London shows that there is power in a Union

On the STEM6 picket-line

London's roads and buses were packed solid this morning as the 48-hour strike by the RMT and TSSA shutdown the tube network.

The press will undoubtedly try and whip-up anti-union feeling as a result of the action but I didn't hear a single complaint against the transport unions from commuters today. On the contrary, as I said when I spoke to a pre-strike rally outside Euston station last night, union action consistently gets strong public backing. Most people are suffering in some way from job insecurity, or are struggling to pay bills, seeing their services cut, or being put under pressure at work. So, when a Union stands up to oppose these attacks, they get support!

I was on a bus to get to the picket-line outside STEM6 Free School in Islington, where NUT members are also on a 48-hour strike today and tomorrow. Their dispute is simply to win the right to have their trade union recognised. It seemed that they had won that demand - until management reneged on a commitment made last week - resulting in today's action going ahead. The fact that students turned up today to find that only one single non-union teacher was teaching lessons is entirely the responsibility of management's refusal to accept a basic democratic right for their staff.

The picket-line was in good mood, boosted by the many messages of support that they had received via @TeacherROAR and from NUT Associations. They were angered by the 'dishonorable' about-turn by their management. Yet, it seemed that this was just the latest example of the STEM6 teachers finding they had been misled. 

As a physics teacher myself, I can see how these colleagues were attracted to apply to work at a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Sixth Form, despite its Free School status. However, they then found how these schools are likely to operate. They were given contracts containing unacceptable conditions - and without even allowing the right to have a recognised union negotiate improvements on their behalf.

Of course, of all the teachers to anger, provoking a dispute with teachers in shortage STEM subjects seems to be a tactical error! Let's hope that, now NUT members have displayed their strength in action, management will recognise the error of their ways. Meanwhile, STEM6 staff will be on strike again tomorrow and some of the pickets will also be attending a strike rally at London Met Uni where UCU and UNISON members are also on strike tomorrow as part of their pay dispute.

These aren't the only local disputes brewing in London. I attended a determined meeting of NUT and NASUWT members from Harris Boys' in Dulwich last night, where staff informed union negotiators of the changes they needed to see made to the demoralising observation regime at the Academy. Negotiations are taking place today which will hopefully make sufficient progress on these issues but, if not, the teachers were clear that they were also ready to take strike action.

The NUT has already given notice for strike action next Wednesday, February 12th, at Avenue primary in Newham where governors have agreed an unacceptable local policy that includes 'half-points' on teachers' pay-scales. This could clearly be used to ration pay increases for staff. Messages of support should be sent to the school rep, Louise Cuffaro at loucuffaro@hotmail.co.uk.

At the RMT/TSSA rally outside Euston station

These local battles reflect the growing determination amongst teachers and other trade unionists to stand up against the management onslaught inspired by this Government's attacks. Now, these local struggles need linking together in co-ordinated national action. The NUT will shortly be announcing its national strike plans in March. However, as all of us who spoke from across a range of unions at the RMT/TSSA rally in Euston last night said, we also need to join those different actions together in joint action that would really hit the headlines and start to force this Government into retreat.

Lewisham NUT: Sticking together wins success over divisive performance-pay

Thanks to the commitment shown by NUT members in seven schools where strike notice was issued by the National Union, negotiations on Friday afternoon concluded with a successful outcome for teachers and schools in Lewisham.

Those strike notices were issued as part of the NUT's national policy to "back members at school level who want to escalate action, including up to strike action, to secure an acceptable pay policy".

As the National November NUT Reps Bulletin correctly pointed out, “an acceptable school pay policy is worth fighting for. A teacher on M3 who unfairly loses a pay increment could be worse off every year for ten years or more until they reach the top of the pay scale. They could lose £15,000 plus".

Lewisham NUT's experience of looking to co-ordinate that escalation across a number of schools shows that, not only is it worth trying to fight for acceptable policies, making a stand together can also help win the changes to policies that we are seeking.

Although the wordings of some amendments are yet to be absolutely finalised, Friday's meeting between the NUT, NASUWT and Lewisham Headteachers concluded with agreement that changes will be made in all ten areas identified by unions as concerns in the model pay and appraisal policies recommended by Lewisham Local Authority to schools.

Having consulted with union reps in the three schools in the Leathersellers Federation, where two-day strike action was due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Lewisham NUT has recommended to the National Action Committee that next week's action can now be withdrawn. The NASUWT, who also issued strike notice in one of the schools, are doing the same.

