Teacher’s pet & letters

Academisation changed everything

MY experience of a school being academised was not a happy one. When they came in, they uttered the words “we will not change anything if it is working” and then immediately set about changing everything. From student uniform and standards, through to job roles, titles and responsibilities.

There appeared to be a ‘system’ to gradually eradicate the over-50s until they moulded their chosen staff. I may just be bitter about being one of the over-50s who ended up on supply, but having spoken to many other colleagues from other schools that have been academised, it seems I am not the only teacher who has gone through the above system. David Harrington, Redcar

Central supply register would benefit us all

I AM a science teacher with 20-plus years of experience. Having left the profession to have children, on my return I have been unable to obtain permanent employment.

For the last ten years I have been on temporary contracts, usually through supply agencies. Unfortunately, I am in a profession where the more experience you have, the less desirable you are as a new employee because you are more expensive.

I am registered with three agencies, but constantly contacted by others from across the country. An agency in Bristol regularly emails me about work in the North East. I’m not sure how this agency has any real knowledge of our schools here. My impression is that the majority of teaching agency staff are not teachers.

Colleagues contact me directly about work because their schools are unable to source teachers through agencies. If the agencies do not have a suitable teacher on their books, schools are left in the position of making random calls to one of the many other agencies out there. A central register of supply teachers would make it easier for schools and supply teachers.

I have numerous examples of the destructive parasitic nature of agencies/academy trusts. A supply teacher friend was recently working as a science teacher. The school really valued her, but after a few months she was contacted by the academy trust to say she needed to sign up with a different agency to continue working there. On further investigation she discovered she was going to receive a substantial cut in her daily rate.

A slippery supply slope that sadly started decades ago

I WAS interested to read in your article, The fight for a fair deal, that 74 per cent of cover supervisors were delivering lessons (Educate, March/April, page 29).

When I worked at a school in the 1990s my head was among the first to introduce cover supervisors and I predicted that it would be the “thin end of the wedge” and that before long such supervisors would be used in place of qualified supply teachers.

How sad I am that I was right. John Lovell, Worthing

74%

of cover supervisors deliver lessons

48%

of HLTAs teach whole classes regularly

36%

are timetabled to teach whole classes permanently

Teacher’s petRocket

Rocket lives with SEND assessment officer Sam Nicholson-Hickling in Oldham. Sam says: “Rocket was a school guinea pig who I rescued nearly seven years ago. He’s now the ripe old age of ten and is spoilt rotten. “When I was having my trickiest classroom days, he would have this sense that I wasn’t feeling great and would give my chin a lick to make me feel better. “When things were hard, he was a great emotional support animal.”

If you have a treasured pet you’d like to show off, email a high-resolution photo with 50 words about what makes them so special to educate@neu.org.uk

Please writeThe editor welcomes your letters but reserves the right to edit them. Write to Letters, Educate, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD or email educate@neu.org.uk

Please note we cannot print letters sent in without a name and postal address (or NEU membership number), although we can withhold details from publication if you wish.

I really hope this situation is addressed. I am sure the Department for Education is clueless as to what is happening. Julia Whitfield, Newcastle upon Tyne

Could the NEU use banned BLM lessons?

I WAS shocked to read of the banning of teacher Kevin Shannon’s history lessons, History in our Time – Black Lives Matter (Educate, November/December, page 41).

It seems he put a lot of thought into these lessons, focusing on practising historical skills in a more relevant and engaging way; research; source analysis, including assessing potential bias and likely factual accuracy of differing reports of Black Lives Matter protests. All admirable, and providing essential knowledge and skills for students.

I was further shocked by the order requiring all students’ work, as a result of the lessons, be destroyed. Can a head teacher do this on the basis of one parent’s complaint and without any discussion with the class teachers and heads of departments?

