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White Paper ignores poverty, funding cuts and wellbeing ALL schools to become academies by 2030, higher English and maths targets, and a 32.5-hour school week are all part of the Government’s plans for schools in England. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi’s new schools’ White Paper, Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child, sets out his vision for education. Central to it is a push for all schools in England to join a multi-academy trust
Latest Covid advice IN advance of the Government’s further relaxation of Covid safety measures on 1 April, the NEU published updated joint union advice. It covers the practical steps staff and education leaders can take to reduce the risk of Covid disruption in schools, plus guidance on how to support medically higher risk staff. Although most school and college staff have now had their double vaccination and booster, there continues to be extreme pressure in schools due to staff and pupil absences.
(MAT) by 2030. Local authorities will also be allowed to establish their own MATs. Also by 2030, ministers want the average GCSE grade to rise from 4.5 to 5. All mainstream schools will be expected to run a minimum 32.5-hour week by September 2023. And every school will be inspected by Ofsted by 2025. “The expectation of a 32.5-hour week for pupils is a classic example of the
Government trying to hit a target but missing the point,” said NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney. Trade unions, educators and education experts say the White Paper fails to acknowledge the increase in child poverty, to address the attainment gap, the mental health and wellbeing of young people, the retention crisis, or real-terms funding cuts.
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TUC solidarity with Ukraine A MEETING of the TUC general council in March issued an emergency statement on Ukraine. It said: “The TUC condemns the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation and calls for Russia to respect Ukrainian territorial integrity. We join the global union movement in calling for peace, and urge all governments to reach a negotiated solution through diplomacy. “We send our solidarity to our Ukrainian trade union sisters and brothers and all the people of Ukraine. “We know that working people in Europe, Ukraine and Russia want peace and
we encourage solidarity between workers across borders.” The NEU executive had met earlier in the month and agreed to express “full solidarity with the people of Ukraine” and with anti-war protesters in Russia and globally. The executive agreed to make a substantial donation to Education International, a global federation of teachers’ trade unions, which has issued an urgent appeal from Ukrainian education unions. NEU members who wish to contribute financial assistance to help Ukrainian teachers, both those who remain in the country and those who have been forced to flee, can do so using the details below.
Schools were advised by the Government that not only would they not be able to access free test kits, but that they should not hand out existing stock to staff or pupils. Mary Bousted, NEU joint general secretary, said: “Measures are being relaxed at a time when Covid cases are surging in schools and colleges. We have repeatedly urged the Government to continue with free testing across society, including in all education settings, but these calls have been ignored.” The NEU has published two guidance documents: Practical steps to reduce the risk of Covid-19 disruption in schools and other education settings, and Covid-19 joint-union guidance for medically higher risk staff. Both bring together public health advice and health and safety law. n Visit neu.org.uk/advice/ coronavirus-members
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Kevin Courtney with TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady at the TUC
PHOTO by Jess Hurd
Donations to support Ukrainian educators n Account name & address ING Bank, 24 Avenue Marnix, 1000 Brussels, Belgium n Account number 310-1006170-75 n Swift code BBRUBEBB
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
n IBAN code BE05 3101 0061 7075
n Reference TUESWU and VPONU