The contentious issues in the Lewisham model pay policy were not about fixed pay scales or pay portability - as these had already been agreed in negotiations last term. The differences were over the other two key issues for the NUT: "Evidence and bureaucracy" and " Fair criteria for pay progression in September 2014".

Lewisham's model policy originally stated that to move up the main pay range, “teaching should be 'good over time' as defined by Ofsted”. With such a wording in place, how could staff be sure that they would receive a fair decision over pay progression next September? We argued that decisions should be based solely on progress towards appraisal objectives, and not on other criteria such as unfair and arbitrary Ofsted gradings of lesson observations, nor on any checklist of Teachers' Standards.

It has now been agreed that the reference to "as defined by Ofsted" will be changed to "as defined by the appraisal policy of your school", in line with the approach we had consistently been calling for.

Other changes over pay-progression include replacing the need to show "an increasing positive impact" on pupil progress with a "consistent positive impact" - an important distinction. A further change of wording should confirm that the Teachers' Standards are there to inform appraisal objectives, not to be used as a separate set of criteria. 

One concern over 'Evidence and Bureaucracy' will be addressed by replacing the sentence that "this school intends to generate and retain as much reasonable 'appraisal system' evidence as practically possible" by "the school will ensure that there is sufficient evidence of a robust appraisal system". Further, a contentious sentence relating to 'threshold applications' for the Upper Pay Range will no longer say that teachers should "build a mainly paper evidence base" to support their application.

Differences may still need to be overcome over individual Observation Protocols, which already differ from school to school in Lewisham. However, a further important outcome, that enabled us to advise that action should be withdrawn, was confirmation that the reference in the Leathersellers Federation policy to 'monitoring activities such as task observation' possibly taking place without 'advance notice' will now be removed from their appraisal policy.

As things stand, strike notice for three days action in January remains in place. However, if the final wordings discussed on Friday can be agreed, there is no reason why this notice cannot be withdrawn as well. However, and in answer to some of the unjust criticisms which were thrown at the Union in recent weeks, we remain clear that our action was never just about protecting teachers, it was also about protecting schools and students from the damage that will be inflicted by performance-pay.

A leaflet that we had drafted for the public, should we have had to go ahead with action, contained the following words from a letter written by a parent at one of the schools: "As a parent, I value the work that teachers do and believe that performance related pay will do nothing to improve the quality of teaching and learning that my son and other students receive. In fact, I feel it will undermine relationships between teachers and students. It doesn't take much imagination to see where this can lead: teachers unnecessarily pressurising students to meet targets, being reluctant to work with students who don't follow national trends in progress or worse, feeling compelled to cheat in order to meet targets".

We would have also explained our objection to grading teachers' lessons on the basis of 'Ofsted criteria' with the blunt, but true, summary of what those criteria could mean: "If your son/daughter fails to pay attention in my class, it could cost me £2,000".

At the same time, and unfortunately in line with the provocative tone of some of the letters that had been sent to some NUT members in the lead up to the strike, a letter for parents that had apparently been prepared by management in the event of a strike would have argued that performance-pay would allow teachers "to be paid more" !

Clearly, differences may still remain over the purpose of Gove's cost-cutting agenda, and how both performance-pay and the use of lesson observation 'gradings' can demoralise staff and damage working relationships. It was also clear from the discussions how Heads are, understandably, fearful of the pressure from Ofsted which, as the NUT has said from the outset, will be used to put pressure on Heads to implement a divisive performance-pay regime.

Usefully, both Heads and Unions agreed that the impromptu forums that emerged to negotiate over these policies should be developed to try and improve communications between us. We also hope that the finalised policy changes will be recommended to all schools in the Authority so that a common approach can be adopted across Lewisham schools.

Teachers and Heads alike will be pleased that sufficient progress was made to avert next week's strike action, but staff will still be understandably wary as to what will happen next September. Even if performance-pay assessments should now all be clearly based on appraisal objectives, Gove's legislation still leaves teachers open to the imposition of unfair objectives and unfair decisions about whether those objectives have been reached. 

Teachers will still need to be on their guard over how appraisal and observations are implemented in their school. Other more supportive parts of the model appraisal policies may become important, such as the clause that states: "where use of numerical targets is appropriate, these will be reasonable in the circumstances in which the teacher works and it will be recognised that factors outside the teacher's control may significantly affect success". 

