credibility with them.

“Policies also need to be sensitive to the different needs of pupils, with an emphasis on principles; ultimately they need to support good teaching and learning and positive relationships between staff and pupils and between pupils.

“Staff need tools and strategies to manage behaviour,” she adds. n

ATL RESOURCES AND EVENTS ON BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT For publications on behaviour management go to www.atl.org.uk.

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT Challenging behaviour is one of the most common and demanding scenarios faced by education professionals. Whether you are new to the profession or looking for some new strategies, the courses within this section offer you the opportunity to spend a day with colleagues examining these behaviours and to learn some practical tips and techniques to help you have maximum impact in your workplace. We also

have a new course on managing extreme behaviour.

TAKING CARE OF BEHAVIOUR This course will share practical, immediately useful strategies to improve behaviour, wrapped around an intelligent philosophy.

Delegates will learn how to teach behaviour through the use of reinforcement, praise, rituals, routines and habits and develop the ability to intervene skilfully without confrontation.

Two courses on behaviour will run throughout 2016.

Bookings from January 2016. Go to www.atl.org.uk/ learningzone.

To download ATL’s advice publication, Managing Classroom Behaviour, go to www.atl.org.uk managingbehaviour

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 15

10/12/2015 15:26

Changing behaviour

Behaviour expert Tom Bennett tells Alex Tomlin how change needs to happen to improve behaviour management in education

THE CURRENT SYSTEM for preparing teachers for behaviour management is woefully bad, says the man tasked with reviewing it, Tom Bennett.

Glasgow-born Bennett has become a prominent figure in education. He is a regular TES contributor, has written books on behaviour and founded researchED, which encourages teachers to engage more with relevant education research. All of which has led to the Department for Education asking him to be the chair of a working party looking into the reformation of initial teacher training with regard to behaviour, or the catchier ‘behaviour tsar’ as he has been dubbed.

He acknowledges that there are excellent providers of behaviour management training at universities, School Direct and Teach First, but overall the provision is patchy and many trainee teachers are being given little more than a lecture and then being told they will pick it up as they go along.

This reflects Bennett’s own experience of teacher training.

“When I started to teach, I didn’t pick it up at all,” he says. “I was dreadful at behaviour management.

I made so many awful mistakes; I did everything wrong.

“The very first mistake was believing the children would behave because I loved my subject and working with children,” he explains.

“That is a very common error. It’s a beautiful sentiment but untrue.

16 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

016-019_ATL_JAN16_PROFILE.indd 16

Children aren’t receptacles for your enthusiasm.”

Bennett’s next mistake was thinking he could dominate students by force of will. Having run a nightclub in London’s Soho for several years he felt fairly confident when he entered the classroom, but had a rude awakening. “I tried to dominate the class, be the toughest dog in the room, but you can only get so far by being cross and shouty,” he says. “If I raised my voice at some kids, they were like, ‘so what?’. They got a lot worse than that at home.”

The most upsetting experience was being ignored by a class in his first year of teaching. “There are few things worse than being ignored,” he says.

“Even a reaction affirms you’re alive, but when children ignore you, that’s awful.”

Bennett took five years to be able to run a classroom properly, but then another five to understand how he did it. “I made it my job to work out why I was so bad. I went on every course, read every book I could on behaviour management. I studied my own classroom, other people’s

“I WAS DREADFUL AT BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT. THE VERY FIRST MISTAKE WAS BELIEVING THE CHILDREN WOULD BEHAVE BECAUSE I LOVED MY SUBJECT AND WORKING WITH CHILDREN”

classrooms in my school and the literature around it.”

A starting point when thinking about the issue is to define what is meant by behaviour. “You have to go back and ask what education is for,” he says. “My aim is to impart or transmit the best that people have ever thought or known. Number two is keeping students safe; number three is to develop them as people. Good behaviour is anything that facilitates those three things; poor behaviour is anything that impedes them.

“Whenever I start any class the first thing I say is ‘I really care about you; I really want the best for you.’

Because of that, anyone who stops me doing my job, that’s when I’ll intervene. If you do anything that stops people from learning, if you muck about, if you make me stop the class to speak to you, you hurt someone else’s education.”

Bennett has some simple rules: for example, don’t shout out over him or your colleague, always bring your homework, always work hard, ask permission before leaving the room.

“I’ll tell all my classes what the rules are and why we have them. I won’t ask them what they think. I know what they need because I’m an adult.

This isn’t a democracy.”

There needs to be a rule of law, says Bennett, to demonstrate fairness, but a teacher also needs to interpret those rules to apply context and nuance.

“For example, educating in a PRU, if you set a detention every time WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

10/12/2015 12:59

PHOTOGRAPHY: JULIAN ANDERSON

IN PROFILE… TOM BENNETT

Tom Bennett wants to see more behaviour management training based on practical classroom experience

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

016-019_ATL_JAN16_PROFILE.indd 17

someone swears, you’re going to be setting a lot of detentions,” he says.

“Getting a wild class sat down and paying attention is a huge win.

However, once they are paying attention, your next step is to tighten it up gradually. You must never give up and say they can never be good otherwise you’ve given up on them as a teacher.”

Knowing when and how to apply sanctions in different contexts is a key part of behaviour management, he says. He advocates a more subtle

intervention for chatting: simply a look, a tap on the shoulder, or telling the whole class to focus on work.

“However, if someone has got a chair in their hand ready to throw it through a window then the situation requires you to be more Rambo than horse whisperer,” he adds. “You would have to grab the chair or restrain the pupil. Fortunately, situations like that are fairly rare.

“While you can’t condone a child throwing a chair and they have to receive some sort of consequences for their action, everything has to be taken in context. That child might have finally snapped because for the hundredth time that day someone has joked about their dead mum.

Children can be horrible sometimes.

I could understand that reaction.

That’s why as a teacher you have to be a rule-giver but you also have to be a judge.”

One common sanction he is not keen on is teachers sending students out of the classroom. “Teachers do that a lot because it gets a kid out of their hair for five minutes, although that five minutes can become 10, then 15, then the whole lesson. That’s not dealing with the situation; that’s brushing it under the carpet. It will still need to be dealt with later on, plus the child’s lost education.”

