News Reinstate measures as Covid rates rise EDUCATION unions have joined forces in a bid to improve coronavirus safety measures in schools and avoid further disruption to pupils’ education. As well as writing to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, the five unions – the NEU, NASUWT, GMB, Unison and Unite – have also sent letters to local authorities and public health directors urging them to take urgent action. With Covid rates rising across the country, they have asked Mr Zahawi to reinstate measures such as social distancing, classroom bubbles, and face masks in secondary schools. NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney wrote: “We are concerned that the Government is standing by while Covid cases surge across schools. More needs to be done, and sooner rather than later, to prevent further massive disruption to children’s education, caused either by children contracting Covid-19 or Covid-related staff absence.” In a joint letter to councillors across England, the union said education staff were more likely to test positive for Covid than staff in other sectors. “Many local public health officials and NHS leaders are calling for additional measures in light of the huge pressures on the NHS and in a bid to avoid another winter lockdown,” they wrote. Several councils are reintroducing safety measures. In Staffordshire, the county council is encouraging schools to discontinue assemblies, bring back bubbles and face masks, and ask all close contacts of confirmed Covid cases to get a PCR test. The Welsh Government has announced £3.3 million to improve ventilation in schools, colleges and universities if the carbon dioxide monitors being rolled out indicate air quality requires improvement.
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Lifting the pay freeze ‘may prove to be a con’ THE Chancellor’s stated intention to lift the public sector pay freeze met with scepticism by the NEU. Rishi Sunak announced in his autumn budget on 27 October that the pay pause would be lifted in April 2022. But NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “The pay freeze this year was nothing short of an insult, but the hint of a pay rise may still prove to be a con. “If the Chancellor expects to meet a pay rise through existing budgets then we will see further cuts and impossible decisions for school and college leaders attempting to balance their books.” In the meantime, the union continues its fair pay for educators campaign which, as well as calling for the pay freeze to be lifted, wants the restoration of the real-terms cuts staff have endured since 2010, proper pay progression and the use of national pay scales
by all employers. See neu.org.uk/campaigns/ pay-campaign Pay updates in sixth form, FE, support n Sixth form college members have accepted a pay offer of one per cent plus 0.5 per cent on pay points 6-8, but further education (FE) members are holding out and a negotiating meeting is due to be held in mid-November. n Support staff members in the state sector are being consulted on this year’s pay offer and are being asked to complete a short survey on their views and possible strike action by 22 November. Other unions have rejected a 1.7 per cent offer, and are due to conduct strike ballots. n The Welsh Government has agreed an ‘uplift’ of 1.75 per cent for all teacher pay scales, backdated to 1 September 2021. A further £1.5 million will go towards the cost of the FE sector pay award as part of the Government’s commitment to parity between school teachers’ and FE lecturers’ salaries.
Funding restored to 2010 levels NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney has described Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of £1.8 billion for post-Covid education recovery as “completely inadequate”. The money, announced in the autumn budget, brings the total funding for the Government’s recovery programme to £4.9 billion. Less than a third of £15bn needed That is less than a third of the £15 billion former education recovery tsar Sir Kevan Collins said was needed to support many thousands of children and young people. Sir Kevan, who resigned from his role in the summer after his proposals were rejected, described the Chancellor’s offer as “meagre”. The announcement comes on the back of ten years of austerity measures, which have seen many schools reach crisis point. In his budget speech, Mr Sunak admitted that the funding, together with spending increases announced in 2019, would “restore per-pupil funding levels to 2010 levels in real terms” by 2024-25.
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Responding to the announcement, Kevin said: “Taking so long to restore the cuts made from 2010 onwards should not be a matter of pride, but one of embarrassment.” An additional £2.6 billion will be allocated over the next three years to create a further 30,000 school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, SEND provision has had years of underfunding and this will only close the gap temporarily. In the meantime, thousands of children continue to miss out on the support that they need. The Government is yet to publish the outcomes of its review of SEND provision. Kevin added: “The Chancellor had a historic opportunity to value education and value educators. Despite his rhetoric, he has failed.”