The fact that teachers have shown that they are prepared to make such a firm stand over policies will hopefully help dissuade any school who might have been thinking about taking advantage of Gove's damaging legislation to unfairly block pay-progression next September.

The successful outcome in Lewisham shows what can be achieved through pursuing co-ordinated escalation of action, paying careful attention to the issues being raised by members across different schools at each stage of the campaign. It shows again that the depth of anger at performance-pay still runs deep. Now that anger must be harnessed into further escalating national action to defeat the national legislation which is still at the heart of our national dispute with Michael Gove.

UPDATE FROM LEWISHAM: Significant progress made but key issues still to resolve:

The following motion was agreed unanimously at the Lewisham NUT General Meeting tonight: 

Lewisham NUT:

1) Congratulates members in the seven Lewisham schools where strike notice was served for supporting National Union policy and showing their continuing willingness to escalate to strike action, if required, to secure an acceptable pay policy.

2) Welcomes the fact that two of those school groups already felt sufficiently reassured to be able to defer action and agrees that, following progress made in talks with Headteachers this morning, specifically agreement that the words "as defined by Ofsted" should be removed from pay policies, Thursday's proposed strike action should be deferred in the remaining five schools (in the King Alfred and Prendergast Federations).

3) Notes with concern that regrettable tactics designed to undermine action have been employed, including criticising members for supporting Union policy and the sending of misleading letters to individual members of staff. However, far from weakening resolve, these tactics have only secured stronger support for Union action.

4) Notes that, while significant progress was achieved this morning, a number of other key issues remain under discussion and that Unions are expecting to receive, by Thursday 28, written proposals from Headteachers indicating further proposed amendments which they would be willing to make to the pay and appraisal policies, and

5) Further agrees that, as long as these proposals give sufficient reassurance that we now have a genuine framework for discussion in place, aimed at reaching agreement over these remaining concerns, then the action notified for next Tuesday and Wednesday (December 3rd and 4th) should also be deferred while negotiations continue.

Grading lessons to deny pay progression is unacceptable

"Dear Parent/Guardian, if your son/daughter fails to pay attention in my class, it could cost me £2,000"

Surely no school would dream of denying a teacher annual progression up their pay scale in such an unfair manner? Surely no school would want to poison the relationship between children, parents and teachers by imposing such a draconian policy?

Unfortunately, this imaginary letter is not such a far-fetched exaggeration. It is, in summary, what is effectively written in many school pay policies, including the disputed model policy issued by my employer, Lewisham Local Authority.
 
How can that be so? Firstly, because the National Association of Head Teachers  model pay policy, on which the Lewisham policy is based, states that "to move up the main pay range, one annual point at a time ... Teaching should be ‘good’, as defined by Ofsted"

Secondly, because the 'Ofsted definition' being used by schools (and expressly set out in some school observation policies) describes, amongst other things, the following description of a lesson; "Pupils find the strategies and tasks interesting. Most concentrate well and pay full attention to the teacher. However, some may lose interest and need to be reminded to concentrate by the teacher". 

However, that description, where a teacher uses interesting tasks and strategies and where most pupils pay full attention, is not a description of a good lesson. It is one that can't even be described as "satisfactory" any more, but one that "requires improvement". 

In short, if, despite all a teacher's efforts, despite all the various other issues that might be impacting on a particular child on that day, despite all the challenges that a particular class might present, if a few children lose concentration, the teacher has failed to meet the standard for pay-progression.

Some Heads will protest that they wouldn't apply the policy as crudely as that - but then why insist on such a crudely written policy?

Such policies are also based on a 'definition' which inspectors themselves say should not be applied to individual lessons.

For example, Mary Myatt, an adviser and inspector who should know a thing or two about teaching and learning, has written the following on her blog: http://marymyatt.com/2013/11/10/ofsted-criteria-and-lesson-observations/ :

"Some schools take the judgement on the quality of teaching from the inspection handbook and apply this to individual lessons. But it wasn’t intended to be used like this. It is not a tick box, it is a descriptor which is used to make a judgement on the overall quality of teaching in the school. Not, repeat not, for individual lessons".

