Report June 2015

THE MAGAZINE FROM ATL, THE EDUCATION UNION

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

JUNE 2015 £2.50

More than 400 delegates took part in ATL’s Annual Conference in Liverpool to set the union’s policy direction for the year ahead

Setting the agenda GUIDE

BLUE MONDAY

Zero-hours contracts are leaving many with no job security

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PROFILE

GOLD STAR

Meet the three winners of ATL’s Rep of the Year Awards

FINAL WORD

RED CARD

Rugby star Gareth Thomas on breaking the bullying cycle

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Contents UPFRONT

4

UPDATE

ATL launches its network for disabled education staff and comments on damaging tests for four-year-olds and on a flawed asbestos review

9

AGENDA

Mary Bousted urges politicians to look after the teaching profession

Y O U R AT L

23

USEFUL CONTACTS How to get in touch with ATL

25 LEGAL ADVICE

Zero-hours contracts explained

by ATL’s legal team

26 YOUR VIEWS

11 NORTHERN IRELAND

ATL members on teacher workload and unfairness at work, and a heartfelt thank you for ATL

Mark Langhammer on slow-burn industrial action and Philip Dixon on the new Education Workforce Council

CROSSWORD

AND WALES

F E AT U R E S

12

JOIN THE DEBATE

Members set the direction for the year ahead at ATL’s Annual Conference

27

Your chance to win a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

29

NOTICEBOARD

Information, events and opportunities to get involved

18

IN PROFILE

ATL reps recognised for their inspirational and heroic deeds

30

FINAL WORD

Welsh rugby great Gareth Thomas tackles bullying Report is the magazine from ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD Tel 020 7930 6441 Fax 020 7930 1359 Email report@atl.org.uk or membership@atl.org.uk Website www.atl.org.uk Editors Alex Tomlin, Charlotte Tamvakis Report is produced and designed for ATL by Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH Tel 020 3771 7200 Email info@thinkpublishing.co.uk Senior sub editor Rachel Kurzfield Art director Darren Endicott Designer Alix Thomazi Advertising sales Michael Coulsey or Anthony Bennett 020 3771 7200 Account manager Kieran Paul Managing director Polly Arnold

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ATL accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication.

While every reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, ATL can give no assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances.

The views expressed in articles in Report are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect

ATL policy. Official policy statements issued on behalf of ATL are indicated as such. All rights reserved.

Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of ATL. Cover illustration: Nick Shepherd

Welcome MARK BAKER, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, ATL Is it turmoil, change and chaos or support, collaboration and appreciation? Now the election’s over we’ll find out what they really meant when they promised to value our schools, colleges and education – and us! We campaigned hard to engage with the policy-makers. Did they listen? Will they tackle Ofsted? Will they address workload? Only time will tell, but we can be satisfied that we tried our best and, of course, we’ll keep trying.

The summer holidays are almost within reach and SATs are out of the way. Yet, for many, still in the thick of exams, the pressure continues. Our children and young people find this time of year brings enormous stresses – worrying about meeting expectations, frightened of failure or of being written off – as we have to test to destruction to find out what we already know. It’s stressful, too, for parents and staff. So while we argue for some common sense in the way we test, let’s hope we can do our best to support and reassure.

This issue covers more of ATL’s Conference (p12), giving a flavour of the motions and debates, the work we’ve done and the issues we care most about. Conference is a time to celebrate what we do best and it was a delight to congratulate ATL’s rep award winners (p18). Report also covers important issues around zero-hours contracts and the ‘Final Word’ goes to Gareth Thomas (p30) on dealing with bullies. So please do read right through to the end; it’s worth it.

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NEWS

IN PIC TURES

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Asbestos report ‘flawed’ The Government’s long-delayed review of schools asbestos policy is a step in the right direction – but more needs to be done.

The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC), of which ATL is a member, believes it is the Government’s responsibility to ensure children and staff are not harmed by attending school.

The review admits asbestos is an issue and makes it clear that asbestos training is compulsory for teachers and support staff. However, it lacks concrete proposals on longterm strategies to eradicate asbestos from schools, JUAC believes.

The Government is still not aware of the extent, type and condition of asbestos in schools, it says, while a recent two-year survey of the condition of school buildings deliberately excluded asbestos.

JUAC will continue to push the Government to take responsibility for asbestos in schools.

Testing for four-year-olds ‘damaging’ ATL has joined early years groups and other unions in opposing standardised baseline assessment for four-year-olds Despite considerable opposition from experts, tests are being introduced from September to children in the first six weeks of school as an accountability measure to “help school effectiveness” by providing a score for each pupil reflecting their attainment. From 2022, this score will be used as the starting point to measure progress at the end of Year 6.

In a joint open letter, ATL and other organisations explained how the tests are unreliable, disruptive and statistically invalid, while being harmful to child well-being, learning and development, the home-learning environment, parent partnerships and relationships with nurseries.

Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: “All teachers assess children in reception class so they can support and challenge them in ways appropriate to their age. The problem comes when the Government turns assessment information into yet another way of measuring children. If baseline assessment is used to measure the effectiveness of pre-school provision, or if Ofsted expects to see baseline data used to demonstrate children’s progress from year to year, then its primary purpose for teaching is immediately distorted.”

You can read more about the campaign at www.toomuchtoosoon. org/say-no-to-baseline-assessment.html.

New ATL network for disabled staff ATL launched its Disabled Staff in Education Network at the union’s Annual Conference in Liverpool. The network aims to provide a platform for disabled staff to articulate their views, concerns and experiences within the education sector.

Guest speaker at the launch was Nancy Maguire, a disability activist and advocate for inclusion, who is part of UK Disability History Month, which runs from 19 November this year and has as its theme the portrayal of disabled people in the media.

Conference delegates attending the launch welcomed the network

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IN BRIEF

ATL’s delegation at the TUC black workers’ conference

and called for ATL members to join it whether they are disabled or not, as the issues it will address affect all education staff. There were also calls to show how reasonable adjustments can be made in workplaces and to raise awareness of Access to Work grants, which may pay for practical support if you are disabled by a physical or mental health condition to help you start or stay in work.

ATL’s lead equalities officer,

Wanda Wyporska, said: “ATL subscribes to the social model of disability that says society disables people with the barriers it puts up, rather than the medical model that focuses on the impairment – that’s why we use the term ‘disabled people’ rather than ‘people with a disability’ or ‘suffering from a disability’.”

To find out more about ATL’s Disabled Staff in Education Network, contact Wanda Wyporska at wwyporska@atl.org.uk.

Details of UK Disability History Month are at www.ukdhm.org.

Nancy Maguire at the launch of ATL’s Disabled Staff in Education Network

SHARING THE BURDEN ATL members highlighted the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) staff with caring duties in a motion they brought to the TUC black workers’ conference in April.

Chris Lubbe proposed a motion asking ‘Who cares for the carers?’, which called for the TUC and its affiliate members to raise awareness of the burdens shouldered by employees with caring responsibilities, campaign for and support specialist BME services, and support the recruitment of more equality reps.

Godwin Agbi, delegation leader, seconded a motion on standing up for education. Both motions were passed.

SUPPORTING YOUNG CARERS In March, ATL’s lead equalities officer, Wanda Wyporska, took part in both an All Party Parliamentary Group for Carers and a national stakeholder event organised by the Young Carers in Schools Programme, which was also attended by the Department for Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Young Carers in Schools is an England-wide initiative that equips schools to support young carers and rewards good practice. It is run jointly by Carers’ Trust, The Children’s Society and Young Carers in Focus partners. Find more details at www.safer schools.org.uk.

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NEWS

IN WORDS

ATL members took part in the Democracy vs TTIP rally, also attended by designer and campaigner Vivienne Westwood

Trade threat to education

PHOTOS: SARAH TURTON, ROD LEON

A trade deal that would have a fundamental impact on education is being negotiated behind closed doors, members at Conference heard At a packed lunchtime session, the impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was outlined. In theory, TTIP is a deal to cut tariffs and regulatory barriers to trade between the US and EU countries – but it could open the doors for private firms to run more services in areas such as health and education, while giving them the power to sue the Government if it were to return the services to the public sector.

Speakers at the event included Mark Dearn, trade campaigner at War on Want, and ATL member Robert Tatam. ATL Executive member Hank Roberts chaired the meeting. Robert explained: “When I retired from teaching, I did not think I’d become so interested in, and angry about, this proposed so-called trade deal. I found out it was going to remove many of our most prized social standards and environmental protections and accelerate the privatisation of our National Health Service.

“If education is included in TTIP, multinational companies would have the right to bid for educational contracts in EU member states, and it could lead to the expansion of forprofit education companies in UK schools. It’s incumbent on all of us to keep informed about these negotiations and to express our opposition at every opportunity.”

Describing TTIP as the “biggest free trade deal in history”, Mark said: “We know, regardless of what the Government is saying, that health and education are included. Education is one of the largest global service markets in the world after health. All levels of education are on the table.”

He explained how privatisation would mean “not just the opening up of public services like education and health, but locking in privatisation where it’s already taking place, for example, water, energy, transport”.

The meeting prompted an emergency motion at Conference proposed by Caroline Kolek, who called on ATL to support the campaign to oppose TTIP. She said: “TTIP will cover all public sectors including education. TTIP would open up education to further privatisation. There would be no way of reversing this – Governments would not be easily able to take back control of public services , including our schools, without facing the threat of being sued for millions of pounds for loss of potential future earnings.”

