Educate magazine Sept / Oct 2022

Your magazine from the National Education Union Welfare at work Happy teachers make good teachers. See page 22. Cost-of-living crisis Scandal of in-work poverty in education sector. See page 25. Pay ballot NEU to ballot members for a decent pay rise. See page 7. OctoberSeptember/2022 onWalkin’sunshine Tolpuddle marchers’ joyful celebration of solidarity

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Your magazine from the National Education Union Welfare at work Happy teachers make good teachers. See page 22. Cost-of-living crisis Scandal of in-work poverty in education sector. See page 25. Pay ballot NEU to ballot members for a decent pay rise. See page 7. OctoberSeptember/2022 onWalkin’sunshine Tolpuddle marchers’ joyful celebration of solidarity

NEU members at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival. Jess Hurd jesshurd.com

We need you to make sure your details are correct (visit my.neu.org.uk), volunteer to help with the ballot and talk to your colleagues about the importance of standing together.

Kevin Courtney National Education

Photo:

secretaryJointUniongeneral WelcomeSeptember/OctoberEducate 2022

Many members will already see how difficult it is to make ends meet with the spiralling cost of living. See pages 25-31, for example: members using food banks, working second or even third jobs, stuck in poverty.

NEU joint general secretaries Mary Bousted & Kevin Courtney Editor Max Watson Journalists Sally Gillen, Thompson

This will be the biggest ballot for industrial action in a generation. It is a historic moment for the NEU.

Emily Jenkins & Sarah

The Government thinks we can’t make the prohibitive ballot thresholds it has imposed. We think we can – but we need your support.

t:Newsdesk 020 7380 4760 e: educate@neu.org.uk Design & subbing Amanda Ellis twitter.com/NEUnionnationaleducationunionfacebook.com/neu.org.uk TO ADVERTISE IN EDUCATE Display adverts t: 020 7880 7614 e: educate-magazine@redactive.co.uk Recruitment adverts t: 020 7880 8542 e: educate-jobs@redactive.co.uk Except where the NEU has formally negotiated agreements with companies as part of its services to members, inclusion of an advertisement in Educate does not imply any form of recommendation. While every effort is made to ensure the reliability of advertisers, the NEU cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods or services offered. Educate is printed by Walstead Bicester Ltd. Inside pages are printed on paper comprised of 100% recycled, post-consumer waste. educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 3

Use the poster on page 26 – put it up in your workplace and photograph yourself with it to share on social media @NEUnion

Yet the Government’s pay proposal is way below inflation. And to add insult to injury it is not even funding the pay rises it is proposing.Weareworking alongside sister education unions the NAHT, ASCL and NASUWT to challenge this. Crucially, we are consulting our members on taking action.

Most importantly, we need you to vote in both the preliminary ballot that will arrive in your email inbox during September, and in the postal ballot that will follow it.

This will send a clear message to the Government that we won’t accept its attacks on working people’s living standards – be they teachers, support staff, health or rail workers.

We desperately need a fully funded, cost-of-living pay increase to ensure there are enough teachers and support staff to teach our children. We must take a stand now, or things will only get harder (see page 7).

We’ve got more thought-provoking features on improving workload and introducing our new president Louise Atkinson. And, as always, we’ve got your favourite regulars – cartoon, puzzles, teacher’s pet, columnists.

WELCOME to your September issue of Educate. I hope you’ve had a well-deserved, restful summer holiday.

NEU president Louise Atkinson

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Contents Regulars 19 Union people 21 Michael Rosen 33 Tim Sanders & Warwick Mansell 37 Ask the union 40 Jon Biddle & reviews 42 Teacher’s pet & your letters 48 Crosswords & sudoku 50 Final word Features News 7 Strike ballot on pay Real-terms pay cut is unacceptable. 9 ‘Our voices, our story’ Celebrating trade unionism at Tolpuddle and on the Tyne. 13 SATs? No thanks Why 75 per cent of parents and educators oppose primary tests. 14 News round-up Black educators; disability equality; supply pay toolkit. The National Education Union and our sister unions are demanding a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise for teachers. We are the NEU – join us. neu.org.uk/join for industrial action in November for an above-inflation pay rise if the doesn’tGovernmentlisten. VOTE

17 Meet your new NEU president ”I know how education changes lives.” Louise Atkinson on overcoming barriers (left).

22 Get the work-life balance right “Our head genuinely cares about us.” Educate visits a school where staff wellbeing is a priority.

25 Pay up! Teachers deserve better How the crisiscost-of-livingisdrasticallyaffectingeducationstaff(above). Jarrow ‘crusade’ set off on a 282-mile march from Jarrow in Durham to London, in protest against widespread unemployment and poverty. The 200 unemployed men, from a town whose shipyard and steelworks had been closed, became historic representatives of the national scandal of poverty during the interwar years. by

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 5 profession“Theisonitsknees.” p25-31 25 35 17 PHOTO

TEACHERS DESERVE BETTER

35 A class act Aisha Thomas on (right).educationanti-racist The rest is history 5 October 1936 The

Jess Hurd

Fundraising success for clean air campaign

The most empowering moment of the weekend came as we marched with our union siblings at Brighton Trans Pride and met fellow educators (pictured above).

n Continue using CO2 monitors in classrooms. If levels are consistently above 800ppm then ventilation needs to be improved. Find out more at ventilationneu.org.uk/coronavirus-

THE idea I could be an out and proud bisexual teacher seemed almost impossible. I imagined I must be the only one. It often left me feeling lonely and isolated. But a friend suggested I sign up for the NEU south east region LGBT+ weekender and I could not be happier for taking part.

By Graham Childs, teacher at Peter Symonds College, Hampshire

Here are some key messages from the latest NEU guidance:

n Staff with symptoms or who test positive should stay at home (working from home where this is possible and if not feeling unwell). Contact the NEU if your school is expecting Covid-positive staff to come in. Pupils should also be supported to stay at home for a short period, to reduce risk of transmission and disruption.

HerRoad.mother

Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah, a former teacher, has spent the last ten years raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution. The campaign says it hopes to “start conversations about one of the most important issues facing our community”.

n Visit gofundme.com/f/first-breathe-for-our-future-ancestor Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah

Ella died of an asthma attack on 15 February 2013. At a second inquest into her death, the coroner concluded her asthma had started due to air pollution on the South Circular

n View the full guidance at bit.ly/3OiCGd7

MORE than £15,000 has been raised for a sculpture to mark the death of nine-year-old Ella Roberta KissiDebrah, the first person in the world to have air pollution recorded as the cause of death on their death certificate.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)6

I discovered that, far from being alone, there is a band of wonderful LGBT+ educators across the region. Each has a different story and the experience has been truly inspiring. Aside from the excellent CPD sessions, equipping participants with the tools to go away and improve LGBT+ inclusion in their schools and colleges, the chance to meet so many people has helped me feel part of a wider LGBT+ community.

NEU guidance on Covid this winter

COVID hasn’t gone away. Scientists are predicting further waves. Even at the height of summer, just before schools broke up, pupil attendance had hit a five-month low. Along with other education unions, the NEU urged the Government to use the summer to take steps to prevent a winter of absences and disruption in Measuresschools.that would make a real difference in reducing transmission and disruption include improving ventilation and reinstating free Covid tests for staff and children. Those calls weren’t heeded before the start of term.

n It remains the case that some staff are at greater risk, including pregnant women and the immunosuppressed, and require individual risk assessments. See our guidance at neu.org.uk/advice/high-risk-groups

I have been inspired to be more open about who I am at work, and now have the confidence to start a Hampshire network for LGBT+ members.

News

n Long Covid is, unfortunately, very common among education staff. Check out our joint union protocol for managing staff with this condition fairly, and speak to your NEU rep about negotiating adoption of the protocol. Visit org.uk/media/21291/viewneu.

The sculpture of Ella, by award-winning artist, scientist and environmentalist Jasmine Pradissitto, will be installed in a field of wildflowers in Lewisham, south east London, to encourage biodiversity in the heavily polluted borough.

Ahead of the formal postal ballot, which will take place if the new Prime Minister refuses to act on the unions’ call earlier this month for a fully funded, above-inflation pay offer, the NEU is calling on members to complete a preliminary electronic ballot.

NEU independent sector conference

The union is calling on members to act together and make a stand.

It will run from 24 September to 14 October. You will be asked if you agree that a real-terms pay cut is unacceptable and whether you will take part in industrial action in support of a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.We need to be prepared to do all we can to protect our profession and fight for what is fair.

A NATIONAL ballot for industrial action over teacher pay will be carried out by the NEU and sister union NASUWT this term – unless the Government commits within the next weeks to a fully funded, aboveinflation pay rise.

@% £ £/ x + x xx + =+ Turning the page on poverty A practical guide for education staff to help tackle poverty and the cost of the school day

19 November, London. Including journalist Samira Ahmed on equal pay and Barry Gardiner MP on campaign to stop fire and rehire. Visit bit.ly/3c3Dd5r

Scandal of in-work poverty

In July, it announced an insulting five per cent increase for 2022/23 to teachers at the top of the main pay scale and those on the upper pay scales, to be paid by schools from their already overstretched budgets.

n Completing the electronic ballot between 24 September and 14 October will give the union the opportunity to show the Government the strength of feeling in the profession.

Tackling impact of poverty on 4m pupils

n Visit neu.org.uk/turning-page

n Visit nochildleftbehind.org.uk

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 7

members on a £2,000 award on pay points 1 and above. The consultation will begin in early September and conclude at the same time as our teacher survey. The union is urging support staff members to reject the pay rise because it is less than inflation and to demand that the Government fully fund the eventual pay rise.

Growing numbers of members are being driven into poverty, forced to rely on food banks, ration fuel, and take on second, third, even fourth, jobs to make ends meet (see feature, page 25). Many others are leaving the profession, forced out by poor pay, which is deepening recruitment and retention problems.

n A formal ballot must be a postal vote, and 50 per cent of all those eligible to vote must do so. Every member must find five minutes to fill in the paper and post it

Next steps

TEACHERS DESERVE BETTER

Vote for above-inflation pay rise

TheSeptember.NEUisconsulting support staff

MORE than 3.9 million children in the UK –that’s eight children in a class of 30 – are growing up in poverty.Turning the page on poverty (pictured left) is the NEU’s guide for members on developing individual practice to tackle the impact of poverty on pupilItlearning.aimsto highlight and explain the key drivers and signs of poverty. It provides advice and tips to help teachers, support staff and school leaders remove

That month, inflation was 11.8 per cent – though it continues to rise – which means teachers’ pay would, in effect, be cut by at least seven per cent this year.

National Education Union and our sister unions are demanding a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise for teachers. We are the NEU – join us.

The NAHT and ASCL are also considering balloting their members.

n If you know any educators not in a union, ask them to join the NEU. There has never been a more crucial time to stand up for our profession.

VOTE

the barriers to learning that being poor creates in the classroom. It will help you to think about your teaching, but also about challenging attitudes towards poverty.

n If you would like to volunteer to help build the pay ballot or become an NEU rep in your school, visit neu.org.uk/become-rep

The NEU is calling on the Government to commit to eradicating child poverty in the UK. Visit the No Child Left Behind website to find out about poverty in your area and how to join the campaign.

Most teachers’ salaries have fallen by a staggering 20 per cent over the last decade.

FE, sixth form and support staff pay NINE further education (FE) colleges will carry out indicative ballots on pay between 12-23 September, and if the employers in the sixth form sector do not make an acceptable offer, an indicative ballot will run between 12-30

The neu.org.uk/join 0345

The action, which would be a last resort and the first formal ballot of teachers since 2011, will only take place if the Government refuses to pay teachers what they deserve.

811 8111 in our electronic ballot 24 September to 14 October to let the Government know our strength of feeling about the pay cut. VOTE for industrial action in November for an above-inflation pay rise if the doesn’tGovernmentlisten.

Sarah spent months contacting her employer but got little response, so she turned to the NEU, which advised writing

“It’s important that everyone knows that if you have been on maternity leave, you have the right to receive pay progression for that year on leave. If you don’t get it, that’s discrimination.” * not her real name n Visit neu.org.uk/pay/pay-progression#advice

“I should have progressed to point 6, but I realised that my pay had frozen from November 2017 and I wasn’t getting paid what I should be.”

done; it has stopped me feeling on my own,” said Sarah. “I felt like I was getting the right advice and making the right calls – getting that back-up.” Now Sarah will receive back pay and continue to be paid the point 6 salary she should have been on.

a grievance letter. After that, a local officer joined the email chain Sarah was in and was copied in throughout discussions with payroll, human resources and the school head.

Joint district and branch secretary of Coventry NEU Nicky Downes said: “Issues surrounding maternity are one of the main reasons we are contacted. It’s quite clear that maternity discrimination is increasing.

Maternity pay win: ‘right advice and back-up’ from union

PHOTO by Liz Love

That’s how NEU member Sarah*, a primary school teacher with nine years’ experience, felt when she realised her pay had not progressed over several years due to her being on maternity leave for some of that time.

The nervousness of driving more than 350 miles to meet strangers for a long weekend quickly went away after the first ice-breaker evening, when I was presented with a group of smiling women. The first day of the course was spent exchanging ideas and working together to remember important histories that have impacted women throughout time.

“WHEN I realised what had happened, I felt deceived, cheated. If you’re not being paid, you feel undervalued and at the bottom of the pile.”

We then marched through the sunny streets of Durham for the Miners’ Gala (pictured right), waving our NEU flags high and wearing our shirts with pride.

“If you progression,receivedon’tpaythat’sdiscrimination.”

I FELT inspired by the NEU women’s empowerment course in Durham in July. It was a great way to get more information about how to make your way in the union as a new, female member.

“There was a meeting about my pay where the union helped by being a presence. It has made me feel as though justice has been

The weekend ended with a morning of discussions around the Miners’ Gala, and our individual roads ahead – setting plans and ideas in place to take back to our own districts and schools.Iwould encourage every female member of the NEU to attend the women’s empowerment course and every member to attend the Miners’ Gala.

Join our womenempoweringcourseintheNEU

NEU members at the Durham Miners’ Gala

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)8 News

n Visit bit.ly/3c2PN54

By Charlie Dee, social, emotional and mental health teaching assistant, Folkestone, Kent

NEU members joined thousands of other trade unionists and their friends and families at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival (see front cover) from 15-17 July. They enjoyed a weekend of debates, music and food, and remembered the martyrs.

“We celebrated more of the lives of the Jarrow Rebels, musicians played and sang, before Jeremy Corbyn delivered a rousing speech of solidarity.

several friendly faces and an invitation to carry the banner – which I happily accepted.

UKDHM runs from 16 November until 16 December, with the theme disability, health and wellbeing. Visit ukdhm.org

The cost-of-living crisis was at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the festival, with many unions having balloted or preparing to ballot on pay. NEU members were inspired by the immense solidarity from across the movement, including among fellow education unions.

Sunday is the main day of the festival, where a procession takes place through the village of Tolpuddle with hundreds of beautiful banners, flags and marching bands.

Victoria Hackett, NEU member and new activist, shared her experiences from the day: “It was a glorious Saturday morning when I arrived. There were already throngs gathering, milling around and greeting newcomers. As I nervously walked through the crowds, it dawned on me I had never met many members of my NEU South Tyneside district in real life – I was more used to seeing them on my laptop screen in Zoom meetings.

Sunday’s procession through the village of Tolpuddle

“I am new to being an active member –I made the decision to become involved amid the blur that was the lockdowns and this was my first in-person union event. I made my way to the banners with warm greetings from

“Looking around I recognised one or two women from WHiST (Women’s Health in South Tyneside), a support service where I have run several art for wellbeing workshops.

“The event was awash with poetry, music, stirring speeches, impassioned historical stories, moving accounts of children’s fates as they entered the mines and celebrations of local heroes. I carried the banner with fellow member Rachael Hedley, with a little help from the rest of our group when the wind picked up – it was a real team effort.

Spotlight on cost of living and poverty at Tolpuddle

NEU members from across the country marched together in a large education section. n Visit tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk n Interested in volunteering next year? Email south.west@neu.org.uk

“The event was appreciative, lively and respectful, with a real feeling of community and togetherness which has remained with me – standing as one and reminding one another that our voices, our story and we matter too.”

On Sunday morning, the NEU and NAHT jointly hosted a discussion session on child poverty, at which NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted spoke, alongside Paul Whiteman of the NAHT, Ellie Harwood from the Child Poverty Action Group, local head teacher Paul Gosling, and Sinead Carney from a nearby food bank. The session was standing room only, and while the accounts of child poverty from across the region were distressing, those who attended went away informed and inspired to address

UK Disability History Month

NEU members Victoria Hackett (left) and Rachael Hedley at the Jarrow Rebel Town festival

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 9

By Hannah Packham, south west secretary

A glorious Saturday celebrating ‘our voices, our story’

ON Saturday 25 June, members of the local community, historians, trade unionists, MPs and political activists came together on the south bank of the River Tyne for the Jarrow Rebel Town Festival.

