13 minute read
It’s not OK
Preliminary pay ballot results for teachers in England: 86 per cent Yes to strike action on a 62 per cent turnout. See page 30.
It’s not OK: union launches toolkit to challenge sexism
SCHOOLS are being called on to publicly pledge their commitment to preventing sexism and sexual harassment, as part of the NEU’s ongoing drive to stamp out the problem in education.
The union’s call to action follows the launch on 24 September of It’s not OK, a toolkit to help educators implement a whole-school approach to ending sexism and sexual harassment and make schools safer for students and staff.
Among the 12 tools are posters, model policies, template letters, lesson plans and chatcasts with teachers, including founder of Feminism in Schools Charlotte Carson who has done innovative work to address sexism and sexual harassment.
Charlotte led a teacher-training workshop at a one-day conference in Leicestershire, attended by around 100 people, to launch the toolkit.
It’s just everywhere
She told Educate: “There are things teachers can do in the classroom, in the corridors and within the curriculum to challenge sexism. Our seating plans, behaviour systems, playground management, uniform rules and classroom practices can validate sexist ideas and expectations.
“In our session at the conference we reflected on how we can change our practices to challenge sexist attitudes and expectations in our schools. We also explored how to set up feminist societies and organise studentled events, and how to use student-voice in a meaningful way to inform our teachertraining about sexism in our schools.”
The scale of sexism and sexual harassment experienced by staff and students in schools has been a growing concern since the union and charity UK Feminista published a groundbreaking report in 2017 titled It’s just everywhere. It found 37 per cent of female students at mixed schools had been sexually harassed, and 78 per cent were not aware of any policies in their school to tackle sexism.
Last year, the Government asked Ofsted to carry out a rapid review of sexual harassment in schools, after thousands of students posted anonymous accounts of abuse they had been subjected to at school on a website Everyone’s Invited. Ofsted’s report concluded that sexism and sexual harassment has become “normalised” in schools.
(Left) Charlotte Carson (Below, from left) A panel discussion featuring Denise Henry, Charlotte Carson, Rosaphine Fernandes from Beyond Equality, Louise Regan and Heather McKenzie
Photos by Lucy Russell
Practical advice
The NEU has been at the forefront of the fight to end sexism and sexual harassment in schools and the It’s not ok toolkit offers practical advice on what members can do in their workplaces.
A panel that included Louise Regan, NEU executive member for equality and membership; Heather McKenzie, chair of the women’s organising forum; Denise Henry, executive seat holder for Black members; and Charlotte Carson discussed how to organise to prevent sexism and sexual harassment in schools. Members also attended a range of workshops.
n Visit neu.org.uk/end-sexism-sexual-
harassment
Secrets of forensic science revealed
Professor Dame Sue Black will deliver this year’s Ri Christmas Lectures PHOTO: Ri
ONE of the world’s leading forensic investigators, Professor Dame Sue Black, will deliver the 2022 Christmas Lectures, the Royal Institution (Ri) has revealed.
The NEU has a long-standing partnership agreement with the Ri.
Across three lectures broadcast on BBC Four between Christmas and New Year, Dame Sue will share the secrets of the scientific detective processes she uses to identify both the dead and the living, and reveal why we shouldn’t believe everything we see in our favourite TV crime dramas. She’ll also explore the huge leaps forward forensic science has made – as well as some of its limitations – before revealing how real life can be far stranger than fiction.
The Ri Christmas Lectures have been inspiring children and adults since 1825. They were established by Michael Faraday as a new way of presenting science to young people, at a time when organised education was scarce.
The lectures are now recorded in front of a live audience of 11- to 17- year-olds in the Ri’s iconic theatre. The Ri is working with the NEU to make free tickets available to young people from schools in marginalised communities.
n Visit rigb.org
Strikes prompt head to back dependency leave
STRIKES by 45 support staff and teachers at an east London primary have forced the head to reintroduce ten days of dependency leave. It had been cut to five in April without consultation with the union.
Staff forced to take unpaid leave to care for dependants during the summer term will now be reimbursed.
Members at Calverton Primary School in Newham took 11 days of action during September and October.
Under the agreement, support staff, who were to lose pay due to plans to cut the extended day services they run, will have their contracts honoured.