In http://marymyatt.com/2013/10/29/why-lesson-observations-only-count-for-so-much/, she writes, "the Ofsted schedule makes clear that a wider range of indicators must inform the judgement on the quality of teaching. ‘Inspectors must not simply aggregate the grades awarded following lesson observations’ (School Inspection Handbook Sep 2013 p37)"

Training provider, David Didau, '@LearningSpy' on his blog www.learningspy.co.uk, goes further and rightly talks of "the mistaken belief that you can recognise great teaching and learning just from looking".

In http://www.learningspy.co.uk/training/can-make-lesson-observations-worthwhile/ he spells out that "The weight of critical opinion would suggest that grading lessons is both unhelpful and unreliable".

'@LearningSpy' refers to the research by Professor Robert Coe, director of Durham University’s Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, who "has declared that schools inspectors in England are basing their verdicts on evaluation methods which may not be reliable  ... Coe even goes so far as to suggest that classroom observation might be the new Brain Gym. He questions both the validity and impact and points out that there isn’t even one single, solitary study that provides real evidence that observations lead to improvement in teachers’ practice. Who knew?"

In http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24079951 Prof Coe "suggested that ratings given to lessons by observers could be 'influenced by spurious confounds'. These included the charisma and confidence of the teacher, the subject matter being taught, students' behaviour in the classroom and the time of day. He questioned whether the observation ratings could be consistent given so many variables. He also listed a series of "poor proxies for learning", arguing that outward signs such as busy and motivated students and a calm and ordered classroom do not necessarily always mean that students are learning effectively and could reproduce correct answers independently".

'@LearningSpy' concludes with a recommendation that schools should "Stop grading lessons. You don’t need to do it. The excuse that Ofsted force schools to judge lessons is just that".

I don't know what view Mary Myatt, David Didau and Robin Coe take about trade unions and strike action. What I welcome is that they are confirming what teachers already know from their everyday experience - that observations are inevitably subjective and that judgements can be arbitrary.  They certainly shouldn't be based on a completely inapplicable so-called Ofsted 'definition' of a 'good' lesson.

Yet 'Ofsted observation gradings' are widely being used in an unfair and destructive way to justify putting teachers on capability procedures and imposed 'support programmes'. When Gove's legislation allows it at the end of this academic year, they will also be used to block teachers' pay-rises too. This invidious practice has to stop. 

Of course, we all want to be 'good' teachers. However, firstly, as these educators all explain, judging the quality of a teacher can only be based on a wide range of factors. Given the vast range of different schools, the range of expertise and specialisms of staff and the many different pupil cohorts within any one school, and the range of needs and backgrounds in any one class, it is never going to be a simple judgement to decide who is 'good' and who isn't.  

What we can all agree is that, with appropriate resources, reduced workload, mutual respect and support, which could include properly-constituted peer observation, then we could all be better teachers. However, divisive performance-pay will cut across supportive teamwork and any honest discussion of strengths and weaknesses. It will be used to arbitrarily block pay-rises, especially when school-budgets are under pressure. It also has to be stopped.

Any school pay policy that is based on the NAHT's 'good' teaching 'as defined by Ofsted' is dangerous nonsense. Unfortunately, it seems that it will require teachers taking strike action to stop this nonsense demoralising teachers, and to prevent both the unfair denial of pay and the damage to education that will otherwise result from such divisive policies.

NUT gives notice for strike action at six Lewisham schools

As part of our national dispute with the Secretary of State, the NUT has issued notice for sustained strike action in six Lewisham schools to oppose pay and appraisal policies that fail to protect staff from the serious threats to pay progression allowed under Michael Gove's imposed performance-pay legislation.

Notice has been given for action to take place on Thursday November 28th, Tuesday December 3/Wednesday December 4 and Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday January 7/8/9.

That action has been suspended in two schools after staff felt that they had received sufficient commitments from Governors that their concerns will be addressed.

Strike action could still take place in the following two federations of schools:
Leathersellers' Federation
King Alfred Federation

In each case, the Federations have been proposing to implement policies in line, or largely in line, with model policies issued by Lewisham Council, policies which fail to meet the national NUT/NASUWT check-lists. Lewisham teaching unions have proposed a number of amendments to these policies covering issues like limiting the numbers of observations, avoiding any Teachers' Standards 'check-list' and making sure that decisions on pay are based on appraisal objectives, not additional factors such as 'gradings' of lesson observations.