ATL members took part in a rally called Democracy vs TTIP as part of an international day of action in London on 18 April. You can read more about TTIP online at www.waronwant.org/campaigns/trade-justice/ttip.

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“SUPPORT STAFF HAVE BEEN TREATED AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS FOR TOO LONG IN TOO MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS”

New ATL charter for support staff ATL has produced a support staff charter to improve the working lives of the 900,000 teaching assistants, librarians, technicians, administrators, dinner ladies, caretakers and other support staff in UK schools by highlighting the injustices they face.

The charter covers the issues facing support staff, including pay, hours, training and violent and abusive behaviour, and outlines what it believes employers must do to overcome them.

Debbie Polwarth, a special needs assistant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and chair of ATL’s Support Staff Members Advisory Group, said: “Support staff have been treated as second-class citizens for too long

in too many of our schools. By highlighting the problems, I hope ATL’s charter will help to get these issues tackled.”

ATL national official Peter Morris said: “Despite the vast increase in the roles and responsibilities of support staff, their pay remains woefully inadequate, with many stuck in a permanent poverty trap. ATL calls upon the Government, politicians, school managers and governors to read our charter and help to make the changes to improve the lives of support staff.”

To download a copy of ATL’s A Charter for Support Staff, see www.atl.org.uk/ supportstaffcharter.

Questions over money for children’s mental health Long-overdue new funding for children’s mental health services ignores the factors contributing to mental health issues, ATL has warned.

Commenting on the Government’s announcement of £1.25 billion for funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in March, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “It’s rather late in the day to be piling money in when the all-important tiers of expertise and help in CAMHS have been stripped back to the bone.

Children’s mental health is far too important to be used as a feelgood political bribe.

“The Government might want to look at the circumstances that can induce poor mental health, such

as poverty, poor housing, lack of stable employment and financial insecurity. The onus is being thrown back onto education staff.”

Meanwhile, the same month, ATL joined the Partnership for Well-being and Mental Health in Schools, a national network of 40 organisations from the education, health and children’s sectors.

Convened by the National Children’s Bureau, the group aims to support schools and services to improve well-being and mental health outcomes in education. It recently published advice and guidance for schools on ‘what works’ in promoting emotional well-being and mental health in schools.

See the ‘Education and learning’ section of www.ncb.org.uk.

JUNE 2015 | REPORT 5

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UPDATE

Time for action over ‘unbearable’ working lives More than 1,200 members have signed an open ATL letter explaining how the teaching profession is heading for a crisis Teachers’ working lives have been made increasingly difficult and are unbearable for many, the letter published in The Independent in April explained. This is causing growing numbers of both newly qualified and experienced teachers to leave the profession to escape the excessive hours and constant monitoring, it said.

The core issues the new Government needs to address are resolving the problems of workload and Ofsted, and supporting teachers in providing the brilliant teaching our children and young people need and deserve, it stated.

Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: “Teachers work more unpaid overtime than any other profession and experience working lives filled with stress, pressure and

exhaustion. The sheer volume of the signatories to the letter demonstrates the scale of the crisis that is encompassing the teaching profession.”

The letter calls for the Government to work with the profession to tackle teachers’ workload, including Ofsted inspections, and explore new ways of holding schools to account that support rather than punish teachers.

It also called for the Government to support a fully qualified profession with access to excellent, comprehensive and evidenceinformed initial teacher education and CPD based on collaboration between schools and universities.

Read the letter at www.atl. org.uk/openletter. For more about ATL’s Shape Education campaign, see www.atl.org. uk/shapeeducation.

ATL AWARD FOR MALALA ATL honoured Malala Yousafzai with a Fellowship Award during ATL’s Annual Conference in April.

The award is made to people who have made a significant contribution to education or politics. Malala, the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, is a passionate and inspirational advocate of education and works tirelessly to raise its profile, particularly in her native Pakistan where many girls are unable to study.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “We are delighted to honour Malala with the ATL Fellowship Award – an award she rightly deserves. Her fearless contribution to promoting fair education policy, combating discrimination and opposing totalitarian regimes is an inspiration to us all. I can think of no one more deserving of ATL’s recognition.”

Malala was unable to attend Annual Conference, but told ATL: “This is such a wonderful honour. I proudly accept ATL’s Fellowship Award and will treasure it. For all girls, as well as boys, education is our right, our duty, and our empowerment.

But our education and our schools are only as good as our teachers – all of you.

“While we have education challenges here in the United Kingdom, let us keep in mind, and find ways to help, the students and teachers around the world who face far bigger challenges.

“We must come together to put pressure on the international community and national Governments to make sure every girl and boy receives free, quality 12-year education. I am committing my life to make sure that happens.”

INVESTMENT IN EARLY YEARS WORKFORCE NEEDED ATL has joined leading figures in early childhood education in calling for the Government to ensure further investment is made in the quality of the early years workforce.

An open letter from the British Association for Early Childhood Education, to which ATL has added its name, calls

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for the Government to invest, especially in those supporting the most disadvantaged children, to give children the best possible start in life.

The recommendations are in line with a number of reports including from the Read On, Get On coalition of charities led

by Save the Children, which is

calling for every nursery to be graduate-led by 2020, and others from the House of Lords Committee on Affordable Childcare and the Nuffield Foundation that also stress the importance of focusing resources on high-quality early education for the most disadvantaged children.

IN BRIEF

ATL’S SAFER SCHOOLS EXPANDS New resources and blogs have been added to ATL’s www.safer schools.org.uk network.

The website for education staff who want to discover more about issues such as bullying, homophobia and FGM recently welcomed: Women’s Aid; Carers’ Trust; The Children’s Society; Diversity; Role Models; and Young Minds Society as partners.

It now also features blogs from Professor Andy Phippen on sexting, Luke Roberts on bullying, and ATL member Emma Baldry on role models.

SCHOOLS POLICY UNDER SCRUTINY Schools policy post-election was the focus of a roundtable discussion attended by ATL’s assistant general secretary for policy, Nansi Ellis, in April. It looked at the impact of funding cuts, changes to qualifications, teacher shortages and increased student numbers, before concluding with suggestions for the new Government.

These included developing the middle tier, improving accountability and improving the quality of teaching.

Ms Ellis said: “Many suggested the focus should be on what happens inside the classroom. But this mustn’t be taken over by the politicians: we need a commitment to tackling workload so teachers have time for real development.”

Think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) hosted the event, which was attended

by Laura McInerney of Schools Week and Jonathan Simons of Policy Exchange, and chaired by Rick Muir of the IPPR. JUNE 2015 | REPORT 7

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AGENDA

THIS COLUMN IS written two weeks before the general election and, with the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck in the polls, it is impossible to say which party, or combination of parties, will form a Government.

The politicians have paid very little attention to education during their campaigns. The NHS has been the battleground on which public policy has been fought.

I find this neglect puzzling.

Education is the foundation for all the things the politicians say they want – prosperity, a more skilled workforce, better health – to name but a few.

Education should have received more attention, particularly from the party leaders, and should be, to a far greater extent, the focus of public interest and concern, rather than the mock outrage and sensationalism that characterises so much of the public debate on education at present.

In contrast, education is at the centre of ATL members’ thoughts and concerns. Our hopes for education, and our demands to Government, are contained in our education manifesto (see www.atl.org.uk/manifesto).

Teachers, lecturers and support staff know, because their daily working lives provide constant evidence of it, the moral purpose that education professionals hold: to improve the life chances of those children and young people they teach and support.

I want teachers, lecturers, school leaders and support staff – ATL members – to have better professional lives. I want schools and colleges to be kinder, more positive places to work – where fear of Ofsted does not infect every aspect of professional practice.

That is why ATL’s leadership section, AMiE, has led the way in thinking about, and training, school leaders and college managers in ethical leadership.

Politicians must understand that children’s development and wellbeing are not mutually exclusive to our members’ professional development and professional well-being. In fact, they are strongly linked. An education workforce that feels valued for the WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

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A duty of care ATL general secretary Mary Bousted calls on the next Government to look after the education profession in order to improve children and young people’s development and well-being contribution it makes to society, which feels invested in through high-quality CPD, and which is fairly rewarded through decent pay and a reasonable work-life balance, is a workforce that will set itself higher standards and have the confidence to achieve them.

I want to focus the minds of whichever party or parties form the next Government. I want to make demands. Firstly, I want data to be used intelligently – to ask questions and raise issues, rather than to be slavishly collected, collated and used to constrain decisions and choices that should be made by professionals.

I want education staff to be enabled to learn, through access

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to really good CPD. It is an outrage that the teaching profession is not enabled to be a learning profession. I want decent working lives for education professionals – an end to 60-hour working weeks that can only lead to exhaustion, stress and burnout – professionals leaving teaching before their time because their health is broken.

Professionals our education system can ill afford to lose – because who is going to replace them?

I want inspection to be built upon respect not rhetoric, discussed not dictated, supportive not scolding. Inspection must serve children’s learning, not political ideology.

I want politicians to do what they always say they will do, but do so rarely – which is to use evidence-informed policy – rather than policy-informed evidence.