Sometimes, Bennett says, a child will be sent to the headteacher for misbehaving and then be sent back into the lesson with nothing resolved.

“The thing that makes me really angry is that the people sending them back into the classroom are not usually the people who have to deal with them in the classroom,” he says.

“You may have a child coming back into the class who has sworn at you or hit another child, but they’re back in your classroom because they had a chat and a biscuit with the headteacher. This is very common.

It’s very easy to be the nice guy; it’s very difficult to be professional and support your teaching staff.” 3 JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 17

10/12/2015 12:59

Assess, Review and Evaluate your D&T Department – Free* Monitoring, reviewing and evaluating all aspects of teaching and learning are high on the list of priorities for your D&T Department. Joining The D&T association as a departmental member will offer you free access to the Self-Review Framework.

The review processes can be demanding and time consuming. We have created a product to simplify and assist D&T teachers when reviewing their departments.

To join** call us on 01789 470007 or log onto www.data.org.uk giving you access to a whole host of member benefits, including free access to the Self-Review Framework, termly magazines, e-newsletters, curriculum credits, discounted rates on resources and CPD. *Available to Secondary Departmental members free of charge. ** Dept membership costs as little as £4.23/week which covers 4 members of staff

Address strengths and areas for development in your department

Address Ofsted’s focus on selfevaluation

Unique to D&T departments

Move the subject forward

Secondary D&T Resources KS3 D&T Learning Planner and Assessing Without Levels – Teacher Guide Free downloadable teacher guide and planning tools to support the D&T Key Resources bank. Includes auditing tools, an example lesson plan and details of linked resources in different areas of learning in KS3 D&T. Sections on planning, assessment, National Curriculum, Progression Framework etc.

Key Stage 3 CAD Two new CD-based video/PowerPoint instructional resources showing how to create and mould products in Autodesk Inventor. Freeform and Casings teach students to use organic modelling tools to create ergonomic products using basic and advanced Inventor functions and the iterative design process.

Members: Free Non-members: Free

Members: £30.00 Non-members: £42.00

Key Stage 4 Food Two further ‘All About...’ pdfs to add to this popular range. All About Meats looks at how meat comes to our tables including rearing and butchering animals, different cuts and ways of cooking and some of the issues around these. All About Vegetables covers the wide range of vegetables available and how they are used in cooking.

Includes definitions, history and consuming vegetables, storage, preparation and growing. Eight recipes are also included in each.

Members: £1.98 Non-members: £7.49 each

Visit www.data.org.uk for more resources.

Visit www.data.org.uk for resources and membership Call 01789 470007 or email info@data.org.uk 018_ATL_Jan16.indd 182015.indd 3 Teach secondary December

10/12/2015 14:35 07/12/2015 15:29:59

IN PROFILE… TOM BENNETT

Strong leadership is crucial in managing behaviour. “If there is no leadership from the top then behaviour will be poor in the school,” Bennett says. “It’s not enough to rely on hero teachers. I am appalled that there are people who have been promoted into senior leadership positions but are not able to handle the toughest class in the school.

That’s like having a head of department who can’t run an A-level.”

Leadership would be particularly crucial where behaviour has got out of hand across a school. “I believe every school can be turned around,” he says. “I’m not saying it’s easy. A signal has to be sent that this is over.

Boundaries will be set, consequences will be set, there will be a culture and an ethos that reflects this. And every teacher has to buy into it.

“It’s not just about the punishment; it’s also about rewarding children and creating a positive learning culture where young people know that the right thing to do is to be good and kind to each other because staff are modelling that. It needs to be in every assembly, on all the walls, in everything you do. That is not negotiable.

“You have to have steel poles, some non-negotiables,” he adds. “I’m not mad keen on uniform but if you’re going to have one, then it’s got to be properly worn otherwise there’s no point having it. Pull the kids up for not having their shirts tucked in.

A uniform shows the kids we’re part of a community, we mean something to each other and we have standards that need to be upheld.”

Have standards of behaviour got worse over the last few years, as many claim? Bennett believes they have not got better or worse and adds that official data is unreliable. “One of my biggest bugbears in education is schools that want to appear externally good make sure the figures don’t reflect the behaviour,” he says.

“I’m not saying every school is lying about it, but that every school is under extraordinary pressure due to external accountability measures not to declare great swathes of poor behaviour. I’ve seen a lot of sleight of hand going on.”

Part of that accountability is about presenting a positive image to WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

016-019_ATL_JAN16_PROFILE.indd 19

parents, who Bennett believes are crucial in how schools run behaviour systems. “If a parent supports the school and the teachers, their strength is multiplied by 10,” he says. “If parents undermine what the school is doing you’re fighting a hundred more people than you were before.

“See parents as potential allies; don’t see them as nuisances. I often advise new teachers to call parents at home as soon as possible, even when there’s no need, to start to build up that relationship, just to introduce yourself.”

However, there may also be times when a school needs to stand up against parents who are defending a child who the teacher knows did something very wrong. “I have seen the nicest children in school do the most horrible things, and the loveliest children lie because it’s really important for them not to get into trouble with their parents,” Bennett says.

One issue in behaviour that ATL members often raise is that of students ‘knowing their rights’.

Bennett disputes whether they really do. “Students with no knowledge of the law whatsoever will believe all sorts of things,” he says. “They’ll believe, for example, that you’re not allowed to touch them; you are allowed to touch them. Shoulders and elbows are all safe stuff.

“Children who overreact to that, I will tell them they’re overreacting.

Children who go on about their rights will often have no idea of their responsibilities. You can’t have one without the other. Don’t get drawn into a legal argument that neither of you is qualified to have.”

Returning to Bennett’s current focus, while he is keen to hear views from education staff across all settings, sectors and training providers, he has his own ideas about what should change in initial teacher training (ITT).

“I want teachers to be able to walk into a classroom knowing consciously what they can do that will work usefully in most situations.

Training providers should offer a lot more experiential training.”

Behaviour lectures, as his own experience shows, can only take a new teacher so far. Bennett wants

“CPD IS VERY AD HOC AND HAPHAZARD, ABOUT WHAT THE HEADTEACHER LIKES, RATHER THAN YOUR TRAINING NEEDS. YOU DON’T SEE THAT IN ANY OTHER PROFESSIONAL BODY. TEACHING IS NOT A MATURE PROFESSION, IT’S A SEMI-PROFESSION” new teachers to be shown how to speak and act in response to children through videos, role-playing, watching themselves back on video, watching other teachers and discussing what they have observed.