The festival, in its sixth year, commemorates the 1832 story of seven striking miners who were deported to an Australian penal colony for a crime they didn’t commit.

the structural causes of child poverty and to support families in their communities.

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“How often do we say ‘well done’ to teachers? We must trust teachers to do what they can for their children between 9am and 3.30pm. We must trust them to work hard, and we must give them adequate rest.

We need more of this good work for the profession, and more schools, like CTJS, where it can thrive.

PHOTO by Sarah Turton

Calm, friendly classroom atmosphere

Happy, well-rested teachers

Job adverts for teaching posts at CTJS make a rare appearance, but when they do candidates are told that the school’s leadership “passionately believes that happy, well-rested teachers make for good teachers. We therefore take the wellbeing of our staff very seriously and ensure that all of our teachers maintain a healthy work-life balance.”

NEU members, in an after-school meeting, told me of their experiences of being heard and having their views and opinions respected in discussions about teaching, learning and much more. They are expected to contribute to curriculum development and policy making. The school development plan is jointly written with all staff, so that everyone has a strong sense of its ownership and a firm commitment to achieving its aims.

You might think that I am imagining this answer – but I am not. It was given to me by Robyn Bruce (pictured), the head teacher of Cubitt Town Junior School (CTJS) in Tower Hamlets, London.

Everyone I spoke to at CTJS emphasised that things are not perfect. There are always ways to improve their working lives and the education they give to their pupils. NEU members told me that they work very hard –as all teachers do. The difference is that they believe the work they do is important and valuable. It is work done to improve teaching and learning and to support their pupils –many of whom have additional needs.

page 22 Opinion

n See

Belief in the value of their work

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 11

Of course, such statements are easy to make, but in an NEU meeting Cubitt teachers told me that they did feel valued and trusted to get on with their work. Appraisal is not linked to numerical targets – that was abandoned because Robyn realised how unfair and punitive this approach was. Instead,

There is a great emphasis on oracy – speaking and listening for learning, and for debate and public speaking. I saw year 5 and 6 pupils in an oracy lesson debating with each other using impressive vocabulary and phrases, naturally and effectively expressing their ideas and making their points. It was wonderful to see the skills they employed and the enthusiasm they shared as they debated with one another.

‘You are the experts after all’

Head teacher Robyn Bruce (left) and Mary Bousted at Cubitt Town Junior School

“The classroom is a very insular place, so teachers need space to talk, to learn and to develop without fear. Teachers need the opportunity to develop personally and as a teacher; they need to practise their craft.

NEU joint secretarygeneralMaryBoustedtalkstoaheadteacherwhoseteachersandpupilsthriveduetoacultureofpraise,practise,respectandrest.

IMAGINE asking a head teacher how they treat the staff in their school and receiving this answer: “Our pupils live challenging lives in disadvantaged circumstances. They need the highest quality teaching, with experienced teachers who can help and support their newer colleagues. I believe teachers need space to practise teaching – not everything they do will work.

Teachers plan in pairs or threes, and observe each other on areas where one feels that they need support and help to improve. As the school’s mission statement says: “We pride ourselves in providing an environment where teachers have the freedom to teach and to grow – you are the experts after all.”

Going round the school I was struck by the calm, friendly atmosphere in each classroom.

“For teachers with families, the weekend is sacrosanct because they work so hard in the week. We must respect that.”

teachers work on research projects aimed to improve their practice and the work of the school, and these are presented to the whole staff on an Inset day.

Sarita Healey, NEU rep at the school, said: “Members are bitterly disappointed and justifiably angry.

Carla and Roisin agree: “We approach any new teachers and encourage them to join.”

Support staff face £5K pay cut at MAT with million-pound top earners

NEU teachers and support staff at the secondary school and sixth form college took six days of strike action in July in opposition to the forced transfer of their employment to the King Edward VI multiacademy trust (MAT).

RECRUITING new members to the union is a crucial part of the rep’s role, but it’s not always easy.

In a proposed restructure targeted at support staff, some could lose as much as £400 a month due to a reduction in hours and pay grades.

The first step in recruiting new members is to ask colleagues to join –particularly new starters, trainees and early career teachers. You don’t have to be a rep to do this.

It’s also important that the union is visible at work. Posters, leaflets and membership forms are sent to all NEU workplaces in September and January. Carla and Roisin make sure they promote the union at every opportunity: “We have a wall of information, a WhatsApp group, meetings and we are always approachable should our members need anything.”

John Delaney, NEU Havering district

“We are dedicated, hard-working educators who would much rather be in the classroom than on strike. But when our employment is transferred to a different employer and we are denied meaningful consultation on this, we have no choice but to take collective action.”

NEU members at Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School in Havering, east London, have so far spent 13 days on strike against cuts to their pay grades and hours.

NEU members on the picket line at Drapers’ Pyrgo

News

Parents back NEU members opposing forced MAT transfer

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)12

The forced move to King Edward VI MAT has faced determined community opposition. Parents at the school have set up a petition demanding meaningful consultation on the transfer, which has more than 350 signatures.

Ask your colleagues to join us

Usually, if people aren’t union members, it’s because they’ve never been asked. But sometimes it’s because they’re worried about what union membership entails.

The school is claiming it cannot afford to find the £12,000 per annum necessary to settle the dispute, yet accounts show that the 12 highest earners at the MAT are each paid between £800,000 and £1 million.

The Drapers’ multi-academy trust (MAT) had refused to negotiate with members – who offered to suspend strike days if the restructure was postponed – but has since agreed to talks at the conciliatory service ACAS.

n Visit neu.org.uk/growing union

Roisin said: “Fear is a big reason people give for not wanting to join, especially if there are ongoing issues in a workplace. Also not wanting to strike stops people. Nobody likes to strike but, in our situation, it started an open dialogue where a lot of things were resolved for the school.”

Roisin Kelly and Carla Topham, joint winners of the 2021/22 NEU rep of the year award, tripled their school NEU membership. Roisin said: “We struggled initially. But when we started to have wins with our disputes, more people joined. This gave people the confidence that there was safety in numbers.”

secretary, said: “It is a cruel proposal at a time of rising inflation and extra living costs. Reducing hours and pay grades at this time is socially irresponsible and a kick in the teeth for the staff who kept the school running during the Memberspandemic.”havealso expressed concerns that a reduction in support staff hours will have a detrimental impact on teaching and learning at the school.

The strike received a strong turnout on every day of action, with staff being joined by supportive parents and pupils. Membership has doubled since the start of the dispute.

“THEY say transfer, we say no way” was the chant heard across the picket line at Lordswood Girls’ School in Birmingham as the end of term approached.

ON Tuesday 5 July – the day this year’s SATs results were published – children, parents and educators headed to Westminster for a Parliamentary briefing.

Webinar for primary members

ICAPE, supported by the NEU, is conducting a review into assessment and accountability in primary education. As part of its research, a survey has revealed that most parents and educators are opposed to the current system whereby schools in England must test children in five out of seven primary years.

As part of ICAPE, NEU primary educators are invited to join a national online Zoom meeting on 18 September on the future of SATs and other primary tests.

n Register for the primary assessment webinar at bit.ly/NEUAssessmentZoom

As part of the More Than A Score (MTAS) campaign, they discussed with MPs the damaging effects of SATs tests and the growing case for reform. Poems, songs and pictures by children were shared as well as accounts from teachers and parents about the stress, anxiety and loss of interest in learning that childrenJenny,experience.aparentfrom South Shields, described the effects on her children and their education as “unbearable” and “damaged to the extent that it will take years to repair – if at all”.

Union (NEU) 13

NEU support staff conference

Teacher Megan Quinn, who sits on the commission, will attend the meeting, as will NEU national executive member Jess Edwards. They are keen to hear from colleagues who want to push for a change.

One responded:parent“Every time a set of tests comes up my child becomes anxious, tearful and upset… it’s negatively impacting their Thechildhood.”surveyalso revealed that the majority of teachers do not believe that Baseline, KS1 and KS2 SATs, the phonics check and the multiplication tests benefit children’s“Theselearning.testsare completely unnecessary and put pressure on children and staff. The teachers working with the children are highly

ScoreAThanMorebyPHOTO

experts, will publish its final report and recommendations in October.

The commission, which includes academics, practitioners and other

The findings come in the wake of this year’s SATs results, where 41 per cent of year 6 pupils in primary schools in England were told that they had failed to reach the expected standard – six per cent more than in 2019, the last time key stage 2 SATs were taken. The results come after two years in which children’s education has been hugely disrupted by theThepandemic.surveyrevealed strong feelings among many teachers and parents about the impact of statutory assessment on their children. In particular, there was concern among respondents about the effects on children’s mental health and wellbeing, with over 90 per cent of parents and teachers saying the tests worsen stress for children.

skilled and qualified to assess the children in their care, which they do daily,” said one of the teachersICAPEsurveyed.iscollating evidence from a range of people with expertise in the way primary children are assessed and school performance is measured.

n Visit neu.org.uk/primary-assessment

THE Independent Commission on Assessment in Primary Education (ICAPE) has found that 75 per cent of educators and 76 per cent of parents believe there should be no formal assessment in primary schools.

educate Your magazine from the National Education

MTAS is calling for a profession-led review of the current system.

n Visit icape.org.uk

n Visit morethanascore.co.uk

8 October, London. Debate; network; lunch provided; expenses paid. Register at bit.ly/3PzmXqG

75% of teachers and parents say no to primary testing

response to supporting NEU disabled members in the workplace.

“This training will help NEU reps to support their members when dealing with matters of race, and empower them by promoting racial equality culture within the workplace.”

THE NEU is in the final stages of developing its Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) pay assessor, which is being tested with supply members and activists and will be launched this term.

n Register by 16 September at bit.ly/3QwUzXB

APPLICATIONS are open for the NEU Black educators’ conference, which will take place at the Jury’s Inn, Hinckley Island from Friday 4 November to Sunday 6 November 2022.

IN July a group of Black activist members in London were invited to take part in a pilot training scheme entitled Making a stand on issues of race.

The Black Atlantic Network is a project co-chaired by Professor Paul Gilroy and film-maker and activist Ashish Ghadiali, which aims to strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion and processes of ecological sustainability and decolonisation within organisations.

n Register at neu.org.uk/national-cpd n Visit

Making a stand on race

Defibrillators in state schools

“It has been an uncertain, disruptive and thoroughly despairing time for many.”

Disabilityneu.org.uk/anti-racism-charterequalitytoolkit

The IAC was commissioned by the NEU to identify the principles that should underpin an assessment and qualification system fit for the future needs of young people, the economy and society.

THE NEU has produced a disability equality toolkit, designed to be used by NEU workplace reps to support disabled members. It also provides information and advice for disabled members and for union branch secretaries and caseworkers.Allofthe resources are based on the social model of disability and are aimed at promoting a collective

Moses Arthur, deputy head teacher and member of the NEU Black organising forum, attended the training. Moses said: “Our tasks were focussed on understanding the issues of race and upskilling NEU members to

n Email educate@neu.org.uk if you use the AWR tool to make a pay claim

As a democratic conference, delegates in attendance will be able to decide on priorities for the union. There will be external speakers, workshops and stalls which focus on topics around Black liberation and self-organisation.

News in brief

deal with these matters appropriately. Emphasis was placed on developing a culture of ‘nobody left behind’ and creating a united front to empower our members and allow them to flourish.

The independent poll of thousands of educators and students during this year’s exam season shows significant support for mixed assessment instead of high-stakes, end-of-course exams.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “Holland Park parents, teachers and students alike have had to endure a mockery of a consultation, and a complete lack of consideration for due process.

n Visit Studentsneu.org.uk/disability-toolkitandteachers call for reform of secondary exams

Register by 16 September for Black educators’ conference

The NEU hopes this will put pressure on agencies to meet their legal obligations and make the education sector a less profitable – and less attractive – sector for them.

NEU members and parents at Holland Park School have launched a third judicial review application against moving the school into a multiacademy trust (MAT).

THE NEU is organising a webinar on 12 October with the Black Atlantic Innovation Network on what decolonising in education means, during Black History Month (1-31 October). It will focus on how the NEU anti-racism framework can be used to support decolonisation.

n Visit neweraassessment.org.uk

Almost half of the teachers (49 per cent) and four in ten young people also believe the current exam system impacts negatively on student mental health, the IAC has found.

The tool will allow agency supply members to check whether they have been engaged in an assignment for long enough to be entitled to pay equality, and sets out the steps they need to take to receive back pay from their agency.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)14

ALL state schools in England will be provided with a defibrillator by the end of 2022/23, the Government has Itannounced.comesonthe back of a tenyear campaign by the Oliver King Foundation, supported by the NEU. The charity was set up by the parents of 12-year-old Oliver King, who died of a cardiac arrest while swimming.

Third judicial review for Holland Park against forced MAT move

NEW research by the Independent Assessment Commission (IAC) has revealed that 75 per cent of teachers and seven in ten students think secondary assessment needs reform.

NEU toolkit to help supply workers get pay equality

The west London school’s parents and staff have been campaigning since March, when the governors announced they would end the school’s single academy status and join the MAT United Learning, without due consultation (see Educate, July/August, page 19).

Black History Month webinar

“Her political contribution as a trade union activist has been ignored, as so often happens with women, especially of colour. It felt it was time to celebrate her story.”

Bigger picture

Eva was married to Clement Kadalie, South Africa’s first national Black trade union leader. Together, they spent three decades fighting racism in South Africa, paving the way for Nelson Mandela. The play, set in 1956, outlines her life and the sacrifices she made in the fight for freedom.

The play tours Birmingham, Manchester, the Lake District, Cambridge, London, Prescot and Chester from 1-29 October. Book tickets at forgottenvoices.info

PHOTO by Andrew AB

ACTOR Shareesa Valentine performing Forgotten Voices, a onewoman play about anti-racist campaigner Eva Moorhead Kadalie written by her grandson (and NEU member) David Moorhead.

“My grandmother was a complex person, whose struggles were immense,” said David.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)16

PhysicalEducation,Engineering,Psychology, and Geography

OxfordCambridgeandRSA

As she begins a year-long sabbatical from her school to focus on her role as NEU president, Louise says she is looking forward to traveling to schools and colleges across the country to find out more about the issues facing members. She also returns to the issue of representation in the union, reminding women members to let her know what stands in the way of becoming more active at a senior level within the union. “Please do get in touch.”

Association, then landing a job as a teaching assistant (TA). From there it took her seven years to complete an Open University course, while working as a TA, studying during her lunch break in the staff room and at any other times she could.

It was her ambition aged ten to become a teacher, she says, because school offered opportunities and experiences which, coming from a poor family, would otherwise have been out of reach.

PHOTO by Jess Hurd

Barriers are something Louise, a primary teacher in Cumbria, knows a thing or two about. Although she was elected as NEU president just eight years after becoming a teacher, Louise faced several obstacles on her route into the profession.

‘I know how education can change lives’

“We have some amazing women leaders nationally as part of our officers’ group and our executive body, as well as our national councils and organising forums, and locally as branch and district officers. I’m keen to find out how they got into those positions, but also what the barriers have been to those women who haven’t taken on a senior role.”

“It was a busy time,” she laughs. “I remember being on the bike in the gym, balancing a book on the handlebars, just trying to get through the reading.”

“THREE quarters of our membership are women, yet they are not represented at every level of the union,” reflects incoming NEU president Louise Atkinson (pictured).

“I was a free school meals (FSM) kid all the way through. It’s criminal that more than 1.7 million children growing up in families on universal credit, some surviving on less than £20.50 a day, are not eligible to receive the support of FSM,” she argues.

“I’ve also done the training to deliver the anti-racism course, which is excellent. Other organisations have taken our union training and adapted it for their organisations. It’s a really good document.”

n Email louise.atkinson@neu.org.uk

Soon she was a branch treasurer for Cumbria and has remained committed to the union ever since.

The first major hurdle came at the age of 16. Leaving home to live independently in a hostel meant Louise was forced to give up studying for her A-levels, instead working nightshifts to support herself financially. Various jobs followed including hairdressing, nightclub management and selling carpets.

As a trainee, Louise joined the ATL and soon found herself thrust into the thick of union life. Annual conference was her first ever union meeting, she recalls, and she found herself up on stage addressing almost 2,000 members as part of a debate on the value support staff bring to the classroom.