NEU rep Liam O’Hanrahan said a significant win had been a commitment from the school that no member of staff will be victimised for taking part in strike action.
NEU calls for Government’s Oak to be felled
THE NEU is calling for the immediate suspension of Oak National Academy, the Government’s project to centralise the provision of curriculum materials to schools. The union is calling instead for meaningful consultation on the ways in which online resources can support the work of school staff.
“Amid increasing regulation,” says the union’s statement, “English schools and teachers have retained a tradition of curriculum autonomy, which they continue to value greatly. Autonomy provides the basis for innovation and for responsiveness to local contexts.”
Autonomy, trust and expertise are recognised as vital to the recruitment and retention of teachers. It is these qualities that are threatened by the introduction of Oak.
The union believes that the case for a central, Government-funded agency has not been made. The conversion of Oak from an emergency provider to a permanent and dominant fixture has not been preceded by consultation nor by any serious attempt at engagement with the education sector.
No extensive or independent research has been carried out into the experience of Oak’s precursor, which was set up during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its curriculum model and its pedagogical implications have not been explored. The broader consequences of a curriculum monopoly have not been recognised.
The union recognises that, faced with challenging problems of workload and stress, English schools need encouragement and support. But this is not the way to do it.
n Read more about the union’s campaign to value education and value educators at
valueeducation.org.uk
THE Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) branch protested outside the V&A Museum in June to tell the Government that a two per cent pay rise for public sector workers “is not enough”.
The Conservative Party held a £20,000 per table fundraiser at the museum on 20 June. PCS industrial officer Steven Warwick called the public sector pay freeze “shameful”.
PHOTO by Jess Hurd
100 free tickets to the Music for Youth Proms for NEU members.
Are you a music teacher? Or are you simply a music lover? The NEU and Music for Youth are offering 100 free tickets (50 pairs) to the 2022 Music for Youth Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
For a chance to win a pair of tickets, go to neu.org.uk/proms
Two special evening concerts on 15 and 16 November will bring young musicians from across the country back together for a spectacular concert like no other: full-scale symphony orchestras are showcased alongside some of the best young jazz bands, chamber groups, bands and singer-songwriters from across the UK; and a unique specially produced Massed Ensemble of over 400 musicians.
T&Cs: Members must provide name, contact details and membership number to enter. Only one entry per member is permitted. Entries will close at noon on 9 November 2022. Winners will be notified by email or telephone (using details provided at entry). Tickets will be collected from Royal Albert Hall Box Office. Prize consists of 2 pairs of tickets to the MFY proms on your chosen date (15 or 16 November). Only tickets to the event will be provided - any additional costs (such as meals, accommodation, travel) will not be covered.
Ayesha Baggley sadly died on 10 October 2022. Ayesha was a teacher, NEU branch and district secretary for Barnsley, and an active campaigner for disability rights. Passion for activism ignited
What do you love about your job?
My job is always changing and I enjoy the challenges it brings. I love supporting members and being able to help someone sleep better and see a way forward with their career despite the challenges they may face with their health. I aim to help members to make informed choices and guide them through difficult circumstances.
What do you love about being in the union?
A few years ago my health began to deteriorate with a number of significant health conditions and disabilities, and this resulted in some difficult situations with my previous employer. I received incredible support from the NEU, which resulted in my passion for activism being ignited. This led me to become a caseworker so I could support others in similar situations.
What have you been up to lately?
I have been working with my extremely supportive local authority to implement a disability policy alongside the TUC’s reasonable adjustment passport. We have coupled this with management training, so the policies and passport are delivered effectively.
There are now serious consequences for any form of disability discrimination without lengthy waits for employment tribunals. This is important, as there are many members who are unaware they are entitled to reasonable adjustments.
We need a diverse workplace and it’s important that members self-identify.
What’s important to you right now?
I am currently developing a Yorkshire and Humber mini-conference workshop for all members so they are aware of reasonable adjustment rights and to encourage selfidentification.
I am also working with my local MP to improve access to buses, which are not available for wheelchair users in my locality. This is coupled with the fact that the local taxi firm does not provide wheelchair accessible transport and shops and banks in my area mostly have step-only access – so there’s lots of work needed in this area right now.