I want politicians to exercise a duty of care to educational professionals – in order that they, in turn, can exercise better care of their pupils and students. I want politicians to respect the motives and expertise of education professionals, not assume we are in it for ourselves.

And I finish with this challenge to the politicians. If you care as much as we do about every individual child, then answer these questions; no ifs, no buts.

What are you going to do to improve education professionals’ working lives? What are you going to do to reform Ofsted so inspection is professionally conducted and empowering, rather than a weapon of fear and terror?

And when are you going to cease to use the language of conflict when you talk about schools?

We have had enough of politicians waging war on teachers, battling against mediocrity, fighting for higher standards. Let me remind politicians that they do not raise standards. It is education professionals – support staff, teachers, lecturers and school leaders – who raise standards of education for all.

If politicians do not heed this warning, they will face the wrath of parents when there is no teacher for their child. This crisis will be of their own making and it is just around the corner.

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THE VIEW FROM… WALES / NORTHERN IRELAND

Wales

Northern Ireland

DR PHILIP DIXON

MARK LANGHAMMER

Campaigning over quango concerns

Slow-burn industrial action

FOR THE FIRST time ever, Welsh members presented an emergency motion to this year’s Annual Conference.

It concerned the newly established Education Workforce Council (EWC).

Feelings have been running high about the EWC, which morphed from the GTCW on 1 April, and which now requires FE lecturers to register with it as well.

The Conference motion addressed the two main bones of contention: the fee and the workforce’s representation on this new body.

ATL Cymru will campaign vigorously to oppose any hike in the registration fee teachers and lecturers have

to pay, to make the new body far more accountable to the workforce, and for it to be reformed to contain a significant number of elected members. We will also oppose any ‘mission creep’, which could see the EWC gaining control over areas such as CPD, until these issues are resolved.

Members’ speeches were excellent and reiterated that we are not opposing the principle of registration or moves to greater professionalisation; we were always critical friends of the GTCW. What members will not accept is a costly little quango which, in the words of the motion’s proposer, is “wanted by the minister, appointed by the minister, but fed and watered by you”.

The recent Donaldson review of the curriculum spoke of the need to develop a workforce fit for the 21st century. Autonomy will be a key part of that vision.

It is a shame that yet again the Welsh Government has started the whole process of reform in the worst possible way in regard to the EWC. But we remain hopeful things can be changed for the better.

ATL’S INDUSTRIAL action is now bedding in across schools in Northern Ireland.

The work-to-rule action is primarily a protective measure to allow teachers to limit their workload to things that matter.

ATL’s casework and survey information has shown many tasks are considered excessive and burdensome.

These include: recording, inputting, monitoring and analysing data; inappropriate accountability; perceived inspectorate pressures; excessive ‘deep’ or ‘consultative’ marking; overfrequent marking; overly detailed lesson/weekly planning; undertaking basic administrative support tasks; too many unnecessary staff meetings; excessive reporting on pupil progress; individualised pupil targetsetting with obsessive continual review; and new initiatives such as curriculum or qualification change.

In summary, teachers do too much weighing and measuring. With teachers regularly marking, assessing and planning until late into the night, it is unsurprising to find the evidence shows most teachers working around 60

hours a week in term time.

The European working time directive limits working hours to 48.

ATL’s industrial action is a slow-burn action that we expect to last for five or more years. It simply aims to allow teachers to put some ‘defences’ around their own time. In an era of cuts, cuts, cuts, the ‘more with less’ mantra will no longer do.

ATL does not want to take industrial action, so if principals are prepared to have a genuine review of school accountability, bureaucracy, administration and workload, led by teachers, they have the key to disabling the industrial action. You must cut through the bureaucracy, or we will.

Check out ATL’s curriculum website

Find out more about the changes to the curriculum, view our video case studies of schools taking new approaches to the curriculum, access resources and take part in the conversation about the curriculum.

acurriculumthatcounts.org.uk

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MORE THAN 400 DELEGATES JOINED THE DEBATE AT ATL’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN LIVERPOOL TO SET THE UNION’S POLICY DIRECTION FOR THE YEAR AHEAD A LACK OF OVERSIGHT An investigation into the decline of local authority control of schools was the aim of a motion proposed by Alex Thompson (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough), who wanted to stop Government ideology being pushed onto the schools system before due diligence is carried out into the impact of the academies and free schools model.

The lack of oversight is one major concern, he said, citing the Trojan Horse schools scandal in Birmingham. “Whether the local authority was always a force for good, I agree is up for debate,” he added, “however, the key thing is that there was someone monitoring these schools.”

Supporting the motion, Peter Shreeve told delegates that money was being wasted where he lives, on the Isle of Wight, where new studio and free schools had created overcapacity, while a restructure of the local authority had become “a farce as schools outside the LA sphere of influence … have pulled up the drawbridge … they are looking after their own interests, and who can blame them?”

The motion was passed unanimously.

TIME FOR A PAY RISE With teachers losing the equivalent of 15% in their salary over the past few years and many education professionals facing hardship, it is time for the sector to have a pay rise – this was the call from Brent, Cumbria and Oxfordshire districts.

The motion called for a campaign for the education sector to have a significant pay rise and to work with other unions to restore pay levels, with pay awards separated from performance-related pay.

Hank Roberts (Brent) said: “When the TUC says Britain needs a pay rise, we do.

But some people do not – the directors of

Amazon, Starbucks, Boots, they don’t need a pay rise, they need a pay cut – they can pay their taxes.”

Seconding, Jacqueline Cashman (Cumbria) said: “We need to attract the best into our profession to teach our children and young people … how on earth is £22,000 as a starting salary, with no clear recognised incremental scale and lower-than-inflation pay rises, going to attract our best graduates?”

The motion was carried.

WORKLOAD WARNING “I don’t want my child to be taught by someone too tired, too stressed and too anxious to do the job well. I don’t want any child to have to settle for that,” said Chris Dutton (Wiltshire), quoting education secretary Nicky Morgan from September 2014, as he proposed the motion on tackling workload in all areas of education.

However, Chris went on, six months later the picture has not changed and teachers are leaving the profession in record numbers.

Seconder Tatiana Kourova (Inner London) pleaded the case for nursery and early years staff, who are often overlooked in discussions about workload despite being among the lowest paid and working some of the longest hours.

Paul Campbell and Hannah Inwood of ATL Future added an amendment to the motion, calling for recommendations as to how workload can be reduced for trainees and newly qualified professionals.

Delegates unanimously carried the amended motion.

A LOOMING CRISIS With some teachers working more than 60 hours a week, teachers leaving the

Alex Thompson: more monitoring needed

profession and the School Direct scheme struggling to fill places, more needs to be done to address recruitment and retention, delegates heard.

Tendai Mashapure (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) said the quality of new teachers has never been higher, but that, as the economy improves, incentives for trainees will become less attractive.

“We are all in favour of creating strong and different training routes for teachers,” he said, “but in a manner that considers a broad strategic national view of teacher supply, certainly not at the expense of choking off other quality provisions and driving them out of business.”

Alastair MacPherson (Scotland), seconding, said the PGCE is recognised to teach in Scotland, although this may soon not be the case, but other English training routes do not qualify. “If cuts to PGCE go ahead, the ability of teachers in the UK to move between the nations will diminish,” he explained.

The motion called for research into how the Government plans to address the predicted shortfall of teachers, the quality of School Direct and PGCE routes into teaching, and the implications of cuts to university PGCE funding, and was carried.

A separate motion calling for a return to accredited university-led teacher training routes, due to the continued under-filling of school-based routes and the heavy workload they place on staff, was lost.

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS “It is true that the schools budget is being ring-fenced, but don’t for a moment think that means the education budget is being ring-fenced,” Robin Bevan (Essex, Southend and Thurrock) said. He proposed the motion to identify the disadvantages to learners of falling education funding, and to make the case for sustained investment in education.

With no protection for post-16 funding and rising pupil numbers and costs for schools, Robin said the Government is overseeing a crisis in education funding, but keeps repeating: “that they have

PHOTOS: SARAH TURTON

Join the debate

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Tatiana Kourova puts the case for nursery staff

Tendai Mashapure wants strong routes into teaching

preserved the schools budget in an endless tape loop of inanity. It isn’t just the blind leading the blind; it’s the blind denying that eyes even exist.” He added that, invariably, it is the most disadvantaged who will lose out as a result.

Ray Amoss (Lincolnshire), lead member for post-16, asked whether it is ring-fencing when free school meals are provided and new free schools announced, while FE suffers swingeing funding cuts.

The motion was carried unanimously.

The motion called on the next Government to agree to ensure stability for students and educational professionals, and was carried.

SUPPLY INJUSTICE Supply teachers employed by agencies face injustice and discrimination by not having access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) like their peers employed by schools.

Agency teachers then have to settle for a vastly inferior scheme, delegates heard.

“We are constantly told how important it is to save for retirement and yet successive Governments have made it difficult for supply teachers to do just that,” said proposer Ann Burt (Humberside), who went on to say that the TPS itself needed as many teachers as possible to pay in to it in order to be sustainable.

Conference agreed and unanimously voted to lobby the Government on this issue.

CALMING THE POLICY STORM Politicians must stop the constant change to education policy and ensure stability for pupils and education professionals – this was the call from members in Derbyshire.