Newly elected NEU president Louise Atkinson tells Sally Gillen about overcoming barriers and her focus for an overwhelmingly female union.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 17

Racism and sexism – both of which she has experienced as a mixed-heritage woman growing up in predominantly white Cumbria –are also issues she has been involved in tackling via union projects. She has helped to develop the union’s toolkit to address sexism in schools and the anti-racist framework.

Eventually she found herself back on track, after completing a support staff course run by education charity the Workers’ Education

“I really wanted to be able to give that opportunity to other children and young people. I know how education can change lives,” she says. “We were homeless, living in temporary accommodation including bed and breakfasts. Growing up in poverty, I had a very volatile home life.”

Within the NEU she is heavily involved in No Child Left Behind – the union’s anti-poverty campaign – acutely aware from personal experience of the life-changing potential education offers children from a poor background.

Exciting Explorer Days • Medal perfect for KS1 • Heroes of the Holocaust perfect for KS2 & KS3 • Medicine and Service perfect for KS4 Engaging Short Sessions • Act of Remembrance 30 mins • Poppy Activity 30 mins • Guided Tour 90 mins thenma.org.uk T: 01283 245 100 E: Charityeducation@thenma.org.ukNo.1043992Allinformationcorrect at time of print. National Memorial Arboretum Part of the Royal British Legion Alrewas, Sta ordshire, DE13 7AR Explore, Discover and Remember at the National Memorial Arboretum Refreshed for 2022/23, the Arboretum o ers a wide range of opportunities for students and teachers alike, including ready prepared tours and workshops. Using our landscape as inspiration, the Arboretum’s learning team has ensured both the National Curriculum and Ofsted Education Inspection Framework are central to the content delivered. For further information visit thenma.org.uk/learning

I love that the union is such a support for educators. If my members ever have an issue, NEU Cymru helps me to advise them and give them the help they require. I loved attending the TUC Cymru congress this year where I was able to see how unions work together to enact meaningful change.

What have you been up to lately?

What do you do on your day off?

I have really enjoyed becoming more active as a member. In the recent Girls’ Day School Trust  (GDST) dispute over pensions I organised picket lines at each entrance of my school. I answered staff questions and supported them with accessing NEU meetings and how to vote in those sessions. I worked alongside union reps at the other 23 GDST schools that were affected and we built a strong support network which generated the hashtag #23together.

What’s important to you right now?

I enjoy spending time with my husband and son. We live very close to the coast so we enjoy walking, and swimming in the sea whenever possible. We like to eat out frequently and we travel as often as possible.

live performance of songs, poetry and drama which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. We also had traditional Welsh harp music to introduce the event thanks to another member of the committee, Lowri Williams.

Jenny Spratling is a year one teacher and NEU rep at Howell’s School in Cardiff. She was named rep of the year at the Wales TUC annual congress in May.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 19

Mairwenna Lloyd (left)

ON 15 June, Denbighshire NEU district organised a celebration to honour the lifetime service award for Mairwenna Lloyd, who has been an active member of the NUT/NEU committee for an amazing 63 years.

event in May and spoke about what I’d done to organise the strike action and how we had increased NEU membership across the school.

She has been president, vice-president, case worker and now retired educator’s officer. She has also been a regular speaker at conference Cymru and national conference. She is a fantastic orator.

academically and promote their wellbeing.

Jenny Spratling on the picket line during the GDST dispute PHOTO by Natasha Hirst

By Elizabeth McLean, NEU district and branch secretary for Denbighshire and executive member for Wales

What do you love about being in the union?

Mairwenna continues to enthuse and inspire all those she meets.

I love the school I work in as the staff are a fantastic team and really work together to make a difference for our students.

I attended the NEU Cymru women’s

Tell us something we don’t know I love Lego and have recently completed building the Lego Hogwarts Castle.

Inspiring everyone she meets

The event was held at local school Esgob Morgan, whose children put on a fantastic

What do you love about your job?

I’m a primary school teacher and I love how every day is different and that the children always think up new solutions to problems.

Union people

Although I work in a private school, I still feel that the issue of teacher pay should be addressed by every member. Teachers are underpaid for the work that we do. During the pandemic it became obvious the important role teachers have in society – students need teachers to support them

‘I love how every day is different’

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)20 Your key resource to provide outstanding university guidance. Visit us today. We’re waiting to help you build your university links! www.unitasterdays.com/UniTasterDays info@unitasterdays.com@UniTasterDays Request your Teachers’ Guide to University brochure: www.unitasterdays.com/teachers Add the Parents’ Guide to University brochure to your resources: www.unitasterdays.com/parents Search 1000's of university events for your school groups: www.unitasterdays.com/search Support your lessons with impartial university videos: www.unitasterdays.com/ondemand

The sun was rising high in the sky, sweat was dripping off the wall. The children were slumped in their chairs, the air was heavy in the hall.

(18 & 19 July 2022)

Michael Rosen educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 21

‘I’ll get on the phone to Ofsted and ask them to postpone the inspection. They’ll agree to that I’m sure, after a few moments of reflection.’

Words by Michael Rosen Illustration by Dan Berry

‘Oh no!’ the head was gasping as he sipped cold water from his cup. ‘I’ve looked at the weather forecast: the temperature is going up!’

Later that day, at the staff meeting, the head had to deliver a warning: ‘It’s all going to get hotter: Ofsted’ll be here in the morning!’

Heatwave

22 educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

His co-rep Hannah Seifert, year 2 lead and art lead, feels similarly: “I feel I am respected and trusted in the job that I am trained to Changesdo.”to the appraisal and accountability system began around five years ago, Hannah explains. They were initiated by the SLT, which wanted to celebrate diversity among the teaching staff and give them more say and control over the

“We pride ourselves on providing an environment where teachers have the freedom to teach and to grow – you are the experts after all!”

The focus of the new system is on teacher-led development. Each teacher has conversations throughout the year with an assigned member of the SLT to discuss areas of their practice they would like to develop. The SLT then provides guidance and feedback, either through drop-in sessions in class or by suggesting other members of staff who may be useful to talk to or observe. But, as Hannah explains, nothing is written down or graded, and the process is led by the teacher.“It’svery much supportive coaching rather than formal feedback of what you’re not doing so well,” she says.

Ollie Hart and fellow NEU rep Hannah Seifert at CTJS.

A recent job advertisement at CTJS

Feature

Educate heard about a junior school which prioritises staff wellbeing and promotes a healthy work-life balance. Emily Jenkins jumped at the chance to find out more.

FOR most educators the words ‘appraisal’ and ‘accountability’ can send shivers down their spine.

“The successful candidates will be prepared to work hard and respond to the daily challenges of class teaching, but not have any unreasonable demands placed upon them in terms of hours worked, marking or evidencing.

‘Trust, respect, genuine

“It’s a great environment. It’s never like you’re being checked up on. The senior leadership team (SLT) is welcoming, has an open-door policy and our head really listens

Formal observations are still available for anyone who wants one. However, so far, no one has asked for one, says Ollie, who describes the system as “empowering”.

to us,” says joint NEU rep Ollie Hart, who is science and design and technology lead for key stage 2.

The school has also developed a lesson observation system it calls butterflying, which encourages teachers to learn from each other. One aspect of this is enabling teachers to visit each other’s classrooms.

PHOTO by Sarah Turton

“We passionately believe that happy, well-rested teachers make for good teachers. We therefore take the wellbeing of our staff very seriously and ensure that all of our teachers maintain a healthy work-life balance.

But at Cubitt Town Junior School (CTJS) in London, monitored evaluations have been replaced with a more collaborative support system – and the difference in staff wellbeing is palpable, resulting in high retention.

process. Changes were then developed in consultation with union reps and staff.

Hannah shares another example of working with a reception teacher who has expertise in learning through play. They planned a lesson about the Great Fire of London, using play to help the children compare firefighting techniques now and during the 17th century.

The obvious question is: how do you find the time? In order to facilitate butterflying, Hannah says the SLT is always happy to step in and cover lessons when needed.

At the end of the year Ollie asked the students to take the same survey again and all of them said they were more confident in every aspect of public speaking. He then shared the results with his colleagues.

Value Education Value Educators

The system has proved so successful that NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted visited the school in June to find out more (see page 11).

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) NEU WORKLOADresourcesADVICE Access to the NEU workload resources and advice on how to tackle workload and accountability in your school: neu.org.uk/workload-advice VALUE

Individual research into areas of interest

VALUE EDUCATORS (VEVE) Visit the NEU’s VEVE hub to join the campaign and access digital resources including: n a workload toolkit to enable NEU members to identify workload issues linked to accountability n a model meeting PowerPoint to help you discuss these issues with other members in your workplace n model letters to raise workload issues you collectively identify with your leadership. value-educators/hub/homenationaleducationunion.foleon.com/ Feature care’

Ollie and Hannah want to encourage educators and leaders to adopt similar strategies in their schools and classrooms, but are aware opening up that conversation can be difficult. They recommend using the NEU’s workload charter and the Value Educators website as a starting point (see box, left).

“It’s important to be respectfully challenging. Be a questioning voice and try to open communication about what’s working and what’s not. I know it’s easier said than done in some schools, but that conversation has been absolutely integral to how our school has grown,” says Ollie.

“It’s feedbackcoachingsupportiveratherthanformalofwhatyou’renotdoingsowell.” EDUCATION

“We set up with hoses and buckets and the children loved it. Getting that different knowledge from teachers with different backgrounds is so interesting and great.”

At the beginning of the project, he asked a group of students to each fill out a selfassessment form about how comfortable they felt speaking in class, to their friends and to adults. They then began meeting regularly to play D&D.“Theygot great at describing what they were doing and became excited and engaged by it. One girl wrote a two-page spell to take down another character and even acted it out. Whereas before she was hesitant to speak.”

“We’re encouraged to watch others teach. Sometimes it’s suggested by the SLT if it’s an area they know that you would like to develop, but often it’s what we want to see. It’s all about best practice and how we can develop as practitioners,” explains Hannah.

As well as working closely together, every year teachers carry out an individual research project inspired by an area of pedagogy or practice they would like to explore, before presenting their findings to staff. Last year, for example, Ollie created a project exploring how the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) could be used to encourage reluctant speakers.

“I even got the teachers to play a bit of D&D and then shared my findings as an ogre, a minstrel and a wizard – just to make it more fun,” he grins.

It may be unsurprising to learn that, unlike many schools, CTJS has notably high retention rates. Jobs come up rarely, but when they do they receive an “extremely high” number of applicants (see box, page 22).

“It’s about utilising skills from different teachers,” says Ollie. “Last term we had our computing and RE leads in the same group and they managed to put together this really great creation story using stop-motion animation. The kids absolutely loved it.”

23

Another aspect of butterflying involves teachers from different subject areas and year groups being placed into groups of three, called triads. They are then asked to plan, resource and teach a lesson together.

Making time for the butterfly effect

High retention and recruitment

This all fits into a whole-school policy that prioritises both teacher and pupil wellbeing. “Our head teacher genuinely cares about us and regularly tells us we’re important in staff meetings, which is not the vibe I’ve had at any other school I’ve been in,” says Hannah.

In fact, Hannah was going to leave teaching before she came to CTJS. “In my last job I got to a point where I just thought: ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ But since starting here I haven’t had that thought again,” she says.

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As the NEU gears up for a ballot over pay, Sally Gillen reports on how the costof-living crisis is drastically affecting many education staff.

‘We just affordcannottolive...’

continued on page 29

In Bristol, pastoral support worker Michaela Wilde already works a six-day week in two jobs and is now looking for a third. The exhausting prospect of working evenings after she finishes at the large inner-city secondary where she’s worked for four years is not one she “relishes”, she says with obvious understatement. Third, even fourth jobs, are becoming increasingly common among support staff.

The five per cent pay rise for teachers recommended by the School Teachers’ Review Body in July – at a time when inflation had reached 11.7 per cent and was predicted to rise further by autumn – will do nothing to alleviate Corinna’s financial struggles.

Over the summer, she was dealt another three financial blows.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 25

ALL PICTURES: NEU members take to the streets of London to Demand Better at the TUC demonstration on 18 June

PHOTOS by Rehan Jamil

In August her electricity bill increased by £90 a month, and this month (September), her rent went up by £85 a month. On top of that, the student loan she took out to train as a teacher in 2013 will have 12 per cent interest added over the next six months.

“I REALISED things were really bad when it was very cold and I’d fill a hot water bottle and get into bed because I couldn’t afford to heat the house,” says supply teacher and single parent Rachel John (see box, page 29).

“Along with all the other increases, I am really going to struggle from now on, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” she says.

Teacher Corinna Westley, also a single parent, was managing until she lost the tax credit that paid for her son’s childcare. “Life got hard,” she says.That was in 2015 and each year, despite working her way up the pay bands, Corinna is never noticeably any better off or in a position where she doesn’t have to look at ways to cut back, she says.

TEACHERSDESERVEBETTER

areunionssisterourandUnionEducationNationalThe teachers.forrisepayabove-inflationfunded,fullyademanding us.join–NEUtheareWe neu.org.uk/join 81118110345ballotelectronicourin September24 to October14 knowGovernmenttheletto feelingofstrengthour cut.paytheaboutVOTE actionindustrialfor in November anfor risepayabove-inflation Governmenttheif listen.doesn’tVOTE

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“It just feels like austerity has never ended; it has become the new norm,” says Corinna. “That’s how I feel about the prices and the cutbacks we’re all having to make. The inflation rate may come down, but I don’t think we’ll see prices falling. I think they’ll stick where they are, which means everything shoots up a gear, apart from our new salary, which means a lower standard of living just becomes the new norm. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

29educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) Feature

Low supply wages cause poverty trap

Year on year below-inflation pay rises for educators, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, has left thousands of high-skilled, dedicated and hard-working educators reliant on food banks and benefits, and resorting to a type of fuel-rationing typically seen among pensioners living in poverty.

was landed with a £76 charge from her children’s school for breakfast clubs and trips.

“The most difficult thing to get my head round is the fact I’m competent and I love my job, but because I’m not paid to scale, and there aren’t any supply pools that pay me properly, I can’t feed my children,” she says.

“There’s no security in supply teaching. It’s the poverty trap – it’s upsetting, it’s stressful. It causes me anxiety because there’s seemingly nothing I can do to get out of this situation,” she says.

Rachel chose supply

permanent roles where she would be paid for her 21 years’ experience, but each time she has lost out to a newly qualified teacher.

Rachel has now reached a point where the constant juggling to try and stay afloat has become too much. “The upshot for me is I’m leaving education. I’ve started a master’s degree in psychotherapy, as I still very much want to work with children and young people, but I know the public sector will never fund my family properly. I have to choose to do something else.”

For single mothers such as Rachel John, who receives universal credit, supply teaching just does not provide an income to feed her family. At one time a London deputy head, she earned a salary that afforded a comfortable life, but these days she struggles.

Photograph yourself with the poster on pages 26-27 and post on social media @NEUnion #payup

“We cannot afford to live on our wages,” Michaela says. “I’m aware of more colleagues regularly using food banks, as well as claiming universal credit. Support staff are already beyond stretched. How do we physically earn more money when we’re already up against it?”

SUPPLY staff are the worst affected members of the education workforce when it comes to poor pay. Agency support staff can be paid as little as £60 a day, while teaching staff are scarcely better off with £90 pay.

“I am forced to live hand to mouth,” she says. “Working more to save money results in the majority of my earnings being deducted from my benefit entitlement and has even left me financially worse off due to losing other benefits. Low supply wages have been the cause of the poverty trap.”

She knows of someone who cleans a GP’s surgery in the evening for extra cash, some who work as personal assistants for children in care, others in shops.

“I then had to turn work down because if I had worked one extra day the following month, I would have lost a £450 uniform grant, £225 for each of my children. If I worked more, I would have been worse off.

In Wales, supply teachers are generally more protected than those in England, thanks to a framework introduced by the Welsh Government in 2019. It means agencies should pay a minimum of £141.72 a day, although frameworktheis not

“I never fully understood the term poverty trap until I found myself in it. No amount of work I do will get me and my daughters out of being in poverty because if I earn more money, it is taken off me.”

continued from page 25

continued on page 31

“It causes me anxiety because there’s tonothingseeminglyIcandogetoutofthissituation.”

In one strikingly surreal incident, a support staff member who took a job in a shoe shop recently saw the chief executive of the multi-academy trust where they work walk through the door. “It’s Dickensian, isn’t it?” shePovertysuggests.isnow blighting the lives of educators on a scale never seen before. We have reached a truly dire place.

mandatory.However, Welsh Government figures show that despite the attempts to improve pay, the number of supply teachers fell by 413 in 2021 – down from 4,635 to 4,222.