In particular, the policies state that progression on the main pay range will be dependent on showing that observation is 'consistently good' based on Ofsted criteria. As the proposed observation policy at one of the schools regrettably makes clear, this could mean that a class where "Pupils find the strategies and tasks interesting. Most concentrate well and pay full attention to the teacher. However, some may lose interest and need to be reminded to concentrate by the teacher" would be graded as "Requires Improvement" and the teacher would be at risk of not receiving pay progression! As staff at a primary school meeting that I have just attended commented, "on a given day, that could be used to stop any teacher in London getting their pay rise".

At that meeting, just as at meetings at all the other schools,  NUT and NASUWT members voted overwhelmingly in favour of supporting strike action. 

We still hope that the determination shown by the staff at these schools will convince Governors to agree to our proposals, just as, we are pleased to say, has happened in some other schools. Negotiations are continuing with Governors in the various schools next week which could still lead to action in some or all of the schools being suspended or withdrawn. However, if that is not the case, then strike action will be taking place to defend teachers and education from these damaging policies.

Please send messages of support to the school NUT reps via NUT@lewisham.gov.uk

Building local action to oppose unacceptable pay policies in Lewisham

Two days back at work, and any half-term respite already seems long gone. As one NQT commented at a union meeting tonight "they want us to work like cyborgs" - before he rushed off to carry on his planning and preparation for yet another evening.

The NUT Office inbox and voicemail has filled as usual with appeals for support from harassed NQTs, teachers facing capability, teachers questioning their excessive workload and so on. As ever, we will do what we can to defend these colleagues but there's one lesson that teachers need to learn - these battles are becoming ever harder to win just as individual casework. What's needed to stop this flood of stress, bullying and overwork is collective action.

That overworked NQT was going home to carry on working - but he was leaving from a union meeting that had just voted unanimously to support a three-day strike to oppose the imposition of an unacceptable pay policy. That overwhelming support for action had been repeated at two other school meetings that I attended yesterday, and at  a primary school meeting this morning. I am confident that there will be similar support shown at two further meetings tomorrow - resulting in a request from six different school groups to take part in sustained strike action against the imposition of pay policies,  as part of our overall dispute against Gove's performance-pay legislation.

The action is being proposed jointly by both the NUT and NASUWT under our existing ballots and the ATL have also offered to ballot their members should our action have to be prolonged. 

We hope that won't need to be the case. Rather than face the threat of strike action, we hope schools will agree to adopt the amendments to Lewisham's model pay and appraisal policies that some other schools have already adopted. However, if action is required, the mood of determination at the school meetings was clear - then the action will go ahead. 

Organising Local Action to Oppose Unacceptable Pay Policies

The pressure on teachers is already immense, colleagues weighed down by unbearable workload, imposed targets and impossible demands. Now, thanks to Gove's performance-pay regulations, teachers face the added stress of not knowing whether or not they will be awarded progression up the pay scale next September.

The campaign of regional and national strike action is vital if we are going to win the reversal of this damaging legislation. However, in addition, the NUT and NASUWT have made clear that they are prepared to support strike action in schools where Governing Bodies adopt unacceptable pay and/or appraisal policies that implement the worst of Gove's performance-pay plans.

In Lewisham, we have been preparing since the beginning of term to take such action. Newsletters and meetings have explained to members why the Lewsham model policies need to be opposed. In some schools, we have successfully persuaded Governors to negotiate and agree policy changes. However, it is now clear that the threat of strike action will be needed in some schools if they are to be persuaded to listen to our arguments and adopt policies that are more supportive of teachers and education.

A meeting between Kevin Courtney, NUT Deputy General Secretary, and a range of Lewisham NUT school reps was held this week to discuss concrete plans for action.

It was agreed that, if support for action is confirmed by the school groups, and if Governors refuse to make changes, then we would discuss with the NASUWT about proceeding to a joint three-day strike in those schools in November, with pay losses sustained by the Unions.

*As part of the campaign, reps in one school informed their Head today that I would be visiting an NUT members' meeting after half-term. They were told that, despite me being the Local Secretary of a recognised trade union, I didn't have 'permission' from the Head to attend! In response, the NUT reps let it be known that I would be holding the meeting on the school-gates instead. Strangely 'permission' has now been granted for me to come in after all !

Look out, Gove - this term the unions strike back !

For too long, Cameron, Osborne and the rest of this Government have been allowed to get away with their attacks. This term, teachers need to be ready to strike back!