“If you have 40 principles in your head, it’s difficult to apply that in a crisis situation,” he says. “If you have actually worked through it before, you’re much more likely to respond appropriately.”

The review does not stop with ITT and a second working group will look at behaviour management more widely, including ongoing training.

“One of the biggest criticisms I have of ITT is that we have a fire and forget policy,” Bennett says. “All your training at the beginning and then good luck for the rest of your career.

That’s a very bad place to be and not worthy of a 21st century profession.

“ITT and CPD should be on the same track. Currently, CPD is very ad hoc and haphazard, about what the headteacher likes, rather than your identified training needs. You don’t see that in any other professional body. Teaching is not a mature profession, it’s a semi-profession.”

This is why Bennett is so excited about this opportunity for education professionals to shape behaviour management. “This is an extraordinarily powerful moment, a really rare and interesting opportunity to make reformations that will hopefully help teachers in the future,” he says. “For the first time teachers have been asked what we think. I want this review to focus on what we know professionally and try to re-professionalise ourselves from the inside out. This is teacher power in evidence.”

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 19

10/12/2015 12:59

020_ATL_Jan16.indd 20

10/12/2015 14:39

GUIDE

Supporting EAL students Diane Leedham, a member of NALDIC, the national subject association for English as an additional language, offers advice on teaching EAL students THERE ARE WELL over a million children in our schools who have English as an additional language (EAL).

For some teachers, particularly those in linguistically diverse areas, teaching EAL learners is business as usual. For others, the experience is unfamiliar and may seem more daunting. In either case, it’s important to remember that EAL learners are not a homogenous group. All teachers need to make sure they understand the language context of each individual.

Although teachers tend to be most anxious about their new arrivals, it typically takes five to seven years, maybe longer, to achieve full academic fluency.

Advanced learners, children who communicate verbally at conversational level as fluently as peers but have not yet caught up to their cognitive potential in reading/writing skills, are particularly vulnerable to underachievement if their language development is not supported and monitored.

Here are some good starting points: R Do your research. Find out as much as possible about the child’s proficiency in his or her first language, prior schooling, experience of and ability in English in different settings for different purposes, parent/carers’ engagement, etc.

R Be positive about bilingualism – it is an asset. There is a large body of research that confirms the cognitive, social and economic advantages of being able to communicate in more than one language. Have high expectations.

R Make use of the child’s first language. If you have children who share a common language, encourage them to use it.

It is easier to transfer skills from a first language to a second.

R Make use of technology. There are readily available translation tools you WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

021_ATL_JAN16_GUIDE.indd 21

can use to help new arrivals settle in and feel secure about what they are doing. But be aware of their limitations. They are better at the word level than sentence and many words in English have different meanings in different contexts.

R Be mindful of the double task. EAL learners have to learn a language and subject content at the same time. They may need different kinds of support at different times.

High-quality, language-aware teaching is essential for EAL learners’ success and will benefit monolingual pupils too. This doesn’t mean creating different lesson plans for each student or translating everything. But mainstream teachers do need to be aware and plan for: R EAL language development needs R ways to ensure accessible input and understanding R strategies to challenge EAL learners at their appropriate cognitive or academic level.

To do this you can do the following: R Prepare in advance: establish the context for learning before the lesson by planning for the concepts, vocabulary and language structures needed. Avoid lists of keywords; the recognition of a single word doesn’t help an EAL learner use it in context. Do use firstlanguage prompts, key visuals and QR codes. Visuals and first language are particularly important in the early stages of learning English.

R Develop vocabulary knowledge: use key visuals, word mats, bookmarks and keywords to reinforce vocabulary knowledge in context. Remember to highlight collocations and idioms, for example ‘powerful computers’ not ‘strong computers’; ‘make trouble’

R

R

R

not ‘make the trouble’; ‘interested in’ not ‘interested on’. Substitution tables and gap fills are simple ways to teach and consolidate. Present vocabulary in relation to a relevant grammatical context and function.

Include opportunities for collaborative learning: collaborative learning activities support understanding, joint construction of meaning through talk and provide age-appropriate cognitive challenges. Talk-frames rehearse the language needed later for writing.

Scaffold reading and writing using: h DARTS (directed activities related to text) to scaffold reading comprehension h guided models and joint construction to support writing.

Support metacognition: encourage the children to discuss similarities and differences between the different languages they know, including the different forms of English encountered – both standard and non-standard.

NALDIC is the national subject association for English as an additional language www.naldic.org.uk @EAL_naldic Diane Leedham is an English, literacy and EAL teacher/consultant and a member of the NALDIC Executive @DiLeed

FURTHER ADVICE AND RESOURCES EAL Nexus: a British Council project in the UK to support young learners who speak English as an additional language https://eal.britishcouncil.org The EAL MESH Guide: a collation of research evidenced-based practice for EAL www.meshguides.org/guides/node/112 The Collaborative Learning Project www.collaborativelearning.org/links.html Kamil Trzebiatowski, an EAL coordinator in Hull and member of both ATL and the NALDIC Publications Committee, has a personal blog www.valuediversity-teacher.co.uk @ktlangspec

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 21

10/12/2015 15:31

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

29

IN THIS SECTION

23

LEGAL ADVICE

ATL solicitor Jayne Phillips explains the complexities of settlement agreements

WORK-LIFE TRACKER

24

HELP ATL TACKLE UNNECESSARY AND HARMFUL WORKLOAD BY FILLING IN OUR WORK-LIFE TRACKER

YOUR VIEWS

Report readers on mentoring, workload, comics and sirens

25

CROSSWORD

Your chance to win a £50 M&S voucher with our cryptic crossword

27

NOTICEBOARD

Elections for ATL Executive Committee, the support staff conference, and the chance to shape ATL policy on SEND

29

RESOURCES

Newsletters for reps and independent school members

USEFUL CONTACTS If you need help with matters related to your employment, your first point of contact should be your school or college ATL rep, or your AMiE regional officer if you are a leadership member. You can also contact your local ATL branch for advice and support. If they are unable to help, contact ATL using these details: General enquiries: 020 7930 6441 info@atl.org.uk BELFAST: 028 9078 2020 ni@atl.org.uk CARDIFF: 029 2046 5000 cymru@atl.org.uk AMiE MEMBERS: Call the employment helpline on 01858 464171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk

22 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

022_ATL_JAN16_YOUR ATLv2.indd 22

Membership enquiries: membership@atl.org.uk Pension enquiries: 020 7782 1600 Out-of-hours helpline: 020 7782 1612 ATL’s regional officials are available to speak to you about work problems Monday to Friday from 5pm to 7.30pm during term time.