Vote ‘YES’ for action in the ballotpreliminaryoverpay

More than that, Corinna is, like many thousands of members, justifiably angry. “We are professionals,” she says, her voice rising. “The Government thinks we are just administrators or something. They don’t respect us as Followingprofessionals.”onfrom what NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney described as a “very poor pay proposal”, he said: “We will look towards consulting our members in the autumn. This will be the largest ballot of teachers for a generation.

Devon-based supply teacher Alex Moore says his biggest cost has been the rise in the cost of fuel: “I have to drive two hours a day to get to work and back. The standard rate in the south west is about £105 a day before tax, which is about the same as it costs me to fill my tank. It lasts about eight days before I have to fill up and I don’t use the car much at weekends, so I am working for nothing about every eighth day.”

Sheuniversaldeductionsbecausebettersheonwhenfoundmumflexibilitybecauseinitiallysheneededasasinglebutshehasthatevenshehastakenlong-termcoverwasnotmuchofffinanciallyofthetohercredit.hasappliedfor

As an example, she explains that because her average earnings over five months were £618.88, just £2.88 over the amount she is allowed to earn, she

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“Teachers don’t want to strike – they want to be in the classroom teaching their pupils. But we cannot stand by and watch the biggest real-terms decline in teacher pay this century. This pay offer will do nothing to recruit, retain and value teachers and protect our children’s education.”

As Corinna puts it: “All the prices are going up and, while I don’t think they’re going to continue going up, they won’t go down. There is never a deflationary period. There wasn’t one in the 1970s. So everything has gone up, it’ll stay up, which means unless our pay makes progress towards that, then we’re all going to be worse off for a very long time.”

NEU Cymru announced it will ballot members in the autumn, following proposals by the Welsh Government to give teachers a five per cent pay rise.

“We simply cannot allow these attacks on our members’ pay and their standards of living to continue,” said NEU Welsh secretary David Evans.

The lack of funding for schools and the challenges regarding recruitment and retention are making the job seem impossible at times for many leaders, he argues, and the people who suffer the most are the children, particularly in the UK’s most deprived areas.

“With inflation at 11.7 per cent, a proposal of five per cent for teachers would, in effect, see a real-terms pay cut, slap bang in the middle of a costof-living crisis.”

He added: “We want Education Minister Jeremy Miles to engage with us directly and negotiate. But if there’s no movement this month we will have no hesitation in recommending that our members take strike action.” from page 29

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

It is this scenario that really worries senior leaders such as Chris Dutton. A secondary assistant head and chair of the NEU’s National

“I sometimes wish I’d stayed in accountancy. I enjoy being with the kids, I love that, but I just don’t enjoy the number of things I have to do. I work 70 to 80 hours a week and during the holidays,” she says.

continued

The NEU is also supporting the pay claim made by the recognised support staff unions, Unison, GMB and Unite, for a minimum of £2,000 per annum or the current retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation – whichever is greater – on all spinal column points. We are also committed to working collaboratively with sister unions to achieve this, including balloting for industrial action alongside them if necessary.

Pay in Wales

“People are leaving because they literally can’t afford to be in anymore.”education

Leadership Council, Chris concedes that he is in a more fortunate financial position than many but is concerned about the salaries of support staff and main-scale teachers.

“High-quality teaching has the greatest impact on the most disadvantaged children. When schools cannot recruit experienced and qualified teaching staff, the impact is felt hardest on those who need it most.”

“Things have just ramped up and up and up and there’s such a recruitment issue now as well, so there’s a shortage of support staff,” she adds. “People are leaving because they literally can’t afford to be in education anymore.”

31

Corinna says – without hesitation –that she will vote to strike when the teacher pay ballot opens. The £18,000 pay cut she

“Pay has been eroded over time and we have had a pay rise capped at one per cent for nearly a decade followed by a zero per cent pay rise this year. Terms and conditions have been eroded – the career average revalued earnings (CARE) pension scheme is not as good as the final salary scheme, salaries at all levels have not kept up with inflation for over a decade and the profession is demoralised and on its knees.”

took when she switched from a career in accountancy to teaching in 2014 now seems, as she sees all her peers so much better off, a sacrifice that perhaps wasn’t worth it.

She is staying, but many others have decided to quit. The numbers are worrying. Michaela says many support staff at her school have been forced to leave, no longer able to make ends meet, even with an extra job or two.

Without a significant boost to teacher pay – and soon – the impact on educators and the education system itself will be catastrophic, with more forced out.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)32 £6 + postage Instagram @hjwolstenholme www.hjwolstenholme.com (for orders, additional information and teacher/pupil reviews) wolstenholmehj28@gmail.com

Meanwhile, in initial teacher education, reforms following a DfE review – also led by Bauckham – have generated fears of a Government-controlled teacher training curriculum. The DfE is also funding what it deems a new ‘flagship’ teacher education provider, run by favoured academy trusts.

Oak National Academy, the online learning platform which originated from the academies sector, has been lined up by the Department for Education (DfE) to be an ‘arm’s-length curriculum body’. But this organisation seems to lack the sense of accountability beyond the Government itself, which characterised its predecessor, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Unhealthy levels of Government control

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of recent years has been investigating claims that the notionally independent Ofsted may also be part of this capturing-from-the-centre. Led by Amanda Spielman, another traditionalist who once worked for a leading academy chain, the inspectorate has been beset by complaints of cherry-picking research to fit a curriculum agenda which, again, seems to align very closely with ministers’ aims.

All of this may be seen as positive by those who argue that close control is what is needed to take on what Michael Gove and his allies have dismissively called education’s “blob”.

Many people will see it as worrying in a liberal democracy. Such concentrations of power tend to happen in non-democratic societies, and indeed an aversion to this is what kept in check any notion of direct DfE oversight of schools after World War II.

Opinion

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 33

Critics will see it as cementing the power of a DfE under right-of-centre political control, whose views will be at odds with those of many education professionals.

Perhaps even some of those supporters of this ideology might wonder, though, about handing this degree of influence to the centre.

minister Nick Gibb, is now chair of Ofqual. Ofqual’s chief executive is a former MAT leader, who used to work for the former Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson.

To run through a few examples, a multi-academy trust (MAT) chief executive, Ian Bauckham, whose views seem to align very closely with those of the former schools

12 years of Conservative-led Government, England’s education institutions seem in the grip of ideological fellow-travellers, and perhaps more closely under the influence of central Government than ever before.

Cartoon by Tim Sanders

FOR all the recent comings-and-goings of Government ministers there are, sadly, many constants around education policymaking in England. Since launching my website investigating education policy five years ago, one aspect has taken me slightly by surprise. It is how centralised the policymaking machine has become, in a way that seems unchanging no matter which Conservative ministers are in charge.After

The Children’s Commissioner is another former MAT chief executive, with views aligning with the Government’s. The chair of the Social Mobility Commission runs the highest-profile free school, again along traditionalist lines.

Healthy democracies see such power networks being broken up frequently. What would be needed for that to happen? A change of government, rather than just of ministers, would be a good first step.

Warwick Mansell is a educationuncovered.andeducationfreelancejournalistfounder/writerof

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It was a pivotal moment. “I wanted to be part of dismantling that pathway [to prison]. And the best way to do that was education.”

Aisha began her career working as a legal assistant after reading law. While in this role she became a volunteer mentor for the Prince’s Trust, helping young men back into the community after a period in prison.

Sowing the seeds of anti-racism

A chance comment from a young Black offender that she was supporting changed her. “He said: ‘Perhaps if you’d been my teacher, I wouldn’t be in prison today.’ He had only ever seen himself represented in sport, media and crime. All the people in power were white.”

Dismantling the pathway to prison

The work to become anti-racist must always begin with reflecting on yourself, she says. “We’ve all been complicit in some way in perpetuating ideas of what the norm should be, and that’s an uncomfortable truth. But if we are not honest about our prejudices and biases, we will not move forward.”

Former assistant principal and founder of Representation Matters

“Racism is not palatable. It cannot be palatable,” says diversity campaigner Aisha Thomas. “When we talk about anti-racist practices we shouldn’t try to make them easier to digest. But at the same time, being an educator, I had to find a way to craft the message without shutting down the conversation.”

“There are many Black and brown children in our schools, and yet they didn’t have anyone who looked like them or who might have that community or cultural connection. So I started campaigning to encourage Black and brown people into education.”

Aisha left her job as a legal assistant and trained to be a teacher in Bristol, where she realised she was one of only a handful of Black teachers in the city. This led to her partnering with the BBC in 2018 to present a programme about the issue. The BBC investigation

The book also provides guidance for decolonising the curriculum, examining pedagogy and interrogating the choices educators can make in terms of whose voices are being heard and what stories are being told.

£13.99.

Aisha believes that sharing the stories of under-represented individuals and groups is key to systemic change. She explains: “I see this book as an opportunity to amplify the voices of the marginalised and ensure their authentic, lived experiences are told.”

“We are sowing the seeds now for the next generation. We can’t plant the seeds we’ve planted in previous generations. We need to make sure we don’t let our generational differences get in the way, and instead look at our children as a real source of abundance and hope,” she says.

n Visit repmatters.co.uk

Do you know a class act? Email educate@neu.org.uk

Her campaigning led to her giving a TEDxBristol talk in 2019 called Why Representation Matters. In 2020, while continuing her role as assistant principal, she founded her company Representation Matters, an organisation that provides workshops, talks and consultancy on diversity, equality and inclusion for schools and businesses. She left teaching a year later to devote all her time to diversity campaigning.

Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator by Aisha Thomas. Bloomsbury.

A class act

PHOTO by Rosie Parsons revealed that out of 1,346 secondary school teachers in Bristol, only 26 were Black. Despite Bristol having a Black population of six per cent, only 1.9 per cent of teachers were Black.

Aisha is talking about her new book, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator, which features reflective questions, activities, discussion points and shared personal experiences of more than 20 teachers and pupils. She hopes to equip teachers and leaders with everything they need to promote diversity in their school and start their journey to becoming an anti-racist educator.

Aisha Thomas (pictured) has a new book out. Emily Jenkins founds out what makes her a class act.

youth

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We also offer

21 September from 1-2.15pm

Early career teachers and trainees: maximising the impact of your first year of induction

You’ve prepared the classroom, met the children and completed your first weeks of teaching. Now you’ve begun to establish yourself, this webinar will offer top tips and advice on how to make the most of the support on offer during your first ECT year.

you of any vacancies arising. They should also have told you about any other opportunities for promotion, transfer or training.

Support for ECT struggling with challenging classes

Just because training has moved online and can be accessed at any time does not mean it should always or usually take place outside of school hours. If it must be done outside school hours, and it is agreed CPD, this time should form part of directed hours, as should all training.

Training outside school hours

How to combat low-level disruption: proactive behaviour management strategies and using voice control and body language to influence behaviour.

3 October from 11am-1pm

As an ECT in a secondary school, you should be given the opportunity to teach a range of year groups and ability levels, and be provided with appropriate support, training and guidance. It can be difficult to predict which classes will be more challenging.

The failure to inform you is likely to be direct discrimination on grounds of your pregnancy or maternity. Find out what’s happened to the job from your NEU rep or other NEU colleagues, make screenshots of any evidence and keep copies of emails. If an appointment hasn’t been made yet, let your employer know by email that you’re interested in the role and wish to apply, and ask them to extend the closing date to enable this.

Strict time limits apply when enforcing your rights. Contact the AdviceLine for guidance on time limits and next steps.

My school has changed its stance on training since the pandemic. Previously we would have been released from teaching for a day, but we’re now expected to do training in our own time.

Missed job while on mat leave

I am a few months into my maternity leave and have just been made aware of a vacancy that I would have liked to apply for. The closing date has passed. Should this have been sent out to me? It feels unfair I wasn’t given the chance to apply.

Dealing with low-level disruption

Here’s a taster of what’s coming up in the autumn. Email cpd@neu.org.uk or visit neu.org.uk/national-cpd

NEU members have exclusive access to CPD webinars, which are recorded and made available for seven days afterwards.

Yes. Too many new mothers are having to fight for their basic rights at work while looking after a young baby. Unless you had specifically asked not to be contacted during your maternity leave, your employer should have informed

How to help develop intrinsic motivation and facilitate resilient learners, including: creating a resilient environment, the role

20 October from 11am-12.45pm

Please email your questions to educate@neu.org.uk

Free CPD webinars for NEU members

All teachers are required to undertake CPD annually to keep their skills up-to-date. Whole-staff training usually takes place on Inset days, but teachers should also undertake it at other times, especially if it has been agreed as part of their performance management plan.

PeopleImagesbyIMAGE

of high expectations, what motivates students and the link between selfcontrol and resilience and motivation.

Schools should free up time for all teachers to undertake training and it should not be expected that training is undertaken outside of school hours. For training to be effective, it should not be scheduled at the end of a tiring work day when it’s harder to concentrate.

I’M an early career teacher (ECT) and have just started my first job in a secondary school. However, I’ve been given some of the most challenging classes to teach and am struggling. I’ve been told “it will get better” but am losing sleep and feel extremely anxious.

Building resilience and motivation

Check they are aware of any particular issues. They, or your mentor, might speak on your behalf to the head of year if any individual pupils are causing you problems. Good teacher support is always underpinned by support from the senior leadership team. If you feel you are being left to struggle alone, contact the NEU for individual advice.

Ask the union educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 37

Raise your concerns with your mentor who should help you develop strategies for dealing with your particular challenges. Next, your head of department is a key member of staff who can back you up when dealing with challenging pupils or groups.

Impressive though this figure is, the scale of the challenge for Cuba’s education system is such that we need to raise much more if we are to provide the concrete solidarity that Cuban educators need, and the country’s children deserve. We are determined to fill the shipping containers – which we will be sending off to Cuba from next year’s annual national conference in Harrogate – with stationery, special educational resources, arts, music and sports equipment and all the other vital educational supplies that schools need.

More than 20 NEU districts have already made donations to Viva La Educación, together with individuals and other trade unions. Please ask your NEU district to consider making a donation using the model motion at vivaeducacion.org.uk /resources

n To donate by credit/debit card or bank transfer, call 020 7490 5715 or email office@vivaeducacion.org.uk

n See our interview with

Cuban school children using Braille machines

“The Cuban education system does really well compared with others in the region, but because of the blockade Cuban students often have to make do without many of the basic necessities that we take for granted. Our Viva La Educación appeal will help by providing educational supplies which are in short supply due to that 60-year-old US blockade.”

Niurka González, general secretary, Cuban teachers’ union

n Send a cheque, payable to CSC (Viva Educacion), to: CSC, 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB

AS I start my year as NEU president, I want to thank all those membersNEUand

Viva la Educación is a joint initiative of the NEU, Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Music Fund for Cuba charity and Cuba’s education union SNTECD.

Niurka also made clear the cause of the damage to Cuban children’s education,

Viva La Educación appeal for Cuba

Making a donation

I urge every NEU district to support this project. The appeal will also provide muchneeded resources to our sister union in Cuba to help it fulfil its vital role of supporting teachers.

Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary

In April, delegates at this year’s national conference in Bournemouth heard from Niurka González, the general secretary of the Cuban teachers’ union (SNTECD). Niurka received a heartfelt standing ovation from delegates and expressed her deep gratitude for the NEU’s support and solidarity over recent years, including donations of more than 40 Braille machines and 8,000 musical instruments sent to Cuba.

districts that have already donated to the Viva La Educación appeal. Since its launch in February, the appeal has raised almost £40,000 to send essential classroom materials to Cuban schools and teachers.

despite the best efforts of their teachers, when she stated: “It cannot be right that the education of Cuban children is so affected by decisions and actions being taken by the United States Government. We need your support to fight the criminal blockade which has the aim of starving us – something which it will never achieve.”

“It cannot be right that the education of Cuban children is so affected by decisions and actions being taken by the United States government. We need your support to fight the criminal blockade which has the aim of starving us, something which they will never achieve.”

HurdJessbyPHOTO

President Trump and maintained by President Biden, have hit Cuba’s education sector hard. The Covid pandemic and ensuing collapse of tourism has further complicated the economic situation. However, no school has been closed and no teacher has lost their job, and the SNTECD is working across the country to support its members at this difficult time.

Louise Atkinson is the president of the NEU.

A fundraising pack full of ideas and resources is also available on the website. The NEU international department and the Cuba Solidarity Campaign are happy to advise and assist with any activities and to present details of the project to NEU members at meetings.

It is also worth contacting the appeal if you have access to large quantities of educational materials, or relationships with suppliers who may be able to help.

n For more information, visit vivaeducacion.org.uk

Support the appeal

39educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) International

The ongoing illegal blockade, along with the additional sanctions brought in by US

A full list of educational needs and costings is also provided on the website. For example, a £100 donation will provide basic stationery sets for all the students in a oneform entry primary school; £350 will buy a refurbished Braille machine for a school for visually impaired students.