“Education changes regularly. We try our best, but the constant changes keep us forever on a treadmill with no means of escape,” explained Andrew Bradley, adding that education not only affects those who deliver it, but also those to whom it is given.

“By all means, those who govern can have a flagship educational policy, but it needs to be on a stable course. It needs to sail on a calm sea rather than on a turbulent ocean of recurring waves of policies and dangerous currents of curriculum changes.”

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SUPPORT STAFF – USE US WISELY Three motions on support staff were carried by Conference. The first called for investigations into the effect of using support staff inappropriately to cover teacher absence, which deprives one group of support and another of a qualified teacher.

“When we visit the GP, we don’t expect the practice nurse to be filling in,” said proposer Julie Huckstep (Kent). “If a GP is absent, a locum GP is employed instead.

Locum teachers exist. We call them supply teachers.”

Julie said she was proposing this motion on behalf of a member of her branch who had been an enthusiastic TA for eight years, but had now left education because of the pressure caused by repeatedly covering for teacher absence.

The second motion, proposed by Kathryn Booth (Dorset), called for anonymity for support staff facing allegations in line with the rights given to teaching staff. Because of the often one-to-one nature of their work, she

Andrew Bradley: plainer sailing in policy

FEARS FOR FE The FE sector, which plays a vital role for millions of students, is in crisis, members from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough district told delegates.

Speaking to a motion on the demise of FE colleges, Alex Thompson said: “Since 2010, the adult skills budget, which funds non-academic education and training for those aged 19 and over, has been cut by a staggering 40%. These cuts impact on what colleges can do to help those out of unemployment, those who are in work but who want to upskill and reskill, and those who are in work but want to gain the necessary qualifications to enter higher education.”

The motion called for ATL to condemn the political contempt shown to FE students and teachers, maximise the profile of FE and research the value of FE to the economy.

Wally Valentine, seconding, said the FE sector faced the brunt of the cuts on the principle that those in post-16 education should pay for their education.

He added: “The 19-plus cohort of the FE sector will not have the job opportunities or the higher pay scales to which university students hope to progress. Many will drop out and the

“WE TRY OUR BEST, BUT THE CONSTANT CHANGES KEEP US FOREVER ON A TREADMILL WITH NO MEANS OF ESCAPE” said, support staff were more open to false allegations and, as they usually live in the local community, any allegation could damage their reputation: “A punishment even when no crime has been committed.”

Lastly, Debbie Polwarth (Newcastleupon-Tyne) called for ATL to monitor the impact on SEN provision in the wake of major reforms, particularly the reduction of support for the most vulnerable pupils, caused by schools cutting support staff jobs.

country will find itself short of muchneeded skills.”

This and a separate motion calling for an investigation into FE workload were both carried.

FE PAY PREDICAMENT Many FE colleges are not implementing agreed pay rises, with some having not implemented an increase for four years, Conference heard.

Ray Amoss explained: “In ATL’s post-16 pay and conditions survey,

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Julie Huckstep: make better use of support staff

50% of members reported they were not on the ‘harmonised’ pay scale agreed between the Association of Colleges and trade unions.”

Seconding, Wally Valentine said: “We should name and shame the culprits and bring our considerable pressure to bear on them to pay up what was agreed.”

The motion asked ATL to investigate and make the public aware that agreed pay rises are still not being implemented by some colleges, along with details of how many are not honouring agreed rises, and was carried.

ZERO-HOURS CONTRACTS Conference passed a motion to lobby the Government to outlaw exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts and to issue advice for members.

On exclusivity clauses, proposer Jeff Fair (Essex, Southend and Thurrock) told delegates: “Being very British, I suggest there should be a level playing field, so if my contract prevents me from working elsewhere, I should be paid for the time I am unable to work.”

Moving on to advice for members, he added: “Knowledge is power and, as a member-led organisation, we should be providing the tools for our members to negotiate from a position of strength.”

Alastair MacPherson supported the motion, highlighting zero-hours and term-time-only contracts in the independent sector, which mostly affect TAs, technicians and other support staff.

“To put it bluntly,” he said, “no set hours means little or no rights.”

A CLEAR NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY All state-funded schools should publish details of salaries, marketing costs and non-confidential governor meetings, Conference heard.

Simon Clarkson (Leicestershire) called for ATL to campaign for these in a motion demanding greater transparency in education.

He said: “Our state schools are paid for by the public and they need to be

Ray Amoss calls for FE pay harmony

accountable. When I started teaching, especially in the state sector, there was little or no corruption, and the money allocated to schools was almost entirely spent directly on the education of students. Nothing else could happen as the glare and clarity of oversight was too bright.”

The motion was carried.

MANAGING MARGINALISATION One headteacher unilaterally adds an hour to the working day, another shouts at and harasses staff until they resign. Elsewhere, a school bursar writes to a member of staff who is off sick with cancer and tells her how much money her absence is costing the school.

These were all alarming examples of school management that Worcestershire branch secretary Stephen Baker had seen and reasons why he was proposing a motion calling for ATL to investigate the changing way schools are being managed, which increasingly marginalises staff.

External pressures promote these unsavoury behaviours. “[They are] secondguessing what Ofsted inspectors want to see … turning schools into exam factories to boost league table results … managing funding cuts,” he said, adding that their jobs are on the line like Premier League football managers’.

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” he said. “Surely, schools where staff all work together are what we all want?”

Conference carried the motion.

A LEADERSHIP CRISIS The football-manager-style hiring and firing of headteachers is discouraging new applicants and creating a damaging level of turbulence, members heard.

This was the message from AMiE member and headteacher Robin Bevan, who explained: “I suddenly noticed a year ago that I was very nearly the longest-serving headteacher in any of the secondary schools in south east Essex, and I had only been in post for six years.

Something is seriously wrong.”

Jeff Fair: a level playing field required

The majority of headteachers serve fewer than three years in his area, he said, while he believes it takes at least five years, particularly in first headships, to secure the expertise necessary to perform at the highest level.

“Headteachers are expected to be experts in the classroom, in pedagogy, in project management, in personnel, in education law, in financial management, in human relations and public relations.

Of course, it is all these things that make the job so special.

“You are largely expected to learn on the job. It is no wonder so few teachers view promotion to headship as desirable; that a good number of senior leaders ‘wobble’ in their early years.”

The motion was carried.

PASTORAL CARE IN DECLINE Conference unanimously carried the motion to investigate the impact of target-setting pressures on pastoral care.

Proposer Kate Moore (Cornwall) described how her Year 7 tutor groups had changed from a time when she and her pupils could discuss current affairs, communication skills, have debates or explore life skills to a time when pupils had to complete silent reading, numeracy and address attendance and targets.

“Pupils need to know they are in a caring environment, where they are valued for who they are, not just what they can do,” she told delegates. “We have to be accountable, but at what cost?”

Supporting, Vince Usher (Newcastleupon-Tyne) said he sees “children forced to be learning machines”, with schools focused on “forcing 15 minutes more learning out of these tired children”.

Hannah Gyngell (Bedfordshire) gave a positive example of how pastoral care at her school gave one boy with a difficult home life the chance to do his homework and not fall behind his peers.

A motion calling for ATL to lobby the Government for the investment needed to support students’ mental health, including measures such as safe havens for

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Hannah Gyngell explains the power of pastoral care

vulnerable children in schools and funding to pay for dedicated staff, was also carried.

CHILD PROTECTION “Knee-jerk” plans to extend the offence of wilful neglect in child abuse cases to teachers will leave children and young people more, not less, vulnerable.

This was the message of an emergency motion from ATL’s Executive Committee.

Niamh Sweeney, proposing, said: “Like all teachers, safeguarding is integral to my role. If [David] Cameron goes ahead with this knee-jerk response to these awful crimes, which is to effectively criminalise teachers, it will leave children and young people more vulnerable, not less.”

She said schools and colleges are so overburdened with constant change that there aren’t enough training hours to cover what staff should do if they have a concern, never mind all the factors they need to be concerned about.

“I believe this Government has wilfully neglected children and children’s services.

They have wilfully neglected initial teacher training, teacher recruitment and retention, and the recruitment and retention of children’s social workers. This proposed law will do nothing to overcome the neglect,” she said.

Niamh Sweeney accuses the coalition of wilful neglect of children

Members of ATL Future called for the union to research good practice and lobby for a contractual right to CPD for all staff.

Nathan Jones said: “We all know highquality CPD is available if you look in the right places … but what we need to find out is how best an education system can design structures to ensure all education professionals can have access to and benefit from high-quality CPD.” Krystal Ketcher, seconding, said: “The practice of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ presentation is not acceptable in our classroom and should not be deemed acceptable in terms of our CPD.” The motion was carried.

FUNDAMENTAL BRITISH VALUES The Government’s narrative on fundamental British values (FBV) is ill-considered, ill-defined and counterproductive. This was the basis of the motion calling for monitoring of how FBV are policed.

Proposer Robin Bevan stated that for years schools and colleges have been delivering, as required, a broad and balanced curriculum addressing behaviour within a framework of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

He described the Government obliging

“YOU ARE LARGELY EXPECTED TO LEARN ON THE JOB. IT IS NO WONDER SO FEW TEACHERS VIEW PROMOTION TO HEADSHIP AS DESIRABLE” The motion called for ATL to lobby the Government to remove the threat of criminalisation from education professionals, provide adequate funding for the appropriate training of education staff, and provide funding to enable proper, timely liaison between schools and other children’s services. It was carried.