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. 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

10/12/2015 14:27

YOUR ATL… LEGAL GUIDE

Settlement agreements ATL solicitor Jayne Phillips explains the implications of signing a settlement agreement with your employer GENERALLY SPEAKING, it is not possible for individuals to sign away their legal rights. So, for example, if an employer asks an employee to sign a document confirming that he or she will not pursue a claim for unfair dismissal at any point in the future, this would not be legally enforceable.

However, in the context of employment law, there are occasions when it is in the interests of both to enter into an agreement settling a dispute. Occasionally, this situation arises when employment is going to continue, eg when an employee raises a complaint of pay inequality. More commonly, the situation arises at the end of the employment relationship.

In both circumstances, the employer and employee are likely to enter into a settlement agreement, which is a specific legal document. Employment legislation sets out the various conditions that must be in place before it is legally binding. Most importantly, the employee must receive independent advice about the terms and effects of the agreement.

Settlement agreements are typically complex, so it is important to seek independent advice before signing

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

023_ATL_JAN16_LEGAL GUIDE.indd 23

During the course of your career you may find yourself in a situation where your employer suggests that your employment terminates and hands you a proposed settlement agreement.

Such a situation may arise because your employer is seeking to make redundancies or you have been off work due to long-term ill health, or the working relationship may have broken down to such an extent that it is in everyone’s best interests.

In any of these scenarios, a settlement agreement may be proposed during what is called a ‘protected conversation’ or will be made on a ‘without prejudice’ basis.

Both these phrases mean that anything said or discussed, and the existence of the agreement itself, cannot be referred to in any subsequent legal proceedings should an agreement not be reached.

Obviously, it can be very daunting to suddenly be presented with such a proposal, especially if you are unaware your employer is unhappy with your performance. Should you find yourself

in this unfortunate position you should contact ATL immediately for advice and support.

Settlement agreements tend to be very legalistic and complex. Essentially, their purpose is to draw a line under the dispute or the employment relationship.

The employee will agree not to pursue a specific claim or claims. In return for this the employer will make a payment to the employee. There are no hard and fast rules about how much any payment will be; a suitable sum will depend on the facts of the individual case.

However, the agreement is also likely to contain many other clauses and so it is important the employee fully understands the implications and consequences. Some common clauses include confirmation that: R the terms of the agreement will be kept confidential R neither party will make disparaging or derogatory comments about the other R some or all of the payment will be made tax free (but that the employee will indemnify the employer should HMRC conclude that tax is payable) R certain claims will be excluded from the agreement so can still be pursued (usually any claim for personal injury that the employee is unaware of at the time of signing the agreement and any claim for accrued pension rights are specifically excluded from the terms of settlement) R a reference will be provided on request and what that reference will say.

If the employer fails to comply with the terms of the agreement it may be in breach of it. As settlement agreements are basically contracts, a claim may be pursued for breach of contract if there has been financial loss. The most obvious claim is one arising from the employer’s failure to pay the compensation payment agreed.

At the same time, if the employee fails to comply with the terms of the agreement, for example by pursuing a claim regardless, the employer can seek repayment of any monies it has paid.

If you are presented with a settlement agreement by your employer you should contact ATL immediately using the details on page 21. Our regional officials are highly experienced in advising and negotiating around settlement agreements. They, with the support of the legal team, will ensure that the best possible deal is secured for you and that you are fully aware of the implications of signing a settlement agreement.

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 23

10/12/2015 14:28

YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS

Letters

Thinking about ‘Give IT a go’ [offering ideas to use ICT across the curriculum], which all sounded excellent, given that people are so stressed, have they got the mental energy after a 70-hour week to undertake the ideas outlined in the article?

E Owen, Shropshire

asked for frequently made no sense.

Mentors are crucial for MENTOR SUPPORT trainees so they need to have In response to the article about the time to offer the necessary mentors in your trainee and NQ support. I am hoping I can supplement last month, I would survive and make it into my like to say that my mentor last teaching career proper, and be year was brilliant. She was supportive, insightful, motivated, as good a teacher as my mentor, but I cannot see my career encouraging, empowering lasting long if this is and she listened. the way things However, in one are going to be. area she was The author of this letter wins £100 I wish you lacking: she in book tokens. If you want to voice luck with your simply did not your opinion on issues raised in Report workload have enough or any other aspect of education, please send a letter or email to the addresses campaign. time to do all below, including your phone Name withheld that was asked number. One letter will be of her. chosen every issue to win WORSENING I half felt like I the tokens.

WORKLOAD needed to support her I thought things were bad at times, because it was back in 1999 when I was doing distressing to see someone I 60 hours a week before I retired. respected so much, and who is So I do hope your ideas for obviously such a good teacher, combating stress and analysing brought almost literally to her it are successful. I was working knees by the insane with a number of PGCE students expectations placed upon her. who complained that they had to It often felt like something out write such detailed lesson plans of Catch-22 the way the senior leadership team made demands that they then found themselves too tired to teach properly. I had on her and other staff, meaning to cope all too often with there was no way she could do stressed and tearful students. all they asked, but what they STA R L E T T E R

WIN!

24 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

024_ATL_JAN16_LETTERS.indd 24

COMIC CONFESSION After reading your November/ December issue I feel compelled to make a confession, albeit 20 years after the fact. When I should have been reading Great Expectations for my GCSE English Literature, I was instead reading Watchmen, by Alan Moore and your ‘Final word’ author Dave Gibbons. I scraped through my GCSE with the help of a Letts study guide.