Louise on page 17

AS I believe I’ve mentioned in virtually every piece I’ve written for Educate, the reading relationships that develop between teachers and pupils are a key part of building a classroom and school reading culture.

It becomes even more interesting when the children reflect upon themselves as readers. I usually give them a few minutes to discuss some ideas with a partner first and then give examples of things I might expect to see.

This includes questions such as when do you like to read at home, what else do you read apart from books, and what are you looking forward to reading in the future? This supports the children who don’t naturally view themselves as readers. They then create their own reading identity posters.

@jonnybid

Not only has creating reading identity posters given me more of an insight into their individual reading preferences, it has helped them understand and appreciate each other more as readers. New friendships have been formed over a mutual love of manga or an appreciation of the Can You See Me? series by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. Children have offered to bring in books from home for classmates they think might enjoy them based on what’s on their posters, and there’s been much discussion about which is the best book they’ve ever read, all of which have made it a valuable and important classroom activity.

A lot of this is done through our daily interactions and conversations with the children, but I’ve found that making reading identity posters is an effective way to get an overall idea of their thoughts on reading. I ask them to draw a portrait of me and then write down seven or eight things they know about me as a reader. We list three or four ideas together first, so that they all have a starting point.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)40

It’s always interesting to see how they view me as a reader. Examples of comments include: “He loves to recommend books to children and adults”; “Children from other classes come and borrow his books”; “His favourite book to read aloud is The Outlaw Varjak Paw”; “He likes to know what books we are reading”; and “Mr Biddle doesn’t just like stories, he also likes poems”.

The real value in the task is when we share them with each other at the end. Despite the regular conversations we have, I would never have known that so many of my class enjoy reading manga online; or that a certain child finds it difficult to read books where the parents argue; or what was the specific moment that changed a pupil’s attitude to reading. The fact that a child was honest enough to put on their poster that they love reading but can’t read at home due to it being so noisy (they have several younger siblings) gave me the opportunity to provide them with a quiet reading space at school.

Jon Biddle, English lead and NEU rep at Moorlands Primary in Norfolk, is passionate about fostering a love of reading for pleasure. Here he shares ideas and tips for schools to try. ideasReadmorefromJonnextissue

How children see themselves as readers

Reviews

as several who love non-fiction texts about animals, so I take that into consideration.

It also helps with curating the class library. This year, I have a significant number of readers who enjoy books that feature horses, as well

Getting to know how, where, what, why

Reading identity posters showing how pupils asteacherthemselvesviewandMrBiddlereaders

How well do the pupils actually know you, their teacher, as a reader? How much do they know about the types of books you enjoy, about when you read and about how you read? And how much do you know about them? We’re very aware of their ‘reading life’ in school as we’re there for much of it, and we probably dictate a significant amount of it, but we should also try to learn about their reading lives outside of school.

HEAD teachers, aspiring school sustainability co-ordinators and union activists should read this book – a practical guide to making schools and communities greener, which covers leadership, curriculum, campus and community.

Reasoning by John Bee. Bloomsbury. £24.99.

passion for learning about the past.   Thetoolkit closely follows National Curriculum guidelines and includes everything you need to teach at key stages 1 and 2. A must-have resource for primary teachers who want to use genuine resources from the National Archives.     Aliss HistoryLangridge Toolkitfor Primary Schools by Clare Horrie and Rachel Hillman. Bloomsbury. £27.99.

Maths Mastery Reasoning

Sian MathsSparrow Mastery

A CANDID insight into the heartfelt attempts of a teacher to return aspects of normality to a post-lockdown classroom. Kester Brewin’s novel sheds light on the emotional knifeedge teachers and their classes must navigate to “succeed” as they adjust to a vague “new normal”. Kester draws on his experience working in “a wonderful comprehensive” to depict the delights and frustrations of teachers today. A novel that will resonate with education staff who worked throughout lockdown.  Iris MiddleSolomonClass by Kester Brewin. Vaux. £9.99.

Leadership for Sustainability

A useful set of appendixes on everything from a school mission statement – a purposeful antidote to the usual bromides – to model polices and holistic planning maps can be used as catalysts for schools to explore.

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 41

Leadership for Sustainability: Saving the planet one school at a time by David Dixon. Crown House Publishing. £18.99.

Stories from Dr Dixon’s headships show how even government initiatives that stifle and narrow possibility can be turned into jumpingoff points to explore a deeper humanity and connection to the rest of the world, both human and natural, and improve school results through deepening their purpose.

Cindy Shanks   Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad. Quercus. £9.99.

WRITTEN by two experienced primary teachers, this toolkit aims to help primary teachers bring history to life by prompting active discussion in the classroom. Structured around original historical sources, it includes more than 50 exciting lesson plans that develop pupils’ critical thinking skills, build their understanding of key topics and nurture a

designed activities are an invaluable resource, with key mathematical vocabulary, stem sentences, teacher notes and model activities included, along with clear guidance for users.

Paul Atkin

History Toolkit for Primary Schools

Middle Class

Me and White Supremacy

LAYLA F Saad writes with passion and depth of knowledge about the impact of white supremacy and racism in society, past and present. Reflecting on her own experiences as a child growing up in the UK, the author seeks to empower young people to make their voices heard. There are reflect-and-respond sections where readers can talk or write about their own experiences and taking responsibility. This is a book that inspires action and its aim is to implement changes in communities. This young adult edition can be read individually or as part of a group discussion.

Let us know if you’d like to review them –email us at educate@neu.org.uk

THIS series of texts for key stages 1 and 2 is packed with more than 100 skills. reasoningtheirimprovelookingteacherstodesignedactivitiessupporttopupils’Thesecarefully

Know any good educational websites and apps?

Can the NEU help?

SIGN PETITIONTHE

I worked in education for decades and I am upset that we continue to hear such stories. I wonder how some teachers can possibly expect respect when they do not show any to support staff or stand up for them about their appalling hourly rates.

know for sure because it is so difficult to look at the data.

Show respect to and stand up for colleagues

pet Stormzy

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

Sally Bone, Holbeton

Stormzy was taken in by Claire Dignan, a reception teacher and early years lead from Kingston, when her owner moved to another country.

I RECENTLY returned from a training course – Ofsted’s roadshow for middle leaders –and I am angry.

When the cost of living is hurting everyone, the union must seek fairer pay for these teams. Nursery nurses and classroom assistants are often as experienced and knowledgeable as teachers. Caretaking teams perform tasks that many of us would turn our noses up at while we expect our environment to be made safe by them for Treatus.others as you would expect to be treated. Show respect and appreciation for those who bring different, but essential, skills to your workplace.

www.replaceofsted.valueeducation.org.ukfair.

Our campaign – Replace Ofsted: Let teachers teach – is calling on the Government to replace Ofsted with an accountability system that is supportive, effective and fair.

Do we have teachers and academics holding the Government and Ofsted to account and checking that the research they are using is relevant, appropriate and conclusive?Iamprepared to jump through any numbers of hoops to improve the education of the children I teach. I am not, however, prepared to jump through hoops because Amanda feels it is a good idea without any solid supporting evidence. I’m sure most of my colleagues feel the same way.

www.replaceofsted.valueeducation.org.ukfair.

SIGN PETITIONTHEWemustcreate a new approach to school and college evaluation which is supportive, effective and

n Visit replaceofsted.valueeducation.org.uk

“She likes to be in the garden, to eat and to sleep –much like me. Occasionally, when she has nothing better to do, she enjoys giving everyone a heart attack and burrowing under the soil completely.”

The editor writes: The NEU believes that Ofsted is not fit for purpose. It has never published research which proves that its inspections accurately reflect the quality of education in schools.

The small number of papers I have managed to read do not provide good evidence for classroom practice. Very little has been trialled in classrooms and there are even fewer studies in UK classrooms. Has the efficacy of the Ofsted-sponsored phonics schemes been fairly trialled against other schemes and strategies in UK primary schools and is the evidence significant? I don’t think so, but I can’t

THANK you for Polly Thornley’s article, Schools do not run on teachers alone (Educate, July/ August, page 20).

We must create a new approach to school and college evaluation which is supportive, effective and

www.replaceofsted.valueeducation.org.ukfair.

Teacher’sLetters

We were told at several points that ‘Amanda feels’ we should take this or that approach. Apart from the obvious question of: what does Amanda [Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector] know about it? – she is, after all, not a teacher – we are constantly told that Ofsted takes an evidence-based approach. When I said that I was having trouble accessing the research that Ofsted cites as a basis for its inspections, the Her Majesty’s Inspector taking the course said he couldn’t help and I would have to subscribe to the research publications (at vast cost).

42 educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

We must create a new approach to school and college evaluation which is supportive, effective and

SIGN PETITIONTHE

Wilma Shaw, North Berwick

theOfstedEvidence-basedbutwhere’sevidence?

I READ the article What the phrasal exclamation is going on? by Warwick Mansell (Educate, July/August, page 37) and found myself in total agreement with its sentiment.Havingretired from teaching last year after 36 years in primary education I was shaking my head and lamenting the current fervour for the excessive teaching of grammar in our primary schools. While I agree that this should be taught so that you can produce a coherent piece of writing, I fail to see why each and every part of the sentence has to be named, scrutinised and pulled apart so that it can be put together again in a way that is clinical and totallyHowunimaginative.manywriters sit and check through their writing to make sure that it has fronted adverbials, relative clauses and subordinating conjunctions; that it is written with figurative language and that there is a

Please write The editor welcomes your letters but reserves the right to edit them.

variety of clauses, vocabulary and a wide range of punctuation? This is what we are asking our children to do – to over-think their writing to the point where they are exhausted and lack enthusiasm and lustre.

This is not the fault of the teaching profession, but of the constrictions put upon the teaching of the subject. To help our children write interesting articles and stories we need to read to and with them to inspire this writing. A love of reading fosters a love of writing and an imagination to accompany it. Teaching time is being squeezed so much that reading is either as a whole class activity or an adult led activity.

Gruelling grammar takes joy out of writing

Educate’s feature on neurodivergent teachers

n email membership@neu.org.uk

A review of the balance should be called for and the people who actually teach the subject should be surveyed. We have all found that a child can score a high grade on a SATs test but be incapable of producing a cohesive piece of writing. Something is clearly wrong.

Dawn SheffieldJohnson,

Grammar and MFL

The easiest way to update your details is by logging on to myNEU. Go to my.neu. org.uk to manage your membership,

Nic Martin, Leeds

I still find it difficult to ask for help. Sometimes I don’t know what would help, or how anyone could help. Masking is a very real thing, and while it is definitely a coping strategy, it also by its nature leads to poor selfknowledge and, for me, extremely low thehopetheaffirmingself-esteem.ItwasverytoreadarticleandIothersfeltsame.

n or write to Membership & Subscriptions, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD.

THE article Vive la différence (Educate, May/June, page 28) changed my view of myself as a neurodivergent teacher and individual.

Update your membership details – visit my.neu.org.uk

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 43

n call us on 0345 811 8111 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)

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.

Alternatively:

I completely identified with all the women who contributed to the article, particularly Suzanne (below). I am autistic, but like Suzanne I was undiagnosed until adulthood. I gave up my teaching role for mental health reasons, before I was diagnosed, but I still work in education and am fortunate to have a very supportive workplace.

including updating your address, workplace, and equality information.

As a modern foreign languages (MFL) graduate who has worked as a speech and language therapist, an English as an additional language progress

educate Feature NEURODIVERSITY refers to the different ways the brain interprets information and includes conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All are considered disabilities under the Equality Act 2010, which means employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to support employees in carrying out their job. However, educators are often unwilling to ask for support, despite finding many ways to support their neurodiverse pupils. ‘Don’t want to be seen as nuisance’ “Of course everyone deserves to be supported in their work environment, but at the same time you don’t want to be seen as nuisance,” says Charlotte Barnes-Thomas, design and technology teacher from Walthamstow in east London.Charlotte has dyspraxia, condition that affects movement and co-ordination. A self-described “bull in china shop”, Charlotte says: “I’m constantly bruised. Only today walked into vice.” She is slow reader and sometimes muddles up words. Dyspraxia also affects her short-term memory, meaning that even small changes to things like her timetable have to be written down and transferred to her longterm memory. “Organisation is big thing for me, as need extra time to get things into my head. If meeting room changes at the last minute, have to write it down,” she says. Charlotte has developed strategies to make sure she can do her job such as keeping her timetable on her lanyard and having multiple copies – but, despite the added pressures her neurodiversity brings to her daily life, she is reluctant to approach her employer for adjustments. “You have to start the conversation, and that’s quite nerve-wracking. You are always taking a leap to see how people will react to you being different to other people,” she says. ‘Never occurred to me to ask’ Many neurodiverse educators don’t even realise they can ask for support. Mallainee Martin and Hannah Lawrence are teachers at the same secondary school in London, and both have dyslexia. As well as causing problems with reading, writing and spelling, dyslexia can also affect memory, organisational and numerical skills. Around ten per cent of the UK population has dyslexia. “It has never occurred to me that can ask for reasonable adjustments,” says Hannah, science teacher who wasn’t diagnosed until she was in her late twenties. Her colleague Mallainee, who is head of geography, agrees: “I guess never considered myself neurodiverse. think there’s a lot of stigma and misunderstanding aroundManydyslexia.”neurodiverse staff are so used to developing their own coping strategies –even if these take up additional time or labour in their day – that they are unsure what to ask for from their employer, or feel that they don’t have right to ask for more time or support. As people with invisible disabilities, they feel they don’t have the same right to support as colleagues with visible disabilities. More time needed Being neurodiverse can compound the time, workload and accountability pressures all educators struggle with. Despite being an excellent mathematician, Hannah struggles with mental maths, so for each lesson she needs two hours to prepare PowerPoint presentation with all answers worked out in advance. This means she is often working late into the night putting her lessons together. “Dyslexic people are given more time in exams, but not in the workplace,” says Hannah. For Mallainee, marking homework is very time-consuming, and other writing related tasks take much longer. “I’ve just had to write letter to parents and it’s taken me two weeks to draft,” she says. These added pressures can create strain. The International Dyslexia Association says that as many as 20 per cent of children with dyslexia also suffer from depression and another 20 per cent suffer from an anxiety disorder. Half of all autistic people regularly suffer high levels of anxiety and half will be affected by depression at some point in their life, according to the National Autistic Society (see Suzanne’s story, page 31). Charlotte confesses that she can often suffer from anxiety: “You’re under huge amount of stress because you’re having to put more effort into everyday tasks.” continued on page 31 UNDER section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, neurodiverse conditions includingdyslexia, dyspraxia and autism are considered a disability. If you have a disability which disadvantages you at work, or when you want to apply for a job, employers are obliged to make adjustments which are reasonable in order to prevent you from being placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with persons who are not disabled. reasonable-adjustments-workneu.org.uk/advice/ Know your rights (From left) Charlotte Barnes-Thomas, Mallainee Martin and Hannah Lawrence Interview Vive la différence Around one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent. And while educators find lots of ways to support their neurodivergent pupils, they are often reluctant to ask for help themselves, Emily Jenkins reports. The Liverpool,neurodiversitycelebratingUmbrellaproject,andADHDawareness2019&2021PhotobyIordanis Feature

It’s important that we have the correct address for you for balloting purposes so, if you have moved, make sure you tell us your new home or workplace address.

Write to Letters, Educate, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD or email educate@neu.org.uk

Al Rhodes, Staffordshire

IT’S vital that the NEU has up-to-date details for all its members. You may be eligible for reduced subscriptions – for example, if you work part-time, are about to retire or take maternity leave.

WARWICK Mansell questions the usefulness of SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) learning at the end of key stage 2 (Educate, July/August, page 37).

mentor, and is due to begin initial teacher training in MFL in September, I wish to stress how helpful an understanding of one’s own grammar can be when coming to other language learning or English language/linguistics studies, and for any career involving work with language learners or those with communication needs.

Star Suzanne’sletter experience really resonated

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)44 New Tuition Platform Launching! No more commission, 100% of the payments directly to you. Free for Parents to use (meaning more enquiries) We advertise you to 1000s of potential new clients! Parents contact and pay you directly. HaloTutors.com Resourcesforschoolstoencouragetheuseofclayofallkindsincrea�veeduca�on Designalesson inaboxandwin suppliesfor yourschool LIVE IN OR AROUND NORTH LONDON? Qualified teachers needed to teach motivated pupils on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays WE OFFER GREAT RATES l Primary Years 1 - 6 l Secondary Maths l Secondary Science l Secondary English 020 8440 www.afterschoollearning.com8586Established2007 Please email CV to: info@afterschoollearning.com YOU!NEEDWE

n Visit

THE Big Hair Assembly is back with a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) theme to celebrate World Afro Day (WAD).