Ayesha Baggley at the NEU disabled members’ conference in 2019 PHOTO by Kois Miah
What do you do on your day off?
I am studying to become a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in law and people management, as I want to expand my knowledge of employment law to improve the help I can give members. I eventually want to complete a PhD so I can carry out research into disability practices by managers and be part of the decision process on how they can be improved.
Tell us something that we don’t know.
I am named after the main character in the 19th-century novel She by HR Haggard.
Disability rights advice
Find out more about your rights or how you can support others.
n neu.org.uk/disability-toolkit n neu.org.uk/advice/reasonable-adjustments-work n tuc.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments-disability-passports
29% of sickness days in Wales due to mental health
CONCERNED by a pattern of mental health-related illness among teachers in Wales, in 2012 the union began researching the amount of time lost to the problem annually.
This figure was relatively constant at around 52,000 days lost per year from 2012 to 2017, but 2018-19 figures uncovered a huge increase – nearly three times the number of days lost than in previous years.
What this means in real terms is that every 90 minutes during the school day in 2018/19 in Wales, a teacher was forced to take sickness absence due to stress-related poor mental health. This was the equivalent of 743 full-time teachers withdrawn from the classroom that year.
The figure for 2020/21 showed an increase of three per cent, with 29 per cent of the total days lost to sickness absence being due to poor mental health.
Motions presented to NEU conference Cymru kickstarted a campaign to raise awareness of the mental health crisis developing in Wales and to look for practical solutions to support the sector.
Workload is leading cause of stress
In July 2021, the union undertook a mental health and wellbeing survey of the education workforce in Wales, which attracted more than 1,600 responses. The results were quite alarming. n Excessive workload continues to be the leading cause of workplace stress and mental health issues. n There are limited support measures in place for workers experiencing poor mental health. n Negative workplace cultures surrounding mental health mean that only a small percentage of individuals access help or support for mental health problems. n Forty-four per cent of those who responded said that they were seriously considering leaving the profession, with a further 22 per cent saying that they were thinking about it.
The NEU Cymru Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) project team was also instrumental in supporting the wellbeing agenda. This included developing a wellbeing toolkit for the education sector, which was launched at the NEU Cymru Whole School Approach to Wellbeing event on 2 September, with around 180 attendees, 37 exhibitors and training sessions on a wide variety of wellbeing topics.
The toolkit has already generated interest from other key stakeholders in the education sector. Over the next two years, Project Edify is looking forward to further developing the toolkit with training and resources in partnership with Public Health Wales, NEU Cymru districts and branches, and other stakeholders.
Stuart Williams, NEU Wales policy officer, speaking at the Whole School Approach to Wellbeing event
n For further information about the toolkit or the campaign, email wulf@neu.org
Future of Schools Bill in doubt but MAT expansion still a threat
THERE is uncertainty about the future of the Schools Bill, which was placed under review by the former Prime Minister Liz Truss. It is not currently known if or when the Bill will return to Parliament, with speculation that it may be shelved.
The flagship legislation was seen as a key part of how the Government planned to achieve its aim – set out in the White Paper in March this year – to get all schools into multi-academy trusts (MATs) of ten or more schools by 2030.
The Bill also contained controversial proposals around the regulation of MATs, which led to much push back from the academy sector, including from former Conservative Education Secretaries.
The uncertainty around the Bill’s future suggests the Government has no plan to address the huge, real and immediate issues faced by schools and education staff such as learning gaps, teacher retention and child poverty.
Failing MATs and financial scandals
The Government’s vision of a fully academised system with large MATs of at least ten schools or 7,500 pupils is not likely to be appealing to many schools, including existing academies. And it is now clearer than ever that academisation has not worked: the Government’s claims about the better performance of MATs are in tatters and there is plenty of evidence of failure, including financial scandals and MATs collapsing.
Despite this, the Government is still fixated on driving up the number of academies and the size of MATs. So it important that schools and decision makers are aware of the arguments they can make and actions they can take to resist pressure placed on them by Government.
n For further information to enable members, school governors and councillors to push back against the Government’s agenda and defend their schools, visit neu.org.uk/schools-bill