In my defence, I will say that I did read Great Expectations a few years later and I really enjoyed it and have read several Dickens novels since, but at 17, the language and the plot did nothing for me. However, Watchmen, with its often dark subject matter and outlandish heroes, tapped directly into my teenage psyche.

Exactly as Dave Gibbons says, there is real substance to graphic novels like this, and many others, and if part of learning English literature is to gain empathy and a better understanding of human nature, then I would certainly second his request that graphic novels be part of the literature mix in schools.

J Osterman, Leicester

JOIN THE DEBATE…

SIREN CALL Up to eight times a day, seven days a week, emergency sirens adversely affect the quality of written feedback that I provide for the children whom I teach.

Based on studies carried out in Australia in 2011, the Department for Transport (DfT) has recommended to the emergency services that they operate their sirens at a level of 100 decibels. Although the DfT acknowledges the rising number of complaints that this noise level generates from the public, it has, until recently, been unwilling to consider any changes.

Now, because of the emergency services’ own concerns about the damage that this increasing number of complaints is having on their image and profession, the DfT is signalling a preparedness to treat siren noise more seriously if further quality evidence is made available to it.

I would like other ATL members to help me to present the DfT with this quality evidence by confirming to me that siren noise does adversely affect your teaching, be that marking or lesson delivery. I will not pass on to the DfT anything other than the numbers of teachers who have provided me written complaints, and I will only provide them with this numbers data after further contact with you.

Please use the email address: screaming100dBsirens@aol.com.

M Consden, Buckinghamshire

report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion

Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

15/12/2015 14:19

YOUR ATL… PRIZE CROSSWORD

WIN!

Prize crossword ACROSS 4 Historical period that saw beginnings of educational reform activity (3) 8 Though not connected, Miliband’s back having informal chat with heads of Education Department (8) 9 Is 13 down able to signify Cambridge University? (6) 10 Support for contraceptive – a right? (6) 11 & 21 down Human Resources hotel venue organised at the last possible moment (8,4) 13 Heartless tutor is taking in chamber pot for Cambridge exam! (6) 14 Unusually, City runs critical examination (8) 15 Poke fun at practice exam? (4) 16 American friend had conversion from ‘enlightened’ religious figure (6) 18 Formal discussion puts 13 down back in the river (6) 21 Really dislike organising the beginning of assembly (4) 22 Experimental drama session is hard in Nottinghamshire town (8) 24 Grumbled that it’s not included in Maidstone redevelopment (6) 26 Little George leads me to attempt this subject (8) 29 Scoundrel set out to get trainees (6) 30 Yankees disastrously abandoned a famous economist (6) 31 Poor girl, Anne, gaining knowledge (8) 32 Last member of team out of time, so it’s a draw (3)

A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

DOWN 1 Describing pupils over 11 – dreadful noise, right? (6) 2 Horse ran fast, leading to resentment over ‘dope’ fabrication (8) 3 Domestic cleaner is Arts graduate with compelling attractiveness! (8) 4 Unified Germany still features a border (4) 5 Area of land raised within Leicester campus (4) 6 Purpose is to get fashionable marquee (6) 7 Ain’t term awful with strict disciplinarian? (8) 12 Hair fastening? (4) 13 Bill turns up during sabbatical (3) 14 Bit of a fight over metal for recycling (5) 17 Still sealed up one end, unfortunately (8) 18 US politician alters motorcade, omitting Ohio (8) 19 Embarking on a period of living in at school? (8) 20 Objective during Open Day (3) 21 See 11 across 23 During break I’m on occasion seen in this Oriental robe (6) 25 Surviving on net tax arrangement (6) 27 Brief exam set-up leads to closure of department (4) 28 Brewery finally has beer for American university (4)

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

8 8

10

11

14 14 16

15

17

18 20

21

19 21

23

20 22

24

24

25 26

26 27

7

12

13

13

22

7

9 11

12

19

6

9

10

16

6

27

28

28

30 31

29 29

30

31 32

32

HOW TO ENTER

Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL January crossword competition, Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH. The closing date is 5 February 2016. If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here: The winner of the January competition will be announced in the March issue of Report.

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 1 Baffled 5 Hectare 9 Integer 10 Par 11 God 12 Ancillary 14 Ember 15 Expel 17 Nightmare 19 Debutante 21 Ypres 24 Arena 25 Bad temper 27 Oak 28 Gin 29 Elusive 31 Depicts 32 Tallest DOWN: 1 Brigade 2 Fat 3 Legal 4 D’Artagnan 5 Happy 6 Carpentry 7 Algebra 8 Endorse 13 Cap 16 Lethargic 18 Greediest 19 Diamond 20 Break up 22 Rip 23 Surfeit 25 Bonus 26 Equal 30 Ice CONGRATULATIONS TO OCTOBER’S WINNER – S WATTERS, MILTON KEYNES

British Sign_ATL_Jan_16.indd 1

025_ATL_JAN16_CROSSWORD.indd 25

10/12/2015 11:20

10/12/2015 14:34

Working on your school improvement plan?

Become a self-improving school with Pathways on

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+ partner, we offer practical, affordable advice specifically for education professionals about accessing additional pensions.

Book a complimentary, no obligation appointment now.

Call 08000 85 85 90.

Email appointments@lighthousefa.co.uk.

To find out more, take a video tour at www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-school

web www.oxfordprimary.co.uk email primary.enquiries@oup.com

026_ATL_Jan16.indd 26

tel 01536 452610 fax 01865 313472

Making your money work harder LIGHTHOUSE FINANCIAL ADVICE www.lighthousefa.co.uk/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. Both are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Lighthouse Group plc.

2015-12-19

16/12/2015 14:41

YOUR ATL… NOTICEBOARD

NOTICE BOARD PETER SMITH SCHOLARSHIP As a lasting memorial to the former ATL general secretary Peter Smith and his contribution to the work of the union, the Peter Smith scholarship offers financial assistance to ATL members who wish to return to full- or part-time study in areas that will help their professional and personal development. Last year’s awards included contributions towards masters, doctorates and national professional qualifications for middle leadership.

For more details and to apply see www.atl.org.uk/scholarships.

