News in brief

‘The backbone of education’

By Laura Rutley, women’s

organising forum MYSELF and more than a dozen sisters from the NEU attended the TUC women’s conference in London (8-10 March). What an experience it was.

Several of us didn’t really know what to expect – we’d never been before. It wasn’t long, however, before we understood what we were truly a part of, as we listened and applauded women from across the trade union movement.

I was proud to co-lead a lunchtime fringe on the union’s toolkit It’s Not OK – preventing sexism and sexual harassment in schools.

We left invigorated, with renewed energy and purpose. Women are the backbone of the education sector. Be brave, have courage, know your worth. When a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.

Covid-19 public inquiry

THE Covid-19 public inquiry was set up to examine the UK’s response to, and impact of, the pandemic. The NEU has been playing an active role on behalf of members to ensure that education is high on the agenda.

We have provided detailed and compelling evidence that schools found it harder to deal with Covid-19 because of long-standing issues around funding and austerity, as well as crises in teacher supply, high levels of workload and poor working environments. The NEU has also provided evidence documenting our experience of liaising with ministers and the Department for Education.

Fareham strike suspended

NEU members have suspended their strike action at Crofton Hammond Junior School in Fareham, in Hampshire, after resolving significant issues in a dispute with the local authority.

Members had successfully balloted for five days of strike action between March and May, over unacceptable management practices, excessive workload, unagreed working practices, and bullying and victimisation of their union rep.

However, after the local authority agreed to a significant number of the union’s demands, the first day of action was suspended to allow more time to resolve the remaining issues.

Supporting migrant pupils

By Safiyya Patel, Kirklees NEU

THE Illegal Migration Bill making its way through Parliament is set to strengthen the hostile environment, which will have negative implications for children in our classrooms.

While Home Secretary Suella Braverman has stated that children will be exempt from detention and removal under this bill, the psychological trauma of parents being deported, or the fear of this happening, will undoubtedly impact children’s learning, socialisation and achievement.

Migrant and refugee children deserve to feel a sense of belonging and community in our schools. In my district, Kirklees in West Yorkshire, we have a proud history of supporting refugee organisations and developing strategies to advocate for support in schools for migrant children.

n Email safiyya.patel@neu.org.uk n See page 50

CEO pay continues to soar

PAY increases for chief executives and heads in the biggest academy trusts are far outstripping those of teachers, according to an analysis of the most recent multi-academy trust (MAT) accounts.

A report by the Kreston Academies Group, a network of accountancy firms, found that the average MAT chief executive or head teacher received a ten per cent pay increase in 2021-22 compared to the previous year.

Separate analysis by journalist Warwick Mansell published on his

THE NEU held a residential for Black LGBT+ members in March. Mathieu Ishimwe (pictured left), co-chair of the Black LGBT+ educators’ network, was part of the delegation.

Mathieu said: “The theme of the event was belonging, and we looked at how empowering it can be when we embrace our LGBT+ and Black identities and the positive impact on our wellbeing. It was a safe space where we could discuss our vulnerabilities as Black LGBT+ educators and learn from each other.” n Find out more about the Black LGBT+ network by emailing lgbt@neu.org.uk n See page 35

Education Uncovered website shows that average top pay in the largest MATs has grown by 12 per cent over the last four years, rising from £198,500 in 2017-18 to £222,500 in 2021-22.

By comparison, under the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, salaries for teachers at the top of the classroom pay spine have grown by just 7.6 per cent over the same period.

Supply pay less than £100 a day

AN NEU survey of 2,700 supply members in England and Wales has found that 71 per cent of respondents have been denied pay parity with teachers directly employed by a workplace and 66 per cent have never received it.

Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR) state that agency workers with 12 weeks of service with the same hirer should be paid thereafter as if they had been contracted directly to do the job.

The poll found that the majority of respondents (78 per cent) sourced work through supply agencies. Some members, particularly in the northern, north west and south west regions, continued to report being paid rates of less than £100 per day.

Availability of work has improved, with more than half of respondents (57 per cent) reporting being able to obtain work every day, up from 23 per cent in 2021.

n The NEU’s Alternatives to agencies toolkit supports members to find work direct. Visit neu.org.uk/a2a n Use the NEU’s AWR pay assessor at awrpayassessor.neu.org.uk