TIME FOR TRAINING High-quality CPD should be a contractual right for teachers after their initial training, teachers new to the profession argued.

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schools and colleges to promote FBV in response to a few isolated incidents as “a Daily Mail-style headline-grabbing act of political posturing”.

“In what way do fundamental British values differ from French or Swedish ones?” he asked. And as they change over time, they are hardly fundamental, so there are problems with defining them, he added.

Furthermore, he concluded, imposing values on a group of students is likely to make many take an opposing view.

Nathan Jones: highquality CPD for all

Conference agreed and passed the motion unanimously.

MAINTAINING MENTAL HEALTH An investigation into the support provided for and needed by education staff with disabilities and mental health issues is needed, delegates were told.

Tim Jefferson (Norfolk) said: “As teaching professionals, we are under ever more pressure for our students to deliver. Staff are sent on first-aid courses to comply with current legislation – dealing with physical injury in the workplace.

Mental health injury, given the changes to working practices, is just as likely as physical injury.

“Yet, very few schools see value in mental first aid, which provides a basic understanding to ensure no one suffers in silence because they are worried about the stigma that exists for those with mental health problems.”

The motion called for ATL to commission a report into support for disabled education staff and mental health issues, and was carried.

INFECTIONS FROM WORK In 2012, an ATL member contracted parvovirus B19 – or slapped cheek syndrome – a viral infection most common in children and spread in much the same way as colds and flu, Conference heard from Berkshire district.

Jenny Inglis explained how this usually mild condition left the member very ill. She spent five days in hospital, was signed off sick and, a year later, was diagnosed with related rheumatoid arthritis. Two years on, the school terminated her employment and she was forced to take ill-health retirement – leaving her with no earnings and a reduced pension. There is currently no requirement for schools to have insurance to cover such situations, where negligence cannot be attributed.

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Robin Bevan: imposing values could alienate students

employ someone else to take her place,” Jenny said.

Seconding, Helen Porter said: “The risk of long-term illness or permanent disability due to infection is low, but remains a real concern.”

The motion called for ATL to lobby the Government to ensure school staff are fully protected financially if they contract an infectious disease fulfilling their duties and are unable to continue their career because of it, and for absence related to

Emma Parker: help explain education to parents

parents believe in education, children do well. “How can they believe in education,” she asked, “if they don’t understand it?”

The motion was passed unanimously.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE “Domestic violence is a matter for everyone, and it is a matter for our schools and colleges to consider,” said Niamh Sweeney, proposing for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough district. She called for ATL to develop

“MENTAL HEALTH INJURY, GIVEN THE CHANGES TO WORKING PRACTICES, IS JUST AS LIKELY AS PHYSICAL INJURY” such ill health not to be held against them on their records. It was carried.

PARENT POWER A chance meeting with a group of parents on a train inspired Alison Sherratt (Bradford) to bring a motion calling for ATL to explore ways to network with parents/carers to keep them informed of Government policies and the possible impacts on their children and their schools.

The parents told Alison they had researched the EYFS, but found themselves none the wiser, which was no surprise, said Alison, as the gov.uk website was written in “teacher-speak”, making it “mind-bogglingly difficult for parents to understand”.

Seconding, Lesley Tipping (North Wales) said she would spend three minutes confusing delegates, then proceeded to reel off a long list of grades, acronyms and other terms, adding that the devolved nature of the UK caused uncertainty about what is meant by ‘national policy’.

“The decisions young people make are critical,” she said. “It’s essential they and their parents understand.”

Student member Emma Parker (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) quoted Ofsted’s Sir Michael Wilshaw, saying that when

Elizabeth Lampard is able to love science and be a Christian

Trevor Cope (Devon) told Conference. This suggests there would be one colour-blind child in every class.

“Colour blindness in the classroom can be a nightmare,” he said, citing use of maps, coloured marking systems and coloured cones at sports day as just a few examples that can cause problems.

Jenny Inglis told of a young boy who was colouring the sea in orange and was told by his teacher to stop trying to be funny. The boy stopped going to lessons and got into trouble in school until the diagnosis of colour blindness changed his life.

The motion to investigate the awareness of education staff and to create a factsheet to help was carried unanimously.

resources to help build understanding of CREATIONISM IS NOT A SCIENCE the impact of this issue on the working Conference carried a motion calling lives of victims and to develop a model for ATL to combat any notion that workplace policy to help education creationism is a science and ensure that, establishments protect staff. where taught, it is clearly categorised as Domestic violence, she went on, can religious belief. take many forms, including being told Proposer Alastair MacPherson, a teacher what to wear, who not to be friends of both science and religious education, with and having to hand over control was clear that evolution should go in the of finances. Men can be victims too, and former and creationism, of any religion, around three to five children in every in the latter. However, he had found class have suffered domestic violence. instances of creationism being taught Seconder Wendy Wilderspin said it as fact all over the UK, particularly in leads to pain and suffering, but also costs independent schools. the economy £15.7 billion, and is a major Several delegates spoke to the motion, cause of homelessness and mental and those in favour saying there was no physical illness. evidence to support creationism and Helen Porter said: “Work may become that science was a way of thinking, but the most normal and enjoyable part of a religious belief was based on faith, while victim’s life if home is like a battlefield … those against said that both creationism but it is unlikely work will be maintained and evolution were theories and neither at a consistent high standard. was proven, and that there was not “With appropriate support enough evidence for evolution. and understanding,” she Elizabeth Lampard concluded, “strength will be (Staffordshire) said that she MORE gained and the abuse will stop.” was able to love science and INFO Delegates unanimously believe in evolution, and carried the motion. at the same time be a More details of committed Christian.

ATL’s 2015 Annual COLOUR BLINDNESS Conference delegates Conference can be One in 12 boys and one in overwhelmingly voted in found at www.atl.org. uk/conference 200 girls are colour-blind, favour of the motion.

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01/06/2015 09:58

Raising D&T standards

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Our website has over 300 resources to help support D&T teaching Many items are free to D&T Association members. We also stock books, CDs, DVDs and videos covering all aspects of Design and Technology. Here are just a sample.

Using and understanding 3D printers in schools Members – £48.00 Non-members – £60.00 Looking at machines and processes, using 3D printers in schools.

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Members – £52.00 Non-members – £58.00 D&T Health and Safety guidance – an explanation of the legal aspects of the British Standard Code of Practice.

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A range of GCSE and KS3 resources including homework packs, practice exam papers, starters and plenaries.

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STANDING UP FOR ATL MEMBERS REPORT MEETS THE THREE WINNERS OF ATL’S 2015 REP OF THE YEAR AWARDS, WHICH WERE PRESENTED BY TUC PRESIDENT LESLIE MANASSEH AT ATL’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Sarah Smith WORKPLACE REP OF THE YEAR

IN BRIEF

NAME Sarah Smith AGE 45 LIVES Falmouth, Cornwall DAY JOB English teacher PROUDEST MOMENT When members came together to call for the head to be investigated.

WHAT MEMBERS SAY ABOUT HER “Sarah’s is an incredible story of dedication and standing up for truth and justice.

She is amazing.”

“FOR ME, it was a justice issue. I was threatened with all sorts of things, but if I’m right I’m going to stand up for what’s right, so that’s what I did,” says Sarah.

As ATL rep at a free school in the south west of England, Sarah stood up for herself and colleagues against the former headteacher whose behaviour towards staff and pupils caused much concern and distress. Over the two and half years after the school opened, Sarah collected several files of evidence relating to incidents that ranged from upsetting comments to claims she was not a qualified teacher.

“It was a particular low point when he suggested it would be funny if I got run over by a car,” Sarah recalls. “He was impossible to work for, and he had specific targets, people he would go for.”

Sarah stepped in to defend the caretaker who was threatened with dismissal after the head accused him of acting aggressively towards him, although witnesses confirmed this had not happened. Others in the firing line, including Sarah, were put down for extra break duties, were phoned repeatedly when off sick, and threatened with capability proceedings.

“He took the NQT induction certificate from my personnel file,” Sarah recalls, “and said I wasn’t a qualified teacher, but I had the original. He threatened me with losing my job and said I would never be promoted.”

Others were called into his office for ‘chats’, which would degenerate into tirades of abuse. “Some of the most frightening incidents were when I had to stand between him and a colleague he was threatening.

He would block the door and shout

at you, so you really did feel scared,” says Sarah.

“He refused me permission to go on ATL training, which wouldn’t have cost anything,” she adds. “He shouted at me in a corridor about that, in front of pupils.”

Sarah recalls how he would take down the ATL noticeboard and posters, which Sarah would determinedly put back up.

“Ironically, I became more involved in the union because of him.”

As union rep, Sarah found herself on almost a daily basis having to accompany a colleague into meetings with the headteacher.

“I always stuck to the ATL remit that we negotiate and talk, we don’t demand,” she says. “I think of ATL as the grown-up union in our approach. He was very much of the screaming, shouting school of acting. And I would quietly keep repeating my message.

“It was horrendous. I wouldn’t have survived without the support of the branch secretary, David Guiterman, as well as [regional official] Paul Edwards and [senior regional official] Rachel Curley.