ATL’S EXECUTIVE ELECTIONS The ATL Executive Committee is elected every two years to run ATL and to develop every aspect of its policy, work and services. The full Executive Committee meets seven times a year usually in London and there are also sub-committee meetings. Executive Committee members are automatically members of Conference and may also become lead members for parts of ATL’s work.

The two-year cycle for current Executive members comes to an end on 31 August 2016. On 25 January 2016 nominations will open to begin the election process.

Candidates must be standard members and nominated by 10 others, all belonging to the relevant electoral division.

This is a statutory election and is being run according to ATL’s by-laws, copies of which are available from Pat Ware at pware@atl.org.uk. ATL has appointed an independent scrutineer who will also act as the returning officer: Popularis Limited, Nutsey Lane, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RL (Tel: 02380 867335, email annehock@popularis.org). See www.atl. org.uk/execelections.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

027_ATL_JAN16_NOTICEBOARD.indd 27

You can also contact Bernadette Babayigit at bbabayigit@atl.org.uk for an application form. The closing date is 22 April 2016.

SUPPORT STAFF CONFERENCE The ATL support staff conference will take place on Saturday 13 February 2016.

ATL president Kim Knappett and general secretary Mary Bousted will talk about ATL and support staff and then ATL national official Peter Morris will discuss some of the challenges faced by support staff.

To book, go to the ATL website at www.atl.org.uk/supportconference.

Composition of the Executive Committee for the 2014–16 cycle The Executive Committee has a total of 53 seats. The composition is as follows: National officers: 6 seats South west: 7 seats Comprising: 2 for Avon and Gloucestershire; 2 for Dorset and Somerset; 2 for Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Swindon and Wiltshire; 1 for Cornwall and Devon.

Eastern: 7 seats Comprising: 3 for Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire; 3 for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Essex, Southend and Thurrock, Germany, Norfolk and Suffolk; 1 for Lincolnshire.

South east: 7 seats Comprising: 3 for Inner London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton and Waltham Forest; 2 for Kent, East Sussex/Brighton and West Sussex; 2 for Berkshire, Surrey, Jersey and Guernsey.

GET INVOLVED Join ATL’s new special schools network Member networks offer the opportunity to get involved in policy activity and strengthen ATL’s response to consultations and proposals. They can take part in sector specific surveys and will be sent regular policy updates tailored to their specific area of interest.

Policy areas that we are looking at right now include: R the implementation of the SEND code of practice R Ofsted/CQC SEND local area inspection R the Diane Rochford review of the assessment of children with low attainment.

If members would like to join this network then they should contact Monique Lowe at mlowe@atl.org.uk.

North west: 6 seats Comprising: 2 for Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan; 2 for Cumbria, Isle of Man and Lancashire; 2 for Cheshire, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

North east: 6 seats Comprising: 2 for Barnsley, Doncaster, Humberside, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield; 2 for Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and North Yorkshire/York; 2 for Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Teesside and District.

Midlands: 6 seats Comprising: 3 for Birmingham, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire/Telford and Wrekin, Staffordshire, Stoke, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire; 3 for Coventry, Derby and Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Solihull and Warwickshire.

Northern Ireland: 2 seats Scotland: 1 seat Wales: 2 seats AMiE: 3 seats

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 27

10/12/2015 15:32

“Since notifying the employment agencies of my new QTLS status, I have already been offered a maths teaching position. It is a great feeling when employers are constantly ringing to check my availability.”

Anzoumana Gbane, GCSE and Functional Skills maths teacher

80% of the SET members who have achieved QTLS consider that the process has improved their teaching practice.

https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/qtls Gain QTLS: enhance your professional status, advance your career

We will be appointing new examiners from January 2016

apply now to mark summer 2016 GCSE and A-level exams • Enhance your teaching skills and knowledge of assessment.

• Build your knowledge of new specifications.

• Earn extra income ahead of the holiday period.

• Home based, flexible working.

aqa.org.uk/apply Apply now to mark/moderate 2016 GCSEs and A-levels

AQA_ATL_Jan_16.indd 1 028_ATL_Jan16.indd 28

14/12/2015 08:46 14/12/2015 08:52

YOUR ATL… RESOURCES

RESOURCES Independent schools Our termly newsletter for members

Contents: News and advice • Tackling workload (p2) • Explaining the Prevent duty (p3) • Your national officials (p3) • Workload and pay on the agenda (p4) • Training for the independent sector (p4)

in independent schools

Being a rep Our termly newsletter for all workplace, health and safety and union learning reps

Policy and pay updates p2

Advice and guidance p4

Factsheet focus p5

Being a Rep

MEMBERS

GET

TOGETHER

Photo credit: Sarah Turton

calls for an end to unreasonable ATL general secretary, Mary Bousted, at as she addresses members and reps workloads and time ”to be human” our annual independent schools conference

the national ATL workload campaign the Mary emphasised that teaching is of now underway. This comes on top that best job in the world, but added existing bespoke support, such as are teachers, along with support staff, for ATL’s Guide to Work-life Balance facing considerable difficulties. However, Teachers in Independent Schools, and she said, ATL members, collectively available at www.atl.org.uk/ to the in partnership with others, are up worklifebalanceindependent. challenge. of the Dragon School, Oxford, ATL independent school reps and things, Mary congratulated Head other Among on staff sector John Baugh’s keynote speech active members came together in the lead taken by the independent many and pupil well-being chimed with November at Friends House, London, in opposing the qualification reforms, delegates as he passionately argued to learn and discuss how ATL members including de-coupling AS- and A-levels. to that now, more than ever, we need can collectively make a positive Many in the sector had also warned need put the soul back into school. We and contribution in their schools. against the abolition of coursework of to put the health and well-being ‘cliffteacher assessment in favour of he Delegates were welcomed by ATL the pupils and staff above all else, edge’ exams. president Kim Knappett, who recalled argued, advocating teaching empathy the are in how much she had learnt from living concern and compassion and Of particular member – the members at previous conferences. moment. unreasonable workload demands of Mary’s by The themes for her presidential year demonstrated scale of which is John gave delegates many practical ‘Time, talk and trust’ and her criticism recent TES blog on the subject, which with tips as to how issues might be ever of “busy non-work” struck a chord garnered the most reader feedback approached in their schools, based many in the hall. received by the TES. on the experiences of his own school.