As I have consistently argued on the Executive ever since Gove announced his performance-pay attacks back in December, the intolerable pressures in most schools mean that teachers will overwhelmingly support a clear call from their unions to take action.

The solid strike across the North-West on June 27 has confirmed that to be the case. Now NUT and NASUWT members in the rest of England and Wales have their chance to build on that success in the two regional strike days in October. We must then aim for a complete shutdown of schools - and more besides if we can persuade other unions to join with us - when we take national strike action in November.

We must also make clear to Gove, and to teachers, that, this time, we’re not just going to make a protest and then step back. If Gove refuses to retreat, especially if he carries out his threat to remove the 1265 hours / 195 days limits as well, then we have to announce a further calendar of action for 2014, perhaps stepping up to a two-day national strike.

Urgent - build for action from the start of term

Teachers’ energies are inevitably taken up with new classes and new timetables at the start of term. So every Local NUT Association, and every school rep, needs to make sure teachers are ready for our strike days too. That means building for regional rallies and local reps’ briefings and, above all, encouraging members to meet in schools to plan for strike action.

We need to alert members to try and put aside funds to cover the loss of two days’ pay in October and November. Let’s also collect for hardship funds to help out colleagues who may find that more of a struggle. However, as long as teachers are assured that their unions are engaged in a serious battle, and as long as we’ve got the message out to every school about the threats to pay, pensions, conditions and education, then the action will be well supported.

Stand firm to oppose unacceptable pay policies

The harsh reality of Gove’s performance-pay regime may quickly be brought home to teachers when dates start being set for appraisal review meetings. Some colleagues will again be under pressure to accept objectives linked to unachievable targets or Ofsted observation grades. Under some pay policies, ‘failure’ could mean no pay progression in 2014.

We need to encourage staff to collectively refuse both unacceptable targets and unacceptable pay policies. If we end up trying to defend teachers just through individual pay appeals, we’ll collapse under an even greater mountain of casework. That’s why some Associations, including my own in Lewisham, are preparing for sustained local action over new pay policies, alongside the calendar of national action.

A divisive regime that pressurises more teachers to quit, and leaves those left behind feeling even more under stress, can only damage education. That’s why we have a responsibility to the children we teach to act together to stop Gove’s attacks. With a bold plan of action, reaching out to parents too, we can defeat this divided Government. 

KEY DATES FOR THIS MONTH :

FROM THE START OF TERM:
* CAMPAIGN mailings and emails going out to members from the National Union;
* Follow-up with calls to reps, school meetings and Local Association briefings;
* Make sure reps are also supported in opposing any unacceptable pay policies. 
 
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8: 
* National Shop Stewards Network LOBBY OF THE TUC in Bournemouth to call for united strike action.
 
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14: 
* NUT / NASUWT RALLIES FOR EDUCATION, 11 am in London and Nottingham.
 
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21:  
* NUT / NASUWT RALLIES FOR EDUCATION, 11 am in Cambridge and Exeter;
* LANAC National Steering Committee meeting in Leeds.
 
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29:  
* NHS Demonstration at TORY PARTY CONFERENCE in Manchester.
 
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30:  
* Closing date for receipt of NOMINATIONS for National Officers  at NUT HQ.
 
… then in OCTOBER:  
STRIKE ACTION in Eastern, East Mids, West Mids, Yorks and Humberside regions and in parts of Wales, then 
STRIKE ACTION in the North East, London, South East, South West and the rest of Wales.

Lewisham Headteachers provoke dispute over performance-pay - action will follow

Michael Gove is on a mission to deregulate teachers’ pay and conditions as part of a broader Government agenda to privatise public services and undermine educational opportunities for many youngsters.

From September, a new Pay and Conditions Document has been imposed which could mean every teacher faces the threat of their next annual pay progression being blocked on the basis of arbitrary and divisive decisions about their ‘performance’. Over a few years, this could easily lead to salary losses of tens of thousands of pounds.

These provisions will, of course, allow schools and the Government to cut salary costs by holding down pay increases from their staff. The threats will also be used to bully staff into taking on even greater workload and will set teacher against teacher, damaging education. 

However, Gove’s fondness for ‘deregulation’ and ‘freedom’ for schools means that he has given Governing Bodies and Local Authorities a choice. 