“What I think ATL doesn’t say enough is that you’re really supported as a rep. A lot of

PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH TURTON

Sarah Smith explains how she supported members through an extremely difficult period at her school

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IN PROFILE… ATL REPS OF THE YEAR

Jayne Whistance UNION LEARNING REP (ULR) OF THE YEAR Lecturer Jayne Whistance received the award for her work supporting members’ learning needs in Hampshire

IN BRIEF

NAME Jayne Whistance AGE 32 Clwyd Jones, AMiE rep of the year, Jayne Whistance, ULR of the year, TUC president Leslie Manassveh and Sarah Smith, workplace rep of the year]

members worry about becoming a rep because of the responsibility, but it doesn’t mean you have to have all the answers. If I didn’t know the legal answer David could tell me what I could do.”

In the end, the staff of the school, the majority being ATL members, voted in an off-site meeting to ask the school’s governing body to investigate the head’s behaviour, which it agreed to do. The head left the school some months after this.

“That was my proudest moment, when we all came together and voted,” Sarah says. “One member of staff said they wanted to thank me and then the whole room applauded, and it made me feel really humble.

“It sounds odd, but I can say it now I’ve come out the other side, that I do enjoy being a union rep,” she says. “I like that people have respect for ATL, they will seek me out for advice. For some I was very much a shoulder to cry on, and for others, they wanted to know their rights. And I’m also a sort of bodyshield for people. They felt safe when the ATL rep was with them.

“Being a rep I’ve had to learn when to speak and when to listen, those are important lessons. Never

to just barge in; find out your facts first from someone who knows.

And if something happens, document it; don’t ever let anything go; date it, and always get a witness statement if you can.”

In addition to the support from ATL, Sarah thanks her friends and her church for helping her through, but says she couldn’t have managed without the support of her husband, Ian. She also believes her passion for cycling around her beloved Cornwall in her spare time helped relieve the stress.

Cakes have also played their part: “My husband is a head chef, and it was a bit of a sweetener to the recruitment drive,” she explains.

“I put out some gateaux and the recruitment literature and ‘ATL cake Thursdays’ became a bit of a fixture.” Cakes aside, Sarah believes a rep needs to be available, approachable and able to listen.

“For me, integrity is more valuable than anything,” she says.

“ATL is about integrity. I’m a great believer in trade unions. They’re about people. It’s important to be involved in the union, not just when you need it. There’s a lot you can get out of being involved. And the cakes, of course.”

LIVES Southampton DAY JOB Lecturer PROUDEST MOMENT Being recognised for the work she does with ATL WHAT MEMBERS SAY ABOUT HER “Jayne is open, friendly and creative. She has embedded union learning activity into the district and created a buzz around ATL.”

“IT’S ONE of those things that happened by accident. I’d been a member of ATL for a while, but hadn’t really gone to any events,” says Jayne. “Then there was some training in London. I thought ‘this is great’, and I ticked a box saying I’d like to get more involved. My learning organiser contacted me and it went from there.”

At the time, in 2011, there was no active ULR in Hampshire. Now, hundreds of members benefit from her work every year. She says: “Hampshire is so big, it can be difficult for members to get to events. Nobody came to the first event I put on! It was the first ATL learning event in Hampshire for a long time, a low-key ‘teach meet’ type thing.

“Then we did a questionnaire to find out what members wanted.

More fresh faces are coming now, and from a wider variety of sectors – maintained schools, academies, FE, HE – there are also support staff and supply teachers.”

Her sessions are often run in collaboration with local heritage centres, including museums and art galleries. Recently, SeaCity Museum in Southampton provided case studies and showcased resources, explaining its work in schools, and this was combined with an ATL briefing session, while members’ families also enjoyed the venue.

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IN PROFILE… ATL REPS OF THE YEAR

Other sessions covered managing angry learners, outstanding teaching and well-being.

“I think people feel more able to be themselves at these events,” Jayne says. “You may feel you’re the only person with a particular problem at your workplace, but you can go to an ATL event and meet others in similar situations.

There’s solidarity in that, and you also get the bigger picture of issues that are county-wide or national.”

She adds: “Sessions on behaviour and inspections are popular – but this shows schools and colleges are not providing what people need. We’ve run a course on dyslexia too, after local provision was cut. A lot of the time employers are ticking boxes – there’s a big drive around equality and diversity, but training is not necessarily tailored to the students in your classroom.”

Jayne taught English in South Korea and Russia before accepting a pastoral role at an independent school in Worcestershire in 2006, when she took her line manager’s advice and joined ATL. Her first job at Southampton Solent University involved supporting disabled students; she now teaches English to international students there, specialising in study skills and English for creative subjects.

She concludes: “The support from ATL is really good. It’s about working to your capacity, and balancing this with work. In any education job, there are times that are really hectic and times that aren’t as hectic; you never get a really quiet time, so it’s about fitting around this, seeing what works for you.

“I’d say to anyone considering being a ULR, go for it. Because you are doing it in a voluntary capacity, you can do as much as or as little as you want. But every little helps, even something small can make a big difference to other members.”

COMMENDED ATL members Angela Ashby, Adrian Creamer, Fiona Hobday, Nathan Jones, Yvonne Morris, Chris Odams, Nesha Persad and Deborah Sexton-Dyer were all highly commended in ATL’s awards.

Clwyd Jones AMIE REP OF THE YEAR Clwyd Jones understands very well the positive role a union can play in supporting its members through difficult times

IN BRIEF

NAME Clwyd Jones AGE 53 LIVES Llangollen DAY JOB Quality manager PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT Growing the Coleg Cambria branch of AMiE into the largest in Wales WHAT MEMBERS SAY ABOUT HIM “The profile of AMiE has increased significantly within the workplace during Clwyd’s time as chair. He has taken on casework and worked with all parties to resolve issues amicably.”

IN 2008, going through the break-up of his marriage and struggling with bullying at work, Clwyd sought the help of his union.

“I was going through a bad period,” he says. “I needed the support of my union and they gave it to me.

It’s at times like these you realise you need a friend in the workplace.”

The experience reinforced his commitment to union activism.

Clwyd joined AMiE in 2011, shortly after Llysfasi College merged with Deeside College. He moved to Deeside and was soon active in his union. In 2013, Deeside merged with Yale College to form Coleg Cambria, now one of the largest colleges in the UK, where Clwyd became quality manager.

The merger, however, caused frustration among Deeside members who didn’t feel adequately represented.

After the merger, Clwyd began asking questions. He found out both branch managers were leaving and decided to take the initiative,

JOIN OUR REP TEAM ATL workplace, health and safety, union learning, equalities and AMiE reps provide vital information and support to

organising a branch meeting to establish a committee of reps across the six newly merged Coleg Cambria sites. He was invited to stand as chair and was voted in.

Over the next two years, with the support of other branch members, Clwyd introduced regular branch meetings – one site had not had a meeting in 16 months – and shared information. He developed an open dialogue with the principal and a collaborative approach to working with senior management.

“I was trying to understand where management was going, the pressures of funding and so on, but to bring a bit of reason to it or to highlight another way of doing things. We aim to be a sort of critical friend.”

Membership under Clwyd’s chairmanship has grown by 25% – 61% of college management are now members, making it the largest AMiE branch in Wales.

Clwyd aims to ensure everyone is engaged, and to go beyond supporting members in disputes, encouraging them to help shape both the institution they work in and the policy of their union.

“Members feel they have a voice and if they have a concern, we will try to do something about it before it is too late.” Clwyd often instigates informal meetings with HR to prevent issues escalating unnecessarily, and has developed channels of communication to address problems in new policies before they are formally adopted.

“When I came back to work, I wanted clarity. Do you like the work I do or not? Be honest. That’s the way I conduct myself as a manager and that’s how all managers should conduct themselves.”

colleagues. It does not need to be an onerous task, you can undertake as much as you feel confident with. Reps often tell us that it gives them new skills and knowledge and that they can

make a positive difference to their workplace.

To find out more about the roles and the training, visit www.atl. org.uk/repzone or email organise@atl.org.uk.

20 REPORT | JUNE 2015 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

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01/06/2015 09:58

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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

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YOUR ATL… CONTENTS AND CONTACTS

Your ATL EXPERT ADVICE, MEMBER BENEFITS, A CHANCE TO WIN – AND YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY

IN THIS SECTION

25

LEGAL ADVICE

ATL solicitor Jayne Phillips explains the complexity and dangers of zero-hours contracts

27

CROSSWORD

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

29

NOTICEBOARD

Teachers’ workload: is education heading for a crisis?

26

For reps, how to ensure someone can take over from you when you move on, while there are other opportunities to get involved as an equalities rep. We also have a variety of networks you can join to have your say on ATL policy. Finally, make sure we have your correct details in case we need to contact you.

YOUR VIEWS

ATL MEMBERS SPEAK THEIR MINDS ON THE WORKLOAD SURVEY, COVERING FOR COLLEAGUES AND THE BENEFITS OF ATL MEMBERSHIP

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

Membership enquiries: 020 7782 1602 membership@atl.org.uk

AMiE MEMBERS: contact your regional officer (details at www.amie.atl.org.uk) or call the employment helpline on 01858 464171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk

ATL’s regional officials are available to speak to you about work problems Monday to Friday from 5pm to 7.30pm during term time.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

023_ATL_Jun15_opener.indd 23

Pension enquiries: 020 7782 1600 Out-of-hours helpline: 020 7782 1612

If you are not a member of ATL and would like to join, please contact us on

0845 057 7000 (lo-call)

Personal injury claims:

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.