Helen Porter, chair of ATL’s elected “Inspirational” and “Excellent and Mary highlighted that members relax, of Independent and Private Sector thought-provoking” were just two increasingly do not have time to talk, the or in Advisory Group (IPSAG), presented the many appreciative comments. enjoy family life and pursue hobbies, headlines of ATL’s 2015 independent other words, “to be human”. the (see survey As always, members welcomed conditions sector pay and opportunity to network with colleagues Excessive workload is also jeopardising page 4 for more on this).

There of the profession as schools future from other independent schools. the issues ATL general secretary Mary Bousted was also the opportunity to raise face an impending recruitment and then took to the podium to deliver for ‘The Big Questions’ plenary session, retention crisis, with many new teachers an overview of current educational ably led by IPSAG members Graham staying less than five years. issues, described by one delegate Easterlow and Margaret Boyle.

It is an issue that needs addressing as: “Insightful, entertaining and, of urgently and Mary gave an overview continued on page two unfortunately, worrying!”

MORE THAN A HUNDRED MEMBERS MADE ATL’S ANNUAL INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CONFERENCE A ROARING SUCCESS

page one www.atl.org.uk

Independent Schools The latest Independent Schools newsletter has been sent to members working in… independent schools. This issue is particularly packed with exciting news and updates, including a report from ATL’s independent sector conference, results from the annual survey of the sector, an explanation of the Prevent duty, ATL’s workload campaign and an introduction to our

Whether you’re a workplace, union learning or health and safety rep, the latest issue of our Being a Rep newsletter has something for you.

For workplace reps there are details of ATL’s workload campaign, while elsewhere there are updates about ATL’s involvement in The Teacher and Headteacher Union Roundtable talks, the Education and Adoption Bill and the post-16 area reviews.

There is also a request for members to tell ATL how pay rises are being implemented, or not as the case may be, and ATL’s policy on testing explained.

For health and safety reps there is advice on how to tackle excessive workload-related

Health and safety news p8

Union learning news p10

effective ways to use the voice as a tool for teaching and learning.

Your training p12

Spring training courses

national officials representing the sector.

“Most weeks I am working over 70 hours and some weeks at least 90.”

Spring 2016

INDEPENDENT

Spring 2016 Getting involved p6

Time to tackle workload A recent survey of ATL and AMiE members

in maintained schools in England revealed 80% considered their workload was unmanageable and 81% had thought about leaving the profession because of it.

One member said: “Most weeks I am working over 70 hours and some weeks at least 90.”

This experience is shared by staff in independent schools, where some members are regularly working up to 14 hours a day or until the job is done, no matter how long that takes.

Making a difference to children’s and young people’s lives is why many enter the profession and why so many work so hard.

However, the extent and impact of that work results in stress and illness, causing experienced and valuable staff to leave.

It shouldn’t be this way. And it doesn’t have to be.

ATL wants healthy, enthused and motivated staff in our classrooms: staff who have the time to teach, support and inspire young people and give them the high-quality education they deserve – and who also have time to relax and be with their own family and friends.

We are engaged in talks with the Government on some of the key drivers of workload: lesson planning and resources, marking and data management (see page 2). We also want to support you in your workplaces now.

That’s why we’ve launched our work-life campaign.

The campaign, ‘It’s about time…’, aims to empower our members and colleagues to tackle work-life issues, to reduce working hours and unnecessary workload, and to give professionals time and trust to make the maximum impact on pupils’ learning.

Ways members can take part

1. Use our work-life tracker to get a sense of what drives your workload and how this, along with your worklife balance, can change over time. Share the tracker with your colleagues to build a picture of workload pressures across your workplace.

2. Explore the help and advice on offer. We’ve developed advice for some of the key drivers that our members say increase their workload. You can also let us know if there’s an issue you need support on that we haven’t covered.

To access these resources, check out: www.atl.org.uk/abouttime. @ATLUnion #abouttime What reps can do: • Take a whole-school or -college approach: turn 6 find out how you can work with colleagues to page to deal with the specific workload issues that cause problems in your workplace.

www.atl.org.uk page one

stress in schools, including how to use ATL’s workload tool to identify the key sources of stress.

And finally, for union learning reps there is a round-up of successful learning events around the country, including a triumphant Teach Meet in the Midlands, learning about dyslexia and dyscalculia in Middlesbrough and a London Wide event looking at appraisal and performancerelated pay, the impact of the new assessment framework and other key changes to the curriculum, and techniques on

ATL has announced its training courses for the spring term, covering a veritable smorgasbord of topics, from creativity in the classroom to understanding teenagers, via preparing for retirement and safeguarding. All standard members should find an insert detailing the courses available in the middle of this issue of Report and the courses are also online at www.atl.org. uk/learningzone.

TIME TO TACKLE WORKLOAD TOGETHER We recently asked members to share with us your experiences of workload and you responded in your thousands. Our survey revealed that 80% of you consider your workload to be unmanageable and 81% have thought about leaving the profession because of it. You shared with us heartwrenching stories of long working hours, the constant stress of never feeling on top of work and not having any time to relax or be with your family.

Making a difference to children’s and young people’s lives is why many enter the profession and why so many work so hard.

The extent and impact of that excessive work, however, results in stress, illness and in experienced and valuable staff leaving.

It shouldn’t be this way. And it doesn’t have to be. ATL wants healthy, enthused and motivated staff in our classrooms: staff who have the time to teach, support and inspire young people and give them the high-quality

education they deserve, as well as time to relax and be with family and friends.

We are engaged in talks with the Government on some of the key drivers of workload. We also want to support you in your workplaces now. That’s why we’ve launched ATL’s new work-life campaign at www.atl.org.uk/abouttime.

The campaign aims to give you the tools and resources to tackle your work-life issues and those across your workplace.

R Use our work-life tracker to track your working hours, work-life balance and the major drivers of your workload, and to see how you compare with others. You can also share the tracker with your colleagues to help you build a picture of workload pressures across your workplace.

R Explore the help and advice on offer at www.atl.org.uk/abouttime. We’ve developed guidance on a range of issues, from time management and meetings to

effective marking and inspection mythbusters. You can also let us know if there’s an issue you need support on that we haven’t covered.