The events showcase the best of music education across the UK and feature performances from individual groups and creative partnerships forged throughout the year. It will include a massed ensemble of up to 700 young people and a creative ensemble performance involving 1,500 young people from across the country.

Pupils celebrate the Big Hair Assembly

The Big Hair Assembly is a celebration of equality and diversity. Across the UK, one in six children with Afro-textured hair experiences discrimination in school.

THE English Folk Dance and Song Society has produced a free resource which explores music-makingthe of enslaved people in former British colonies.

2.30pm on 15 September. Hosts are Dr Zoe Williams, Yewande Akinola MBE and US guest Dr Rolanda Wilkerson conducting the Big Hair Investigation. There will also be a quiz and a musical finale.

Children aged ten and over can join the livestream Big Hair Assembly from 1.30-

n Visit relationshipsSupportingbit.ly/3RbAWEZhealthy

A free resource pack is available to prepare learners for the big day, and primary schools are invited to host their own Little Big Hair Assembly.

Music for Youth Prom tickets will be on sale from late September.

sustainabilityTHYMEmortalfools.org.uktothinkabout

FREE resources for schools on the subject of bioeconomics and how to create a sustainable future have been developed by the universities of Hull, Teesside and York.

n Visit mfy.org.uk and quote ‘partner’ when booking.

n Visit bit.ly/3PdPBhq

Noticeboard educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 45

PHOTO by World Afro Day

n Visit assembly-2022worldafroday.com/the-big-hair-

It will be an uplifting and unforgettable evening of live music, performed by today’s brightest young musicians.

The THYME project is aimed at key stages 3 and 4 students and links with curriculum areas such as English, science, citizenship and geography. The resource packs include a range of lesson plans, two short films and practical activities and ideas to encourage students to think about how to promote sustainable consumption.

MUSIC for Youth is offering NEU members a 50 per cent discount on tickets to its Prom concerts on 15 and 16 November at the Royal Albert Hall.

Join Music for Youth Prom at Albert Hall

Black singers and folk ballads

The Music for Youth Prom 2021 finale

Written by musician and singer Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (pictured above), Black Singers and Folk Ballads presents four songs from the repertoires of Black singers from the USA and the Caribbean, with easy-to-learn arrangements and accompanying activities. The resource is suitable for key stages 3 and 4 and links with other areas of the curriculum, in particular English, drama and history.

AWARD-winning theatre and learning charity Mortal Fools has produced four free film shorts – My People – which explore the themes of friendship and belonging.Eachstory has been co-created with young people and professional artists and is accompanied by a resource pack with discussion prompts and activities which encourage discussion around social expectations, evolving relationships, growing up and societal pressures and activism.

A celebration of diversity on WAD

*Selected Band A, B, C & D seats. Valid for Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Thursday matinee performances until 8th Jan. Friday evenings also available until 14th October 2022 (Circle only). Exclusions apply. EDUCATION TICKETS 10+ JUST £25 LIMITED SEASON TO 8 JAN 2023 | GILLIAN LYNNE THEATRE Directed by MICHAEL FENTIMAN Starring SAMANTHA WOMACK as the White Witch Book via email at groups@lwtheatres.co.uk or call 0800 852 7244 FREE EDUCATION RESOURCES AVAILABLE ONLINE HHHH ‘ALL ABOARD FOR A RETURNBEWITCHINGTONARNIA’DAILYMAIL1TEACHERGOESFREE WITH EVERY10BOOKED*TICKETS

Esther says: “I love forests. Walking around early on a weekend morning for a couple of hours provides me with the chance to process events from life or work, while also getting completely

THIS beautiful photograph was taken by Esther Hardman, an assistant head teacher from Kent.

If you are a keen photographer, why not send your pictures to us at educate@neu.org.uk

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They should be large and high resolution, accompanied by 50 words about its subject. We send a £20 book token to each featured so don’t forget to pop your address on the email too.

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taken in by the surrounding beauty. This winding path invites you in, surrounded by colourful azaleas.”

email.

16 Bogotá is the capital of this country (8)

9 Donald ___ : 45th US President (5)

13 Central American country with stars on its flag (8)

1Across

11 ___ Mia: 2008 film starring Meryl Streep (5)

20 Greek god of the underworld (5)

9 - Donald ___ : 45th US President (5)

13 - Central American country with stars on its flag (8)

18 - ___ auction: method of selling (5)

22 - ___ Poulter: English golfer (3)

3 Lockjaw (7)

12 - Eg cookiecutter or great white (5)

Famous cartoon character (4,7)

4 Large tropical lizard (6)

Answers at bottom of page 49 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

7 Musician who recorded the song Purple Haze (4,7)

21 - Spanish wine (5)

Quick crossword

19 A South American dance (5)

24 Pixar animated comedy film of 2001 (8,3)

4 - Large tropical lizard (6)

3 - Lockjaw (7)

6 Final letter of the Greek alphabet (5)

5 - Eg Benedict XVI and Francis (5)

1 - Famous cartoon character (4,7)

6 - Final letter of the Greek alphabet (5)

17 - Body of work of a painter or composer (6)

14 - French shrine town (7)

20 - Greek god of the underworld (5)

8 - Ouagadougou is the capital of this country (7,4)

Sudoku 4 2 9 3 9 5 2 6 1 1 9 3 6 5 4 1 8 2 5 2 8 7 1 6 6 2 9 5 3 9 1 4 2 1 2 6 8 6 9 3 1 7 7 5 2 8 6 7 4 3 6 1 4 9 2 8 5 9 8 6 4 9 2 8 3 9 6 9 5 5 6 7 8 2 1 9 1 8 2 7 7 8 2 9 8 5 6 Easy Medium Difficult Sudoku solutions will feature on this page next issue. Last issue’s (July/August 2022) sudoku solution (from left: Easy, Medium and Difficult) 6 9 1 3 2 7 8 4 5 2 8 3 4 1 5 7 9 6 4 7 5 9 8 6 3 1 2 1 5 6 7 9 3 2 8 4 7 4 2 1 6 8 9 5 3 9 3 8 2 5 4 6 7 1 8 1 9 5 3 2 4 6 7 5 2 7 6 4 9 1 3 8 3 6 4 8 7 1 5 2 9 9 3 2 8 1 6 4 5 7 7 8 5 9 3 4 1 6 2 4 6 1 7 5 2 9 8 3 6 9 3 5 4 1 2 7 8 8 5 7 2 6 9 3 1 4 1 2 4 3 7 8 6 9 5 2 4 8 6 9 7 5 3 1 3 1 6 4 8 5 7 2 9 5 7 9 1 2 3 8 4 6 6 3 7 4 8 5 9 1 2 5 4 8 9 1 2 3 6 7 1 9 2 6 3 7 8 5 4 2 6 5 7 4 3 1 8 9 7 1 4 5 9 8 2 3 6 9 8 3 2 6 1 7 4 5 4 7 1 8 2 6 5 9 3 8 2 9 3 5 4 6 7 1 3 5 6 1 7 9 4 2 8

23 - Patron saint of Wales (5)

23 Patron saint of Wales (5)

2 - Plant of the buttercup family (7)

15 Segment of an insect’s body (7)

11 - ___ Mia: 2008 film starring Meryl Streep (5)

17 Body of work of a painter or composer (6)

8 Ouagadougou is the capital of this country (7,4)

10 - Ostrich-like bird (3)

15 - Segment of an insect's body (7)

12 Eg cookiecutter or great white (5)

7 - Musician who recorded the song Purple Haze (4,7)

19 - A South American dance (5)

Across

18 ___ auction: method of selling (5)

24 - Pixar animated comedy film of 2001 (8,3)

22 ___ Poulter: English golfer (3)

21 Spanish wine (5)

5 Eg Benedict XVI and Francis (5)

48 educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)

16 - Bogotá is the capital of this country (8)

Down

10 Ostrich-like bird (3)

14 French shrine town (7)

2Down Plant of the buttercup family (7)

30 Travel to a state in India (3)

16

7 Weep about an answer: ‘Bird’ (6)

29 See 4 down

seven three (3) 19 Trivial details revealed when I join re-formed uni team (8) 20 New term with SATS – sleep on it! (8) 22 Comes together to support religious leader and friends (7) 23 Became more mature in attempt to describe Hamlet (7) 24 Comments concerning points awarded in test? (7) 25 Come into contact with end of belt – that hurt! (5) 26 Fellow has help centre where students worship (6) 29 He abandons cheaper illicit escapade (5) 123456711 111 111 18 9 110 11111111 12 1 113 11 11 14 1 1 1 15 16 1718 11 11 1111111191 1 20 11121222324 1 2512611271111 28 1129 11130111 31 132 111 1111 133 134 Visit cornmarketinsurance.co.uk/neu Call 028 9044 5086 Your new NEU Insurance Partner Home Car Travel MotorbikeGadget 14255 NEU Crossword Page Image v2 01-19.indd 1 30/01/2019 14:48 Last issue’s (July/August 2022) prize crossword solution Across 4 HMS 8 PINAFORE 9 KAISER 10 FATHER 11 EMPLOYER 13 DEGREE 14 CAMPSITE 15 RAIN 16 NOVELS 18 STRIDE 21 SIDE 22 MATERNAL 24 ROUTER 26 CEREBRAL 29 ARDENT 30 TAVERN 31 NATURIST 32 KEG Down 1 MIRAGE 2 WAR HORSE 3 BOARDERS 4 HERE 5 SKIP 6 MINORS 7 DETESTED 12 MEAN 13 DIN 14 CIVIL 17 ORAL EXAM 18 SERVANTS 19 ROUNDERS 20 EAR 21 SAGA 23 ELEVEN 25 ERNEST 27 RANK 28 LONG The winner and solution of this prize crossword will feature on this page next issue. Congratulations to last issue’s winner – Gareth Price from Oxford

24 Greek wine drunk neat, Sir? (7)

2 Ain’t term awful with strict disciplinarian! (8)

To do with great novels – altered reality, right? (8)

32 Annoy someone about new pet snake? (7)

28 Oscar – possibly a help, I admit, with Shakespearean character (7)

34 Testers travelling city roads (7)

17 Take finals in carpentry or woodwork at northern university (4)

5 Harry, young beginner at ceramics (7)

21 Worry about forfeit, oddly (4)

27 Whiskey swallowed by Harry Enfield (3)

3 Exclusive group, part of the literati (5)

6 Learned about Hero’s lover (7)

educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 49 Prize crossword Send your completed crossword, with your contact details, to: July/August crossword, Educate, NEU, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD, or email a photographed copy to crossword@neu.org.uk. Closing date: 30 September. WIN! A £50 Marks &voucherSpencer Across1BARTSIMPSON9TRUMP10EMU11MAMMA12SHARK13HONDURAS16COLOMBIA18DUTCH21RIOJA22IAN 23DAVID24MONSTERSINCDown2ANEMONE3TETANUS4IGUANA5POPES6OMEGA7JIMIHENDRIX8BURKINAFASO 14LOURDES15ABDOMEN17OEUVRE19TANGO20HADES Thisissue’squickcrosswordsolution(p48) 1Acrossand5 Lab tech Pamela moves to famous London residence (7,6) 9 Tuber I’m treating with metallic element (7) 10 One being taught in a tree, maybe (7) 11 Stephen returns, including his dog, perhaps? (3) 12 Bring up children as sunbeams, we’re told! (5) 13 Lasts to the finish – sure knackered! (7) 14 Starting out, all rowers need at least one (3) 15 Dear one dispatched to famous girls’ school (7)

31 Overturn measurement of schoolboy’s headwear (7)

33 Become airborne round tree – ostentatious! (6)

1Down

4 and 29 across Upset, put on march to Royal palace (7,5)

8 Some lovers enjoy poetry (5) Copy article on physical education (3)

18 Number finishes in two

In a survey we conducted, one in three deaf students (31 per cent) said most or all of their teachers showed poor deaf awareness. This isn’t surprising though – research also shows two thirds of teachers don’t know how to teach a deafThispupil.hits deaf students beyond the education system, as there isn’t equal access to career opportunities. The isolation can also affect their mental health.

As a deaf student, this can be even harder. Two thirds found online lessons difficult to understand during lockdown. When we returned to school, face masks made lip reading impossible and facial expressions so much harder to read.

Meeting pupils’ communication needs Deaf awareness is understanding how to include a deaf person and meet their communication needs in any situation. Poor deaf awareness in the classroom – like not facing the class when speaking or showing videos without subtitles – can be catastrophic. Yet with the right knowledge, it’s easily prevented. It’s important to remember, however, that no two deaf people are the same and what works for one might not work for another.

Deaf children were already at a disadvantage. Did you know deaf children achieve less than hearing children at every stage of school? It’s because there’s a real lack of I’msupport.partof the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) Young People’s Advisory Board –18 deaf young people campaigning for the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and young people.

Compulsory training for teachers

PHOTO by Amit Lennon Photography

Final word

We’re calling for compulsory deaf awareness training for teachers; a step towards closing the gap between deaf and hearing pupils. In March, our online petition asked the then School Standards Minister Robin Walker for this and it’s already passed 80,000 signatures.

STUDENTS everywhere are battling to catch up on what they missed during the pandemic. They’re also getting ready for some of the biggest educational milestones they’ll face.

Deafness isn’t a learning disability, so improving access to lessons can help deaf pupils thrive in class. This will be a significant step in breaking down the barriers deaf children and young people are currently facing in schools, improving the lives of 50,000 across the UK.

The NDCS Roadshow at the Guildhall in London

Hands Up! to improve deaf awareness

We’ve chosen “improving deaf awareness in education” as our priority and called the campaign Hands Up! – this was because we’d all experienced poor deaf awareness in the classroom. If it’s common in a small group, how many are suffering across the UK? Too many. Education is a right, not a privilege, yet the lack of deaf awareness training in schools means deaf students miss out.

Fact file Polly Button, 17, is a VisitAdvisoryPeople’sSocietyDeafonaids.usesstudentprofoundlyseverely-deafwhotwohearingShesitstheNationalChildren’sYoungBoard. ndcs.org.uk

Final word educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)50

Through seemingly small actions in the classroom (such as moving around when speaking), poor deaf awareness accumulates, impacting academic success. In 2021, England’s deaf pupils achieved a whole GCSE grade lower than hearing children on average, for the sixth year running. There are similar gaps in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We’d like to see compulsory deaf awareness training in initial teacher training and regular follow-up training sessions. This can ensure all deaf pupils are included in the classroom, helping them achieve their full potential. Currently only three per cent of teachers feel their teacher training gave them the information they need to meet deaf pupils’ needs.

“Poor deaf awareness in the classroom can be catastrophic, but it is easily prevented.”

It’s our savers who are behind our mortgages behind for the full story

Look

We use collective savings deposits to support mortgage lending like other building societies. But because we’re a specialist teacher mortgage lender, when you choose to save with us, you are directly helping us lend to more teachers so they can buy their first homes. So when you save, you’re not just helping yourself; you’re helping us help teachers - we think that’s something special.

Teachers Building Society, Allenview House, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1AG. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Reg No. 156580)

www.teachersbuildingsociety.co.uk

83% of members worried about changes to school year

back NEU

(Pictured) Ceri-Ann Morris, Milford Haven School head teacher (left), receives a cheque from Claire Sanders-Swales

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU) 1

but more inspections. Issue

Joint branch secretaries Claire SandersSwales and Gavin Sharp said: “We are looking forward to seeing the projects develop and intend to make this an annual event.”

n option C – six terms, school year starts at the end of August, six holidays – two weeks in October, December, February, April and June, and three weeks in August.

Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) said option C would be their least desirable choice.

n option B – five terms, school year starts in August, five holidays – two-week breaks in October, February/March and May, three weeks in December/January, and four weeks in July/August

“We have asked for clear evidence showing how the planned changes will impact positively on learner attainment, as well as staff and pupil wellbeing,” he said.

Mental health matters authorities urged to campaign. Eisteddfod with parents and people. framework? light system scrapped Autumn71 2022

Urdd

found that 83 per cent of members were concerned about a change to the school year. It gave the choice of staying the same or choosing from the three options put forward by the Welsh Government:

The survey, carried out by NEU Cymru,

Donations were made to Milford Haven School for its Enrichment Orchard, Ysgol Harri Tudur in Pembroke for its wellbeing garden, Johnston Community Primary School in Haverfordwest for its outdoor cooking area and Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest for its Happy Hedgehog Homes.

n staying the same – three terms, six holiday periods, six-week summer break n option A – three terms, six holidays, including a three-week break in December and five weeks in July/August

In a statement to the Senedd in June, Education Minister Jeremy Miles said: “We are committed to exploring the structure of the school year to see if we can better support learner and staff wellbeing, tackle disadvantage and educational inequalities, and bring it more into line with modern and future patterns of family life and employment.”