JUNE 2015 | REPORT 23

01/06/2015 09:58

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13/05/2015 11:12

YOUR ATL… LEGAL GUIDE

Zero-hours contracts

The rise in zero-hours contracts is leaving many with no job security. ATL solicitor Jayne Phillips explains

ZERO-HOURS CONTRACTS have received a lot of publicity over recent years as their use has become increasingly common.

Historically, there has been no statutory or common-law definition of a ‘zero-hours contract’ and instead the concept was used to cover many different casual employment relationships. It was widely used to mean a contract under which an individual is not guaranteed work and is only paid for work actually carried out.

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 will contain a legal definition when it comes into force. The definition is: “a contract of employment or other worker’s contract under which: a. the undertaking to do or perform work or services is an undertaking to do so conditionally on the employer making work or services available to the worker, and, b. there is no certainty that any such work or services will be made available to the worker”.

The education sector, among others, has seen an increase in the use of such contracts.

It is important that individuals are aware of these contracts and the limitations on legal protection such contracts provide.

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As stated above, the term ‘zero-hours contract’ can cover a diverse range of working practices and no one set of legal rights and obligations will apply to all such contracts.

The broad definition of such contracts outlined above will not alter this. Instead, the rights and obligations will be determined by the individual’s employment status; namely whether he or she is an employee, a worker or a self-employed independent contractor.

Employees enjoy more statutory rights than workers, who in turn have more rights than someone who is genuinely self-employed. It is, therefore, important to be clear what status you have. Unfortunately, that is not always easy to determine.

Often a zero-hours contract will state that the individual is self-employed, but that is not necessarily correct. Generally speaking, most of these types of contracts do not allow the individual to send someone else to perform the job in their place. If there is such a non-substitution clause, then the individual working under the zero-hours contract is likely to be deemed a worker. That will mean that the individual has certain statutory rights, such as paid holiday, but will have no protection from unfair dismissal or any right to a redundancy payment.

Some individuals employed under a zerohours contract may be an employee, rather than a worker. The case law seeking to set down the principles distinguishing between worker and employee is extensive and complex. If you are unsure as to your status, contact ATL for advice.

Even if the individual is an employee, many employment rights only accrue after a specified period of continuous employment (eg a right to statutory redundancy pay only arises after two years’

continuous service). If the zero-hours contract is a global or umbrella contract, the continuity of the employment relationship persists even if the employee is not working. If each period of employment is covered by separate contracts with no overarching contract, then it will be more difficult to establish continuity of service. However, many education staff should maintain continuity of service if the contract finishes at the end of a term and starts again at the beginning of the next, on the basis that this will be deemed a ‘temporary cessation of work’. Again, you should take advice from ATL. Research has shown that the majority of individuals working under a zero-hours contract work part time. The Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2001 seek to ensure that part-time workers are not treated less favourably than their full-time colleagues; for example, by being paid a lower hourly rate. However, the full-time worker must be employed under the ‘same type of contract’.

This means that unless the full-time worker is also employed under a zero-hours contract, the regulations will not assist.

One significant concern around zero-hours contracts is the use of exclusivity clauses that prevent individuals from working for another employer, even if there is no work available for them under the zero-hours contract.

Following a consultation, the coalition Government published draft regulations seeking to significantly restrict the use of such exclusivity clauses. The Labour Party has commissioned its own report into zero-hours contracts. At the time of writing, the election result is unknown, but we will update our zero-hours contracts factsheet at www.atl.org.uk/factsheets in due course.

The increasing casualisation of the workforce is likely to continue, leaving many people without job security. If you are unsure about a contract you have been offered or what your rights are under an existing contract, contact ATL for advice and support using the details on page 23.

JUNE 2015 | REPORT 25

01/06/2015 09:58

YOUR ATL… YOUR VIEWS

Letters myself, with years of experience on the upper pay threshold on a salary of about £36,000, this EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD equates to the grand total of DOES NOT PAY roughly £15 per hour.

I read Mary Bousted’s article For purely financial reasons, ‘A lost opportunity’ (Report, it is surprising that a whole March 2015) with interest, since workforce who are expected to I had been one of the 44,000 be good or outstanding every teachers to respond to Nicky day they teach, and who have Morgan’s Workload Challenge. undergone four years of higher I am not surprised with the findings and with the inadequacy education to achieve teacher status, continue to stay of the solutions. It is also in this profession for not surprising that as long as they do. teachers are The author of this letter wins I love my job, leaving the £100 in book tokens. If you want to but there are profession voice your opinion on issues raised in times when in such large Report or any other aspect of education, please send a letter or email to I feel that we numbers. the addresses below, including are not fully Surely your phone number. One letter recognised as education will be chosen every issue to a profession by is heading for win the tokens. ministers like Nicky a crisis?

Morgan. We work It is also interesting extremely hard for a fairly that the average working week for a teacher is nearly 60 hours – modest financial remuneration I hope Nicky Morgan took time to and so I am not at all surprised reflect on the hours of dedication teachers are leaving in such teachers are prepared to commit large numbers.

If the Government cannot to their job. She might also like to think of any suitable solution work out what this equates to in to teachers’ workloads, then financial terms. perhaps it should think of ways If the average teacher works to reward us better. Perhaps if nearly 60 hours a week and an independent review body there are 38 teaching weeks per was called in to look at teachers’ year, I have roughly calculated workload and pay, they might that, for a newly qualified come up with a rather teacher entering the profession on a salary around £22,000, this challenging answer.

C Burton, Gloucestershire equates to about £10 per hour.

For a teacher with a few years of PICKING UP THE SLACK experience on around £25,000, In response to ‘An unbalanced this equates to about £11 per equation’ (‘Your views’, Report, hour, while for a teacher like STA R L E T T E R

WIN!

JOIN THE DEBATE…

report@atl.org.uk @ATLReport facebook.com/ATLUnion Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD

26 REPORT | JUNE 2015

026_ATL_Jun15_letters.indd 26

The average teacher works nearly 60 hours a week

3

April/May 2015), my college is the same - not rewarding those who work hard.

I am regularly in the office between 7.30am and 8am, albeit to have breakfast, but ready to start work at my contracted hours. Yet there are many who turn up one minute before lessons start, park in disabled bays for convenience, have a chat, make a cup of tea, and get to lessons around five or 10 minutes after the start time.

The head of department sees this, knows it’s going on, but just calls on those who are in early to cover for anyone who is late.

I have been in education for nearly 10 years and what I see regularly, without fail, is that those people who work hard, have lessons prepared and spend the time they are paid for making sure they have highquality lessons every day, are the ones who are given more work by those who are barely competent themselves.

And don’t get me started on management who show up 30 to 40 minutes late and then leave 45 minutes early. How can you instil good employability skills into your learners when your colleagues and managers are proof you don’t need them?

Name supplied SAYING GOODBYE For the past 11 years I have worked as a freelance, selfemployed support teacher for children and young people with dyslexia, autism and other SEN

needs. During this time I have felt confident ATL ‘had my back’.

I knew this because towards the end of my last ‘proper’ employment I was put in a very uncomfortable work situation and sought the help of my union rep. Help came in the shape of a very competent lady who suggested changes to my workplace written warning statement and, at extremely short notice, accompanied me to the meeting I had to attend.

I will be eternally grateful to both her and ATL. I took full advantage of ATL’s CPD to improve my specialist knowledge in inclusion and SEN. I can sit quietly at home now and mark GCSE papers for an awarding body, only with the kind of confidence that comes with being qualified to do the job.

Thank you once again ATL. Due to health problems (arthritic knees) I have wound down my hours teaching students, having had some notable successes, as in the case of acquired dyslexia suffered by a brain-damaged young woman who could not read at all and does now – her parents talk of it being ‘life-changing’. The feeling of satisfaction in what I have been able to do is immense.

What more could ATL have done for me? I think the answer has to be nothing. I could not have asked for more. I have gained far more than I have ever paid in membership fees. My thanks to you all.

P Bond, East Sussex WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

01/06/2015 09:58

YOUR ATL… PRIZE CROSSWORD

WIN!