A news items in the same issue was about the NEU’s framework for developing an antiracist approach (page 16). Maybe the NEU could consider using Mr Shannon’s resources if appropriate? Ann Cantwell, Wimbledon

The National Education Museum stall at the NEU national conference in April PHOTO by Kois Miah

Star letter Thank you from the National Education Museum

THE National Education Museum wants to thank all the NEU branches and districts that have become founder patrons by donating £2,500 towards this exciting project. Our funds are now over £100,000, well on the way to our target of £250,000, which will enable us to purchase an initial premises in Portsmouth.

Many delegates at the NEU annual conference in Bournemouth will have made a visit to our stall (above) and enjoyed reading and looking at work by primary and secondary pupils on their experiences during the Covid pandemic. These were examples of living history.

The museum already gets many different offers and requests but the most recent was very exciting: information was sought about what text books would have been like in the 1920s for the National Theatre production of The Corn is Green, with actress Nicola Walker in the leading role.

On 8 June, Stephen Morgan MP, who is a trustee of the museum, is hosting an event at the House of Commons. All founder patrons, including those NEU branches and districts, have been invited to send a representative, and joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney are attending.

The aim of the event is to build support for this exciting project. It will be attended by MPs, educationalists, authors and media, and hopefully some of those attending will become founder patrons. This will bring us closer to our target of 100 patrons and the opening of our museum. Jean Roberts, secretary to National Education Museum trustees

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Courtesy of The FA Tackling the climate crisis Refugee Week: healing & care REFUGEE Week 2022 will take place

THE Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has released a new film and suite of curriculum-linked learning resources exploring climate change and the built environment.

Aimed at students in key stages 3 and 4, the film is presented by award-winning poet and BBC radio presenter Rhael ‘LionHeart’ Cape. The film empowers young people to think critically and creatively about how we can tackle the climate crisis through design and innovation.

A student using the resources at Denefield School in Berkshire said: “I learned that encouraging people to walk and cycle is really important, so the location of developments is really important.”

Another commented: “I learned that reducing carbon emissions is really important in both construction and demolition.”

The film is part of RIBA’s free National Schools Programme, which aims to help children explore and understand the built environment, its impact on people and communities, how it is shaped and developed, and why good design is important.

Rhael ‘LionHeart’ Cape, presenter of the new RIBA film

Visit bit.ly/35ZyfDQ

Teamwork across the curriculum

PRIMARY and secondary schools can now download an extensive programme of free cross-curricular resources to inspire pupils as the nation counts down to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament on home soil this summer.

The tournament resources, for key stages 2 and 3, encourage teamwork, creativity and a love of sport. The activities cover subjects including personal, social, health and economic education, PE, English, maths, science, and art and design. They can be differentiated for pupils of varied abilities or with special educational needs and disabilities, and can be used in the classroom or at home.

Visit weuro2022schools.com from 20-26 June and this year’s theme is healing. Through creativity and conversations, it will celebrate community, mutual care and the human ability to start again.

Access free resources at refugeeweek.org.uk

LGBT+ sessions streamed for School Diversity Week

SCHOOL Diversity Week, a UK-wide celebration of LGBT+ equality in primary and secondary schools, will take place from 20-24 June. This year, alongside a range of free resources, organiser Just Like Us will be streaming free online lessons, masterclasses and Q&A sessions from LGBT+ figures on subjects ranging from poetry and history, to faith and economics.

Visit justlikeus.org

Diabetes advice for educators

THERE are approximately 35,000 children and young people under the age of 19 with diabetes in the UK. Ninety-six per cent have Type 1.

Diabetes UK has created a free school pack with practical tips for educators on supporting pupils with the condition, and guidance on staff training. It also includes a sample medical conditions policy, and answers to important questions staff might have.

Visit bit.ly/3CIzO4Z

Free online SEND workshops from UK Parliament

THE UK Parliament Education and Engagement team has launched a free online special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) workshop aimed at learners between seven and 25 years old with profound learning needs.

The online session invites students to explore Parliament and find out who works there and what they do.

The ‘tour’ is based around a poem, which will guide the students around the building using rhyme, repetition and actions. A PowerPoint is also provided and objects in the classroom will be used to bring the smells, sounds and textures of Parliament to life for students.

The workshop team are also able to make adaptions where needed.