NEU Pembrokeshire is supporting four member-led curriculum projects across the county. With a focus on sustainability, outdoor learning and contributing to positive mental health and wellbeing, the branch committee agreed to offer funding of up to £500 each to support local schools and colleges.

Engaging

THE Welsh Government must consult with the education workforce before moving ahead with any changes to the school year, says NEU Cymru.

Flawed

term

Of the 2,211 responses received, 47 per cent said they would prefer no change. Three quarters (75 per cent) said their preference would be to stay the same or adopt option A.

With more than four fifths of members surveyed saying they were concerned about any changes, and some even saying they would leave the profession, the union says evidence of the benefits of any changes must be outlined.

Local

David Evans, NEU Cymru secretary, said it was a challenging time for everyone in education, with Covid cases resurging and the new curriculum starting this term.

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young

Many raised concerns about drastically reducing the length of the summer holiday, stating that the six-week break was the only time they have to really switch off from work and spend quality time with their family.

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the system of self-evaluation will help them to identify where support is needed.”

Courses have been arranged subject to numbers and Welsh Government guidelines, on the following dates.

10-12 October – Village Hotel, Cardiff

Check your email inbox for information on the latest

Workload and wellbeing

Courses are also available through the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) project and a regularly updated list of topics can be found at bit.ly/3Pn8b77 with information on how to register.

Learning dates for your diary

THE Welsh Government’s school improvement plans announced in the summer met with a mixed response from NEU Cymru.

16 February – Miskin Manor Hotel, Miskin (TBC)

David said this would be a worry for members: “We are concerned that this comes at a time when schools are overloaded in terms of workload. Covid is on the rise again, and is having a real impact in schools.”

16-18 November – Holiday Inn, Newport 6-8 March 2023 – Village Hotel, Ewloe 22-24 March 2023 – Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli

Advanced courses

LEARNING is at the heart of NEU Cymru, and we take pride in the local training that we provide for education professionals, local officers and workplace reps.

Full details at Foundationworkplace-reps-trainingneu.org.uk/courses

16 February – Conwy Business Centre, Llandudno Junction (TBC)

If you would like the union to consider organising a particular course, contact Lisa Williams at lisa.williams@neu.org.uk or Beth Roberts at beth.roberts@neu.org.uk training opportunities. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ neucymrutraining, at @neucymrutrain and visit neu.org.uk/learning-and-events

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)2 News

Mr Miles said the changes to the system of assessment meant that parents would have access to more current, detailed information about their children and their schools.

Three-day foundation and advanced reps courses can be attended in one block or over three separate days.

18 November – The Plough, St Asaph (TBC)

18 November – Future Inn Cardiff (TBC)

More courses through WULF

David Evans, NEU Cymru secretary, said members would be pleased to see the end of national categorisation: “This unhelpful system has led to a culture of fear in the education system in Wales. Schools need support which suits their needs, and hopefully

7 November – Future Inn, Cardiff

Email cymru.wales@neu.org. uk – and remember, reps are legally entitled to attend this training. The NEU will support any rep who has difficulties getting time off work to attend.

1-3 February –Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli

that“Expectationseverypupilissupportedproperly.”

While welcoming the decision to scrap the ‘traffic light’ system of national categorisation, the union was disappointed that Estyn inspections will be increased.

The colour-coded system – ranking schools from red (needing most support for improvement) through amber and yellow to green (least support needed) – was suspended in 2020 to ease pressure on schools during the coronavirus pandemic. Now it is replaced by a self-evaluation system sharing good practice and identifying and addressing failure.

“We are replacing national categorisation with a framework that sets out clear expectations so that every pupil is supported properly. It provides better and more up-to-date information on each school’s improvement plans, so that the focus is on learner progression rather than on headline descriptions,” he said.

We will also continue delivering courses virtually, with six weekly sessions from 4-6pm for all attendees.

Negotiating (redundancy)

3-5 October – Conwy Business Centre, Llandudno Junction

The new system is part of the school improvement framework announced in June by Education Minister Jeremy Miles, which included more regular Estyn inspections and plans to increase them from September 2024.

End of traffic light system, but more Estyn inspections

Employment law

Training for reps

Jeremy Miles (pictured)

Councils urged to support mental health in schools

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education

LOCAL authorities are being urged to adopt extra support measures in schools as part of NEU Cymru’s mental health and wellbeing campaign.

n Mental health charter – the NEU has a mental health charter which is intended as a focal point around which staff and school/ college leaders can collectively develop tools and strategies specific to their needs and aimed at reducing stress. This charter can assist in tackling the root causes problems.mentalwork-relatedofhealth

Education Minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh Government had made “strong progress” and had already implemented a number of the recommendations.

n Workplace audits – every workplace must be supported to conduct a stress/ wellbeing audit, to identify and address any issues. There are examples of good practice in schools, and the union wants to highlight and celebrate these while also identifying areas for development or change. The aim is to see this good practice adopted in every school.

The union has had a positive response to the campaign in meetings during the summer with Education Minister Jeremy Miles and with various local authority (LA) directors of education.MrMiles said he wanted to work collaboratively with the union to find ways of supporting education professionals who suffer with poor mental health and wellbeing.

The group’s recommendations also included: n introducing new incentives to attract more people from Black and other ethnic minorities into teaching n supporting Cardiff University and the BAMEed (Black, Asian and minority ethnic education) Wales network to set up a diversity and anti-racism professional learning project to support educators in understanding and developing anti-racist practice

n Annual report on implementation of the recommendations from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the New Curriculum Working Group is available at bit.ly/3IOuVu1

(Above) actionofyoung(Left)PHOTOCharlotteProfessorWilliamsbyNaomiJellicoeThecoverofthepeople’sversionananti-racistWalesplan

n Wellbeing teams – the union believes every workplace needs a wellbeing team, supported by the Welsh Government, to ensure that mental health is given the priority it deserves. Each team should be representative of all staff and, ultimately, should include other stakeholders such as pupils and governors.

Union (NEU) 3

pages 25-31

A version for young people

While LAs have support already in place for their staff, the union is encouraging them to adopt the following measures:

n For measures,adoptyouroninformationmorehowtogetschooltotheseemail neu.org.ukcymru.wales@

Welsh Government announces pay award for teachers

TEACHING about the histories and contributions of Black and other minority ethnic groups becomes mandatory in Welsh schools from this term.

n the launch of the Betty Campbell professional teaching award for work in schools on teaching the importance of inclusion.Alltherecommendations were accepted by the Welsh Government, and the working group published its first annual report in June this year outlining the progress that had been Profmade.Williams said: “The new mandatory elements of the curriculum, in particular the teaching of the experiences and contributions of people from minority backgrounds, will broaden the education of every child in Wales, so that it better reflects the experiences of the whole“Educatingpopulation.young people about the experiences and contributions of minority ethnic peoples in Wales, past and present, will assist in promoting lasting change aimed at tackling broader inequalities within society.”

An Anti-racist Wales Action Plan

With proposed increases significantly lower than inflation, educators discuss pay and the cost-of-living crisis – see Educate,

Learning materials are being introduced to support teachers to incorporate the new subject areas within the Curriculum for Wales, which is also being rolled out from September. The importance of including the experiences of minority ethnic groups in the new curriculum was among the issues highlighted by a working group commissioned by the Welsh Government in JulyChaired2020. by Professor Charlotte Williams, who was appointed OBE in 2007 for services to ethnic minorities and equal opportunities in Wales, the group published these and other recommendations last year.

Attract more ethnic minority teachers

Resources for educators to teach Black history

It has also published an anti-racist Wales action plan – visit anti-racist-wales-action-plangov.wales/

NEU Cymru was delighted to see so many new and old friends at the annual Urdd Eisteddfod in Denbighshire in the summer.

National Education Union, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD

Wales secretary: David Evans

‘No child should be hungry’

SCHOOLS are starting to serve free school meals for all reception class children from this September.

THE first face-to-face NEU conference Cymru since 2019 will be held at the St George’s Hotel in Llandudno on 22 and 23 October. Officers and representatives from all Welsh branches and districts will be attending to debate motions on issues such as workload, pay and the possible reform of the school year.

North Wales organiser: Cai Jones South Wales Organiser: Robert Goddard Wales solicitor: Angharad Booker

Executive members: Máiréad Canavan, Elizabeth McLean, Hannah O’Neill

Head office

Our professional team is here to provide advice and expertise to our network of workplace representatives and district and branch secretaries.

n NEU Cymru office.

The union had a stall at the week–long event, which is the largest youth festival in Europe. Officers were pleased to be joined by anti-racism education charity Show Racism the Red Card, whose staff gave away wristbands, stickers and magazines.

Education Minister Jeremy Miles said: “No child should ever be at school hungry. Given the pressure so many families are under with the increases in the cost of living, we are committed to

NEU Cymru secretary David Evans said members would be pleased that the minister had recognised the amount of pressure they were under.

Sixth Inset day for another year

Tel: 020 7388 6191

Email: cymru.wales@neu.org.uk

taking practical measures to support our children and young people.”

Here to help

Ty Sinnott, 18 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PJ

Union policy officer Stuart Williams said: “With tens of thousands of attendees, many of them NEU members, the Urdd Eisteddfod is a great opportunity for us to engage with parents and young people. This was especially important as this year we were able to discuss our mental health and wellbeing campaign.”

The number of Inset days was increased from five to six for three years in 2019 in recognition of the extra work that would be required to introduce the new curriculum. Education Minister Jeremy Miles has now extended the extra day for a further year.

educate in Wales Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)4 News

President: Louise Atkinson

AS part of the largest education union in Europe, NEU Cymru can offer members an unrivalled service.

Joint general secretaries: Mary Bousted & Kevin Courtney

SCHOOLS are to continue with an extra Inset day as they roll out the new national curriculum.

Tel: 029 2049 1818

The Welsh Government is funding local authorities across Wales to provide a free, daily nutritious meal to all primary school children by 2024, starting with the youngest children this term.

“Extra Inset days were hard fought for by the unions, to support the workforce to plan for their learners,” he said. “I think many members will want to see the minister go further, but this is certainly a welcome step.”

The NEU Cymru stall had displays on the mental health and wellbeing campaign in Wales, the Value Education, Value Educators campaign, and the new Wales Union Learning Fund project, all of which attracted a lot of attention from attendees.

In-person Cymru conference

Senior Wales officers: Gareth Lloyd, Debbie Scott

NEU Cymru

If you have a problem at work or want to know more about member services, contact: n your workplace representative n your branch secretary n AdviceLine

Translation by Rhys Iorwerth Cyf hotmail.comrhysiorwerth@

Senior Wales policy officer: Mary van den Heuvel

Website: neu.org.uk

Mynegodd nifer bryderon am gwtogi hyd gwyliau’r haf yn sylweddol, gan ddatgan mai’r gwyliau chwech wythnos oedd yr unig gyfle oedd ganddyn nhw i anghofio am waith a threulio amser gwerthfawr gyda’u teuluoedd.

O’r 2,211 o ymatebion a ddaeth i law, dywedodd 47 y cant y byddai’n well ganddyn nhw pe na bai unrhyw newid. Dywedodd tri chwarter (75 y cant) y bydden nhw’n ffafrio pe bai pethau’n aros yr un fath, neu ddewis opsiwnDywedoddA.

Yn ôl David Evans, ysgrifennydd NEU Cymru, mae’n gyfnod heriol i bawb yn y byd addysg, gyda nifer yr achosion o Covid yn codi drachefn a’r cwricwlwm newydd yn dechrau y tymor hwn.

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol 1

Dywedodd dros bedwar o bob pump aelod a gymerodd ran mewn arolwg eu bod yn pryderu am unrhyw newidiadau, a dywedodd rhai y bydden nhw’n gadael y proffesiwn, hyd yn oed. Gan hynny, mae’r undeb yn dweud bod yn rhaid dangos manteision unrhyw newidiadau yn glir.

“Rydyn ni wedi gofyn am dystiolaeth glir sy’n dangos sut y bydd y newidiadau arfaethedig yn effeithio’n gadarnhaol ar gyrhaeddiad dysgwyr, yn ogystal ag ar les staff a disgyblion,” meddai.

Pwysigrwydd

Mewn datganiad i’r Senedd ym mis Mehefin, dywedodd Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg: “Rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo i edrych ar strwythur y flwyddyn ysgol i weld a allwn ni hybu lles dysgwyr a staff yn well, mynd i’r afael ag anfanteision ac anghydraddoldebau mewn addysg, a chreu strwythur sy’n fwy cydnaws â phatrymau bywyd teuluol a gwaith yn y cyfnod modern ac yn y dyfodol.”

iechyd meddwl Annog awdurdodau lleol i gefnogi ymgyrch yr NEU. Eisteddfod yr Urdd Cyfarfod rhieni a phobl ifanc. Fframwaith diffygiol? Diwedd y system goleuadau traffig, ond mwy o arolygiadau. Rhifyn 71 Tymor yr Hydref 2022

MAE NEU Sir Benfro yn cefnogi pedwar o brosiectau’r cwricwlwm sy’n cael eu harwain gan aelodau ledled y sir. Gan roi pwyslais ar gynaliadwyedd, dysgu yn yr awyr agored, a chyfrannu at les ac iechyd meddwl da, cytunodd pwyllgor y gangen i gynnig cyllid o hyd at £500 yr un i helpu ysgolion a cholegau lleol.

nghymruyngaddysgu 83% o aelodau yn pryderu am newid y flwyddyn ysgol

RHAID i Lywodraeth Cymru ymgynghori â’r gweithlu addysg cyn bwrw yn ei blaen i gyflwyno unrhyw newidiadau i’r flwyddyn ysgol, yn ôl NEU Cymru.

bron i ddau draean (63 y cant) mai opsiwn C fyddai’r lleiaf atyniadol.

(Yn y llun) Ceri-Ann Morris, pennaeth Ysgol Aberdaugleddau (ar y chwith), yn cael siec gan Claire Sanders-Swales

Yn ôl yr arolwg, a gynhaliwyd gan NEU Cymru, roedd 83 y cant o’r aelodau yn pryderu am newid y flwyddyn ysgol. Rhoddwyd dewis i’r aelodau: pethau i aros yr un fath, neu un o’r tri opsiwn sydd wedi’u cynnig gan Lywodraeth Cymru: n pethau i aros yr un fath – tri thymor, chwe gwyliau, gwyliau haf chwe wythnos n opsiwn A – tri thymor, chwe gwyliau, gan gynnwys gwyliau tair wythnos ym mis Rhagfyr a phump wythnos ym mis Gorffennaf/Awst n opsiwn B – pum tymor, gyda’r flwyddyn ysgol yn dechrau ym mis Awst, a phum gwyliau – gwyliau dwy wythnos ym mis Hydref, mis Chwefror/Mawrth a mis Mai, tair wythnos ym mis Rhagfyr/Ionawr, a phedair wythnos ym mis Gorffennaf/Awst n opsiwn C – chwe thymor, gyda’r flwyddyn ysgol yn dechrau ddiwedd mis Awst, a chwe gwyliau – dwy wythnos ym mis Hydref, mis Rhagfyr, mis Ebrill a mis Mehefin, a thair wythnos ym mis Awst.

Rhoddwyd arian i Ysgol Aberdaugleddau ar gyfer ei Pherllan Cyfoethogi, i Ysgol Harri Tudur ym Mhenfro ar gyfer ei gardd les, i Ysgol Gynradd Gymunedol Johnston yn Hwlffordd ar gyfer ei hardal goginio awyr agored, ac i Goleg Penfro, Hwlffordd ar gyfer ei Gartrefi Draenogod Hapus.

Meddai Claire Sanders-Swales a Gavin Sharp, cydysgrifenyddion y gangen: “Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen at weld y prosiectau’n datblygu ac yn bwriadu gwneud hwn yn ddigwyddiad blynyddol.”

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol2 Newyddion

16 Chwefror – Miskin Manor Hotel, Meisgyn (i’w gadarnhau)

Cyrsiauuk/workplace-reps-trainingsylfaen

Mae modd mynychu’r cyrsiau sylfaen a’r cyrsiau uwch i gynrychiolwyr, sy’n para tridiau, naill ai mewn un bloc neu dros dri diwrnod ar wahân.

Mae’r system newydd yn rhan o’r fframwaith gwella ysgolion a gyhoeddwyd gan Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg, ym mis Mehefin. Mae’r fframwaith yn cynnwys arolygiadau mwy rheolaidd gan Estyn a chynlluniau i’w cynyddu o fis Medi 2024Dywedoddymlaen.