Prize crossword ACROSS 1 Where teachers relax, and most of RAF, strangely (9) 6 No-frills arts degree is back at Cambridge, initially (5) 9 Make changes during final term (5) 10 Short exam meant unusual spelling in part of the Bible (9) 11 and 12 Musician who led the children on a German trip? (4,5) 13 Engrave metal or glass with acid, and the rest with hydrogen (4) 16 See something happen, and it’s news in a way (7) 17 See about poor vicar lacking a religious ceremony (7) 19 Roman historian understood by us (7) 21 Someone’s established attitudes, maybe streamlined but lacking real content (7) 22 Very uncommon to see heads of recent academies receive ‘excellent’? (4) 24 Raised platform might be key at school! (5) 25 Concerning the Spanish dance (4) 29 I read vet’s resolution to promote sales (9) 30 Praise former spouse – get large amount back (5) 31 Some liken Yale to a foreign country! (5) 32 Come with tiger design, formed from regular lines and shapes (9)

027_ATL_Jun15_crossword.indd 27

A £50 Marks & Spencer voucher

DOWN 1 Mischievous child in redesigned campus, missing University (5) 2 I teach with nut, unfortunate but realistic (9) 3 Shape the class? (4) 4 Gets in boats awkwardly (7) 5 Teachers’ golf tournament? (7) 6 Bill, old schoolmaster (4) 7 Within group of pupils, we get pudding (5) 8 and 27 Teacher (MA) can’t change where the school draws its pupils from (9,4) 14 Poet was a bit of a fake at school (5) 15 Piano having an offensive smell is practical joke! (5) 16 Element to assign points to when forming part of the paper? (9) 18 One who assesses your school – ‘Nice sport mixture’ (9) 20 Taking an exam – there’s a sharp pain about it! (7) 21 Men got a new small generator (7) 23 ‘High-flying All Black’ turns up in fine varsity match? (5) 26 Bush – ‘I opt out of political arrangement’ (5) 27 See 8 down 28 Give up? It sounds like part of a plant (4)

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HOW TO ENTER

Send your completed crossword with your contact details to: ATL June crossword competition, Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5DH. The closing date is: 3 July 2015. If you have an ATL membership number, please include this here The winner of the June competition will be announced in the September issue of Report.

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION ACROSS: 9 Eucharist 10 Ruler 11 Kidskin 12 Alabama 13 Beer 14 Aesthetics 17 Actress 18 Overrun 20 Nationwide 23 Edgy 25 Bone-dry 26 Ill-bred 28 Error 29 Unethical DOWN: 1 Desk 2 Acid test 3 Marks 4 Giantess 5 At last 6 Break even 7 Alkali 8 Aria 13 Brain 15 Sandy 16 Secondary 18 Old-timer 19 Red-brick 21 Tenors 22 Way-out 24 Alpha 25 Blew 27 Deli CONGRATULATIONS TO MARCH’S WINNER – R SCOTT, HAREFIELD

01/06/2015 09:58

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YOUR ATL… NOTICEBOARD

NOTICE BOARD UP-TO-DATE DETAILS? Have you changed job or changed schools?

Please keep your work and home contact details up to date to make sure you receive the advice and information you need. To check and update your information, login at www. atl.org.uk/update or email ATL’s membership department at membership@atl.org.uk.

If you are an ATL member in a leadership role in a school or college and haven’t moved into AMiE membership yet, you could be missing out. AMiE is ATL’s section for leaders in education and its publications and seminars will support your professional development, while its team of experts provides specialist advice and assistance for you in your role both as an employee and a leader.

For details of the benefits of moving into AMiE for just a small additional subscription fee, visit www.amie.atl.org.uk, and call 020 7782 1602 or email membership@atl. org.uk to upgrade.

RETIRING AS AN ATL REP? If you are retiring as an ATL rep from your workplace, inform ATL by emailing membership@atl.org.uk, notifying us of the date you retire and providing the name of your successor, if you have one in place.

If not, to enable your good work to continue, please help identify a successor. You may already have a good idea about who can replace you, in which case, confirm that with them, and make sure your members have been informed and steps for appointing or electing a new rep have been followed. If you do not yet have a successor, see the FAQs at www.atl.org.uk/repfaqs for further advice.

For support, contact your branch in the first instance – use the ‘Find my branch’ tool on every page of www.atl.org.uk for contact details. Email organise@atl.org.uk if you need further support.

If your school/college has a membership of six or more ATL members and you would like someone from ATL’s organising team to visit you, email organise@atl.org.uk with your full contact details and the name and address of your workplace.

WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

029_ATL_Jun15_Noticeboard.indd 29

ATL REPS TRAINING: EQUALITIES If you are an ATL rep, we want to help you keep up to date on issues and skills. This one-day follow-on course in London on 17 June is for ATL/AMiE workplace reps and is run by ATL’s lead equalities officer and a senior regional official, who will help you to understand equalities issues in your workplace.

This course covers: R definitions of equality R equality and the law R how you can identify equality issues in the workplace R how you can support members with equality issues R how ATL will support you and how you can build pathways for dealing with equality issues (casework and collective bargaining).

To book, see www.atl.org.uk/learningzone/reps-courses/rep-equalities.asp.

The course is free for reps. Travel expenses will be covered and lunch and refreshments will be provided. If you are interested in becoming an equalities rep, please email learning@atl.org.uk.

GET INVOLVED Have your say – join a network ATL’s policy department runs a number of networks that members can join for an opportunity to help shape ATL’s education policy, organise and keep up to date on a variety of issues and events.

These networks are also used to invite members to contribute to consultation responses, often via surveys, and to provide relevant information on specific issues.

ATL’s current policy networks are listed on the right. If you would like to join, use the contact details for the relevant member of ATL’s policy department.

ATL PLUS Travel insurance New and improved ATL travel insurance for members has been launched. Members have different needs, so the new cover is more flexible and competitive than ever. It offers three levels of cover: bronze, silver and gold. What’s more, members with pre-existing medical conditions now have the option of quick and easy medical screening, with many conditions covered as standard. To find out more, visit www.atltravelinsurance.com or call 0333 006 9761. Calls are charged at a national rate (included in mobile tariffs). Our UK-based call centre is open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Terms and conditions apply.

ATL is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Union Insurance. Union Insurance is a trading name of Union Benefit Holdings Ltd (UIB), who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, register number 307575. UIB is an introducer for Travel Insurance Facilities plc (TIF). This policy is underwritten

by Travel Insurance Facilities and Insured by Union Reiseversicherung AG, UK. Travel Insurance Facilities are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Union Reiseversicherung AG is authorised by BaFin and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority.

To find out more about the ATL Plus programme and all our partners, see www.atl.org.uk/plus.

ATL NETWORK

CONTACT

Early years Primary Secondary

Monique Lowe mlowe@atl.org.uk

R

Assessment Inspection

Jill Stokoe jstokoe@atl.org.uk

R

Curriculum

Anne Heavey aheavey@atl.org.uk

FE Careers advice Apprenticeships

Janet Clark jclark@atl.org.uk

Behaviour ITT and CPD SEN

Alison Ryan aryan@atl.org.uk

Equalities LGBT BME Disabled staff

Wanda Wyporska wwyporska@atl.org.uk

Pay and conditions

Simon Stokes sstokes@atl.org.uk

R R R R

R R R R R R R R R R R

JUNE 2015 | REPORT 29

01/06/2015 09:58

FINAL WORD… GARETH THOMAS

Breaking the bullying cycle IT’S THREE YEARS since I hung up my rugby boots, and finding something fulfilling to do after a high-profile playing career is a challenge for all elite sportsmen.

I wanted to work with young people, and because of my personal experience of being bullied at school, being an anti-bullying champion for Prospero Teaching’s Balls to Bullying campaign is proving to be a real thrill.

I feel I’m having a real impact on the young people I meet. And it’s great that word is getting around and so many schools are inviting me in to work with their students.

When I go into schools, there’s sometimes surprise that a big lad like me can have suffered at the hands of bullies. Anyone and everyone can be bullied – and for any number of reasons.

Bullying is a really complex issue with many types and causes. The bullies themselves have often been victims of bullying, and I want to reach them too, to break the cycle.

I was never a fan of school and my time there was not particularly happy. I was always in the shadow of my brother, who was a year older and very intellectual. But the work wasn’t the only reason I disliked school. I loved sport – it made me feel alive. As well as rugby, I also played football, cricket, tennis, squash, athletics and table tennis.

But I was picked on by my rugby teammates. When we went swimming, they would hit me with their wet towels. I got spat on too.

It was degrading, but I didn’t want to tell anyone because these were my rugby mates and I wanted to be in the team.

I’m not sure why it happened as I wasn’t small or weak. I think it was because I didn’t stand up for myself.

It started with a little thing – I was singled out because my rugby boots weren’t the best – and then it built from there. Going to school eventually became a nightmare.

One day, when I was about 12, I started crying and told my mum everything. She marched to the

Former Welsh rugby international Gareth Thomas is an anti-bullying campaigner

school and sat down with the headteacher. Nothing was said to me, but the bullying stopped and life got easier. I’m still in touch with loads of those old rugby mates now.

Later, when puberty kicked in, I began wrestling with my sexuality.

I would watch the other boys to see who the right girls were to look at.

Although they weren’t of interest to me, I couldn’t let anyone know.

There’s lots of fantastic work going on in schools all over the country to ensure children don’t suffer as I did. I see my role as supporting teachers in their anti-bullying work and offering another way for young people to engage with an adult. It can be good for them to have access to an ‘outsider’ who doesn’t know their reputation or friendship groups.

It gives them a clean sheet.

My rugby still comes in useful as I often use sports-based games to encourage teamwork, get the kids working together and boost their confidence. I can help to remove the stigma some children feel and overcome their reluctance to speak out. My experience shows that being good at sport is no protection against being bullied.

For me, bullying is about negativity – someone standing in your way and saying you can’t achieve what you want to. There have been doubters in my life.

People wanted to take me in a downward spiral, but it all worked out okay. I want the same for the young people I meet.

To find out more about Balls to Bullying and arrange a visit to your school, see www.prosperoteaching.com and follow @Balls2Bullying on Twitter.

ILLUSTRATION : PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH

Let’s give bullies the red card, says Wales rugby great Gareth Thomas

30 REPORT | JUNE 2015 WWW.ATL.ORG.UK

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