R Talk to your ATL rep or, for support in tackling workload together with your colleagues, email ATL’s organising team.

Over the coming months we will continue to work with members to develop more resources to support you and we will share case studies of schools that have successfully tackled workload together.

We will also keep gathering your experiences: everything you tell us helps us build up a detailed picture of what you are facing so we can fight for change nationally.

Together we can tackle workload. It’s about time.

To find out more, visit WWW.ATL.ORG.UK/ABOUTTIME #ABOUTTIME

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

029_ATL_JAN16_RESOURCES.indd 29

JANUARY 2016 | REPORT 29

10/12/2015 14:36

FINAL WORD… TAMSIN OGLESBY

Rewarding hypocrisy

ILLUSTRATION: PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH

Playwright Tamsin Oglesby explains why she wrote her West End play Future Conditional about her anger at the injustice of school admissions

WHEN ASKED IF they’d lie to get their child into a good school, 25% of parents apparently say they would. But they’re the honest ones. Liars generally lie about lying so I think it’s safe to double that number. Ask those same parents if they know what a good school is and the answer is less definitive.

The story that tells is the story I wanted to write.

It started with my own children, both of whom failed to get into our local secondary, partly on account of that 25%. Every parent will be familiar with the hysteria that sweeps the playground as secondary school looms. First it’s the tutoring, then the moving house, or pretending to, then the children who are disappeared into the private system. Amid this panic, I heard a headmaster defend a mother who had lied about her address because “the sort of parent who lies to get their child into 30 REPORT | JANUARY 2016

030_ATL_JAN16_FINAL WORD.indd 30

Tamsin Oglesby is a playwright who has also written The Mouse and His Child and Really Old, Like Forty Five

school is the sort of parent we want because she will push her child”.

As a writer, when confronted with injustice I choose to dramatise my anger and with humour rather than, say, blow things up. But believe me, I’ve come close. A system that encourages hypocrisy is bad enough, but one that rewards it?

Parents’ desire to ‘do the best’ for their children is one thing, but the real irony is that we parents have no idea what the best looks like. What makes the difference between one school and another?

Open days are noisy with parents asking questions about uniform, class size, resources, etc. One mother’s choice depended on the standard of the toilets.

I started thinking about this play eight years ago. Since then, we’ve had free schools, changes to the curriculum, the first ‘new’ grammar school for 50 years, and

the relentless march of academies.

Most of the developments are at best irrelevant, at worst, divisive.

Some academies are good, some are less good, quite a few are already being investigated for corruption. But once the innovation factor has worn off, they’re just schools. Along with any other type of school, even selective, even private, they make no difference. The thing that really makes the difference is the quality of the teaching.

I was simultaneously astonished and not by the overwhelming evidence of John Hattie’s 20-year study into teacher impact. But good teaching is difficult for parents to assess. So we flail around, wondering why the system is so unfair and so opaque, and make decisions which ensure that it continues, because in the absence of any palpable yardstick with which to measure education, parents tend to fall back on the kneejerk tribalism of who they want their children to play with.

The measure of a good teacher is in the progress made by his or her pupils, which, as Hattie says, is down to two essentials: passion and more belief in the pupils than they have in themselves.

It’s not that the Government would disagree. It talks endlessly about its commitment to teachers and education. But perhaps there are better ways of showing it than by removing teachers from the pay scale, reducing their autonomy, making their qualifications irrelevant, and perpetuating one of the most socially segregated school systems in the world.

Parents may behave badly but they are never as culpable as education policy itself.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

10/12/2015 14:37

Oxford Primary Assessment

Don’t just track progress... make sure it happens!

CHOICE

FLEXIBILITY

QUALITY

SUPPORT

We provide a range of whole-school assessment, subject area assessment and high quality resources with in-built assessment.

We offer the opportunity for you to create the perfect assessment solution for your teaching.

All our materials are research-based and thoroughly tested to ensure that they really work.

We offer a range of Professional Development and school improvement services to suit your needs.

✔

✔

Our proven programmes provide everything you need to ensure consistent teacher assessment of English and maths without National Curriculum Levels.

Assess for fluency, mastery and depth of understanding in Maths Comprehensive assessment criteria for English to inform teacher judgements across a whole school

Oxford Primary Assessment Fully aligned to the new National Curriculum

Link assessment with teaching through identification of the clear next steps for teaching and learning

Oxford Primary Assessment Fully aligned to the new National Curriculum

Oxford Level 1 Oxford Level 1+ Oxford Level 2 Oxford Level 3 Oxford Level 4 Oxford Level 5

Oxford Primary Writing Assessment

Oxford Primary Reading Assessment

Assess writing Identify next steps Track progress

Assess reading Identify next steps Track progress

Oxford Level 6 Oxford Level 7 Oxford Level 8 Oxford Level 9 Oxford Level 10 Oxford Level 11 Oxford Level 12 Oxford Level 13 Oxford Level 14 Oxford Level 15 Oxford Level 16 Oxford Level 17 Oxford Level 18

Developed by Ros Wilson and Sarah Threlkeld-Brown

Developed by Ros Wilson

Helps teachers identify and address children’s strengths and weaknesses Track progress of individuals, groups and classes over time with easy-to-use tools

✔

2

Oxford Level 19

2

Oxford Level 20

Oxford Primary Assessment

Test

of Basic

Arithmetic & Numeracy Skills

E FREess

progr tracker online

AGES

Assess fluency Identify next steps Measure progress against age-related standard scores

7–11

To find out more please visit :

www.oxford primary. co.uk/asses sment

Developed by Professor Charles Hulme, Dr Kristina Moll and Dr Sophie Brigstocke

web www.oxfordprimary.co.uk email primary.enquiries@oup.com

OUP - Oxford Owl_Full_ATL_Jan_16.indd 1

2

tel fax

01536 452610 01865 313472

14/12/2015 08:33

Pearson is recruiting examiners for GCSE and A Level subjects • Understand in depth the specification you are teaching • Gain insight into the National Standards • Develop your career and boost your income

For further information and the online application please visit our website or send an email: www.edexcel.com/aa-recruitment aaresourcing@pearson.com

OBC_ATL_Jan16.indd 1 8027 ELM Advert 297x210.indd 1

10/12/2015 09:59 14:37 09/09/2015