Os hoffech chi i’r undeb ystyried trefnu cwrs penodol, anfonwch e-bost at Lisa Williams, lisa.williams@ neu.org.uk neu Beth Roberts, beth. roberts@neu.org.uk

Dywedodd Mr Miles fod y newidiadau i’r system asesu yn golygu y byddai modd i rieni weld gwybodaeth fwy cyfredol, fanylach am eu plant a’u “Ynhysgolion.lle’rcategoreiddio cenedlaethol, rydyn ni’n cyflwyno fframwaith sy’n pennu disgwyliadau clir fel bod pob disgybl yn cael y cymorth iawn. Mae’n rhoi gwybodaeth well a mwy cyfredol am gynllun gwella pob ysgol, fel bod y pwyslais ar gynnydd disgyblion yn hytrach nag ar benawdau disgrifiadol,” meddai.

Cyfraith cyflogaeth

18 Tachwedd – Future Inn, Caerdydd (i’w gadarnhau)

Ynmethiannau.ôlDavidEvans, ysgrifennydd NEU Cymru, bydd yr aelodau’n falch o weld diwedd y categoreiddio cenedlaethol: “Nid yw’r system hon yn helpu neb, ac mae hi wedi arwain at greu diwylliant llawn ofn yn y system addysg

Cyrsiau uwch

Hyfforddiant i gynrychiolwyr

Dyddiadau dysgu i’ch dyddiadur

Mae’r cyrsiau wedi’u trefnu ar sail y niferoedd ac ar sail canllawiau Llywodraeth Cymru, a hynny ar y dyddiadau canlynol.

yn llethu ysgolion. Mae Covid yn cynyddu drachefn, ac yn cael gwir effaith ar ysgolion.”

Baich gwaith a lles

Trafod telerau (dileu swyddi)

Mae’r manylion llawn yn neu.org.

Rhagor o gyrsiau drwy WULF

Mae cyrsiau hefyd ar gael drwy brosiect Cronfa Ddysgu Undebau Cymru (WULF) ac mae rhestr wedi’i diweddaru o’r pynciau i’w gweld yn bit.ly/3Pn8b77 ynghyd â gwybodaeth am sut i gofrestru..

Cadwch olwg ar eich e-bost i weld gwybodaeth am y cyfleoedd hyfforddiant diweddaraf. Hoffwch ni ar Facebook yn facebook.com/neucymrutraining, dilynwch ni ar Twitter drwy @neucymrutrain ac ewch i neu.org.uk/learning-and-events

CYMYSG oedd ymateb NEU Cymru i’r cynlluniau a gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru yn yr haf ar gyfer gwella ysgolion.

Er bod yr undeb yn croesawu’r penderfyniad i gael gwared ar y system ‘goleuadau traffig’ ar gyfer categoreiddio ysgolion yn genedlaethol, roedd yn siomedig y bydd mwy o arolygiadau gan Estyn.Cafodd y system sy’n defnyddio lliwiau – gan raddio ysgolion o rai coch (sydd angen y cymorth mwyaf i wella) i rai oren i felyn i wyrdd (y rhai sydd angen y lleiaf o gymorth) – ei rhoi o’r neilltu dros dro yn 2020 er mwyn ysgafnhau’r pwysau ar ysgolion yn ystod pandemig y coronafeirws. Bellach, mae system hunanwerthuso wedi’i chyflwyno yn ei lle, er mwyn rhannu arferion da a chanfod a mynd i’r afael â

10-12 Hydref – Village Hotel, Caerdydd. 1-3 Chwefror – Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli

David y byddai hyn yn achosi pryder i aelodau: “Rydyn ni’n pryderu bod hyn yn digwydd ar adeg pan mae’r llwyth gwaith

“Y disgyblywdisgwyliadauybyddpobyncaelycymorthiawn.”

Jeremy Miles (yn y llun)

16-18 Tachwedd – Holiday Inn, 6-8CasnewyddMawrth2023 – Village Hotel, Ewloe 22-24 Mawrth 2023 – Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli

18 Tachwedd – The Plough, Llanelwy (i’w gadarnhau)

7 Tachwedd – Future Inn, Caerdydd

Diwedd y system goleuadau traffig, ond mwy o arolygiadau Estyn

Byddwn ni hefyd yn parhau i ddarparu cyrsiau’n rhithwir, gyda chwe sesiwn wythnosol rhwng 4pm a 6pm ar gyfer pawb sy’n cymryd rhan.

3-5 Hydref – Canolfan Fusnes Conwy, Cyffordd Llandudno

Anfonwch e-bost i cymru.wales@ neu.org.uk – a chofiwch, mae hawl gyfreithiol gan gynrychiolwyr i gael yr hyfforddiant hwn. Bydd yr NEU yn cefnogi unrhyw gynrychiolydd sy’n wynebu anawsterau wrth geisio cael amser i ffwrdd o’r gwaith i fod yn bresennol.

yng Nghymru. Mae angen cymorth ar ysgolion sy’n addas i’w hanghenion, a gobeithio y bydd system hunanwerthuso yn eu helpu i ganfod ble mae angen cymorth arnyn nhw.”

16 Chwefror – Canolfan Fusnes Conwy, Cyffordd Llandudno (i’w gadarnhau)

MAE awdurdodau lleol yn cael eu hannog i gyflwyno mwy o gamau cefnogi mewn ysgolion fel rhan o ymgyrch iechyd meddwl a lles NEUMae’rCymru.undeb wedi cael ymateb cadarnhaol i’r ymgyrch mewn cyfarfodydd yn ystod yr haf â Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg, ac amryw o gyfarwyddwyr addysg awdurdodauDywedoddlleol.Mr Miles ei fod eisiau cydweithio â’r undeb i ddod o hyd i ffyrdd o helpu gweithwyr addysg proffesiynol sy’n dioddef o iechyd meddwl a lles gwael.

“Mae addysgu pobl ifanc am brofiadau a chyfraniadau pobl ethnig leiafrifol yng Nghymru, nawr ac yn y gorffennol, yn helpu i hybu newid sy’n para wrth fynd i’r afael ag anghydraddoldebau ehangach mewn cymdeithas.”Dywedodd Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg, fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud “cynnydd cryf” ac eisoes wedi rhoi nifer o’r argymhellion ar waith.

Cymru yn cyhoeddi dyfarniad cyflog i athrawon Gyda’r cynnydd a gynigiwyd yn sylweddol is na’r gyfradd chwyddiant, mae addysgwyr yn trafod cyflogau a’r argyfwng costau byw – gweler Educate, tudalennau 25-31

Roedd argymhellion y grwp hefyd yn cynnwys: n cyflwyno cymhellion newydd i ddenu mwy o bobl o gefndiroedd pobl Dduon a lleiafrifoedd ethnig eraill i addysgu n helpu Prifysgol Caerdydd a rhwydwaith BAMEed Cymru (addysg pobl Dduon, Asiaidd a lleiafrifoedd ethnig) i sefydlu prosiect dysgu proffesiynol ym maes amrywiaeth a gwrth-hiliaeth er mwyn helpu addysgwyr i ddeall a datblygu ymarfer gwrth-hiliol n lansio gwobr addysgu proffesiynol Betty

Llywodraeth

Cafodd yr holl argymhellion eu derbyn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, a chyhoeddodd y gweithgor ei adroddiad blynyddol cyntaf ym mis Mehefin eleni yn dangos y cynnydd sydd wedi’iMeddai’rwneud.

Dan gadeiryddiaeth yr Athro Charlotte Williams, a gafodd OBE yn 2007 am wasanaethau i leiafrifoedd ethnig a chyfleoedd cyfartal yng Nghymru, cyhoeddodd y grwp yr argymhellion hyn a rhai eraill y llynedd.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd wedi cyhoeddi cynllun gweithredu gwrth-hiliol – ewch i cymru-wrth-hiliolllyw.cymru/cynllun-gweithredu-

Adnoddau i addysgu hanes pobl Dduon

(Uchod) Yr Athro Charlotte Williams LLUN gan Naomi Jellicoe

Er bod awdurdodau lleol eisoes yn rhoi cymorth i’w staff, mae’r undeb yn eu hannog i fabwysiadu’r camau canlynol:

Annog cynghorau i hybu iechyd meddwl mewn ysgolion

n Archwiliadau yn y gweithle – dylid helpu pob gweithle i gynnal archwiliad straen/ lles, er mwyn canfod unrhyw broblemau a mynd i’r afael â nhw. Mae enghreifftiau i’w cael o arferion da mewn ysgolion, ac mae’r undeb eisiau amlygu a dathlu’r rhain, gan ganfod meysydd i’w datblygu neu’u newid ar yr un pryd. Y nod yw mabwysiadu’r arferion da hyn ym mhob ysgol.

n Siarter iechyd meddwl – mae gan yr NEU siarter iechyd meddwl a’i nod yw rhoi ffocws i staff ac arweinwyr ysgolion a cholegau wrth iddyn nhw fynd ati ar y cyd i ddatblygu adnoddau a strategaethau sy’n benodol i’w hanghenion ac yn ceisio lleihau straen. Fe all y siarter hwn helpu i fynd i’r afael ag achosion gysylltiedigmeddwlproblemaugwaelodoliechydsy’nâgwaith

n I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am sut y gallai’ch ysgol chi fabwysiadu’r camau hyn, anfonwch e-bost i neu.org.ukcymru.wales@

Campbell am waith mewn ysgolion i addysgu pwysigrwydd cynhwysiant.

A version for young people

Mae deunyddiau dysgu’n cael eu cyflwyno i helpu athrawon i ymgorffori’r meysydd pwnc newydd yng Nghwricwlwm Cymru, sydd hefyd yn cael ei gyflwyno ym mis Medi.

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol 3

MAE addysgu am hanes a chyfraniadau pobl Dduon a grwpiau lleiafrifoedd ethnig yn orfodol yn ysgolion Cymru o’r tymor hwn ymlaen.

Athro Williams: “Bydd elfennau gorfodol newydd y cwricwlwm, yn enwedig o ran addysgu am brofiadau a chyfraniadau pobl o gefndiroedd lleiafrifol, yn ehangu gorwelion addysg pob plentyn yng Nghymru, fel bod yr addysg honno’n adlewyrchu’n well brofiadau’r holl boblogaeth.

n Mae’r adroddiad blynyddol ar weithredu argymhellion y Gweithgor Cymunedau, Cyfraniadau a Chynefin Pobl Ddu, Asiaidd ac Ethnig Leiafrifol yn y Cwricwlwm Newydd ar gael yn bit.ly/3SnPBNV

Roedd pwysigrwydd cynnwys profiadau grwpiau lleiafrifoedd ethnig yn y cwricwlwm newydd ymhlith y materion a bwysleisiwyd gan weithgor a gomisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ym mis Gorffennaf 2020.

An Anti-racist Wales Action Plan

n Timau lles – mae’r undeb yn credu bod angen tîm lles ar bob gweithle, gyda chymorth Llywodraeth Cymru, i sicrhau bod iechyd meddwl yn cael y blaenoriaeth y mae’n ei haeddu. Dylai pob tîm fod yn gynrychioladol o’r holl staff, ac yn y pen draw, dylai gynnwys rhanddeiliaid eraill fel disgyblion a llywodraethwyr.

^ ^

(Ar y chwith) Clawr fersiwn pobl ifanc o gynllun gweithredu Cymru wrth-hiliol

Yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, Llundain WC1H 9BD

Aelodau Gweithredol: Máiréad Canavan, Elizabeth McLean, Hannah O’Neill

Cyfreithiwr Cymru: Angharad Booker

E-bost: cymru.wales@neu.org.uk

Cyd-ysgrifenyddion Cyffredinol: Mary Bousted a Kevin Courtney

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ariannu awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru i roi pryd maethlon, rhad ac am ddim, bob dydd i holl blant ysgolion cynradd erbyn 2024, gan ddechrau gyda’r plant ieuengaf y tymor hwn.

addysgu yng nghymru Eich cylchgrawn gan yr Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol4 Newyddion

Ffôn: 029 2049 1818

Gwefan: neu.org.uk

NEU Cymru

Uwch Swyddogion Cymru: Gareth Lloyd, Debbie Scott Uwch Swyddog Polisi Cymru: Mary van den Heuvel

Ysgrifennydd Cymru: David Evans

yn y gwaith neu i gael rhagor o wybodaeth am ein gwasanaethau i aelodau, cysylltwch â’r canlynol: n cynrychiolydd eich gweithle n ysgrifennydd eich cangen n AdviceLine n Swyddfa NEU Cymru.

Dywedodd Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg: “Ni ddylai unrhyw blentyn lwgu yn yr ysgol. Ac ystyried y pwysau y mae cynifer o deuluoedd yn ei wynebu gyda’r cynnydd mewn costau byw, rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo

FEL yr galladdysgundebmwyaf,NEUCymru roi gwasanaeth heb ei ail i’w aelodau. Mae ein tîm proffesiynol yma i changhennau.ysgrifenyddionoerharbenigeddddefnyddio’umwynhelpueinrhwydwaithgynrychiolwyrgweithleacrhanbarthauaOsoesgennychchibroblem

Ty Sinnott, 18 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Caerdydd CF24 5PJ

i gymryd camau ymarferol er mwyn helpu ein plant a’n pobl ifanc.”

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Prif Swyddfa

Llywydd: Louise Atkinson

Yma i helpu

‘Ni ddylai unrhyw blentyn lwgu’ BYDD ysgolion yn dechrau rhoi prydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant dosbarthiadau derbyn o fis Medi.

Cyfieithiad gan Rhys Iorwerth Cyf rhysiorwerth@hotmail.com

Trefnydd y Gogledd: Cai Jones Trefnydd y De: Robert Goddard

Cynhadledd wyneb yn wyneb yng Nghymru

BYDD cynhadledd gyntaf wyneb yn wyneb yr NEU yng Nghymru ers 2019 yn cael ei chynnal yng Ngwesty St George yn Llandudno ar 22 a 23 Hydref. Bydd swyddogion a chynrychiolwyr o holl ganghennau a rhanbarthau Cymru yn bresennol i drafod cynigion am faterion fel llwyth gwaith, cyflogau, a’r posibilrwydd o ddiwygio’r flwyddyn ysgol.

BYDD ysgolion yn parhau i gael chweched diwrnod hyfforddiant mewn swydd wrth iddyn nhw gyflwyno’r cwricwlwm newydd. Cynyddwyd nifer y diwrnodau hyfforddiant mewn swydd o bump i chwech am dair blynedd yn 2019, er mwyn cydnabod y gwaith ychwanegol a fyddai’n angenrheidiol i gyflwyno’r cwricwlwm newydd. Mae Jeremy Miles, y Gweinidog Addysg, bellach wedi cyhoeddi y bydd y diwrnod ychwanegol i’w gael am flwyddyn arall.

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Dywedodd David Evans, ysgrifennydd NEU Cymru, y byddai’r aelodau’n falch bod y gweinidog wedi cydnabod faint o bwysau sydd arnyn nhw. “Fe wnaeth yr undebau frwydro’n galed i gael rhagor o ddiwrnodau hyfforddiant mewn swydd, er mwyn helpu’r gweithlu i gynllunio ar gyfer eu dysgwyr,” meddai. “Rwy’n credu y bydd nifer o aelodau am weld y gweinidog yn gwneud rhagor, ond mae hwn yn sicr yn gam i’w groesawu.”

PROFIAD braf i NEU Cymru oedd gweld cynifer o ffrindiau newydd a hen yn Eisteddfod yr Urdd yn Sir Ddinbych dros yr haf. Roedd gan yr Undeb babell yn y digwyddiad wythnos o hyd, sef yr wyl ieuenctid fwyaf yn Ewrop. Roedd y swyddogion yn falch bod yr elusen Dangos y Cerdyn Coch i Hiliaeth wedi ymuno â’r undeb, a bu’r staff yn rhoi bandiau arddwrn, sticeri a chylchgronau i bobl am ddim. Roedd gan stondin NEU Cymru arddangosfeydd am yr ymgyrch iechyd meddwl a lles yng Nghymru, yr ymgyrch Gwerthfawrogi Addysg, Gwerthfawrogi Addysgwyr, a phrosiect newydd Cronfa Ddysgu Undebau Cymru, a gafodd lawer o sylw gan ymwelwyr. Meddai Stuart Williams, swyddog polisi’r undeb: “Gyda degau ar filoedd yn bresennol, a nifer ohonyn nhw’n aelodau’r NEU, mae Eisteddfod yr Urdd yn gyfle da inni gyfarfod rhieni a phobl ifanc. Roedd hyn yn arbennig o bwysig gan ein bod eleni yn gallu trafod ein hymgyrch iechyd meddwl a lles.”

Chweched hyfforddiantdiwrnodamflwyddyn arall