Schools can follow Gove’s wishes and impose pay and appraisal policies that enable them to block pay progression, and perhaps also to cut the pay of new staff or even to introduce their own pay scales. 

On the other hand, schools have the choice to adopt policies that protect staff from most of Gove’s divisive intentions. The NUT and NASUWT have produced model policies which offer that protection. A range of Local Authorities have also now agreed model policies which offer similar safeguards.

It is, therefore, even more disappointing that the Labour-run Authority of Lewisham has failed to recommend model policies that stop schools being divided and demoralised by performance-pay. Instead, they have allowed an unaccountable group of Headteachers to insist that recommended policies include damaging provisions which are rightly unacceptable to teachers and their unions.

These unacceptable provisions include:

• Teachers having to put together extensive portfolios of evidence to justify why they should be awarded pay-progression and how they meet each of the Teachers’ Standards. This will not just mean unnecessary bureaucracy but create more opportunities for pay-progression to be denied. Classroom observations, results, lesson planning, internal tracking, pupil work sampling and evidence supporting progress against Teachers' Standards will all be used to judge individuals.
• Pay progression and performance being judged by Ofsted criteria of lesson observations. Even for the newest teachers, the Authority is insisting that “teaching should be over time consistently ‘good’, as defined by Ofsted”. The use of Ofsted criteria will lead to arbitrary and subjective decisions being made about a teacher’s performance and could also be unfairly influenced by factors outside a teachers’ control.
• Teachers being expected to take on even greater workload to justify their pay progression. For example, the Authority are saying that a main scale teacher has to show “an increasing contribution to the work of the school” and “an increasing impact on the effectiveness of staff and colleagues”. To move on to the upper pay range, teachers are meant to show that they make “a significant wider contribution to school improvement” and that their teaching “is consistently good to outstanding”. These criteria will also mean denying even more teachers pay progression onto and along the upper pay range.
• Teachers moving to a new school could be denied pay progression that they would otherwise have expected. The Lewisham model policy was amended to include reference to ‘pay portability’ but only to confirm that pay would not be cut – but not that it would also award annual pay progression to a teacher moving from one school to another - nor will it confirm previous relevant experience being taken into account for a teacher on their first appointment. When neighbouring boroughs are confirming these protections, why would teachers choose to come and work in Lewisham?
• Rights to union and staff representatives will be limited. For example, the model policy denies the right of a staff governor to be on the pay committee; and does not accept that equality monitoring reports and plans for temporary TLR responsibility posts should be discussed with trade union representatives.

This provocative insistence on these unacceptable provisions leave teacher unions with little choice but to escalate to strike action next term, under the provisions of our ongoing ballot for action as part of our national dispute with Michael Gove.

Meetings have already taken place in two secondary schools where NUT and NASUWT members have voted overwhelmingly to support strike action to oppose these unacceptable policies. There is every reason to believe that other school groups will feel just a strongly about the need to defend their livelihoods - and children’s education – against these damaging policies.

Lewisham NUT – also liaising with the NASUWT – is now in discussion with National Union Action Officers about a hard-hitting program of strike action in Lewisham schools in September.

Greenwich teachers ask - 'when are we going on strike?'

I was invited to speak as a National Executive member to Greenwich NUT tonight. One of the first questions I was asked as we gathered in the pub was, "when are we going on strike?!"

Before any more cynical readers suggest that this must have been asked by a seasoned 'activist', let me stress that this was from a primary teacher attending her very first Union meeting. She, like so many other teachers, had simply had enough of the barrage of attacks - and wanted to know what the Union was going to do about it!

A wide-range of contributions during the discussion on pay all made clear why teachers were so angry. Here are just a few:

• the teacher whose husband had been offered a new post - as long as he accepted taking a pay-cut by giving up his Upper Pay Range salary;
• the local Academy where a teenager had committed suicide, reportedly under the pressure of having to keep up with exam expectations
• the teacher who, after three years of teaching, was thinking of resigning from the profession
• the victimised union rep who had been told that she should drop her union role if she wanted to continue as a 'middle-manager'
• the rep in a school that was facing a huge budget shortfall who knew savings would be made by blocking pay-progression
• the teacher in a school where pupils had been trained to carry out observations on teachers that could count towards pay-decisions ...

In Greenwich - as in my borough of Lewisham - negotiations over the model pay policies to be recommended by the Local Authority were reaching a critical stage. In both Associations, NUT school groups are, therefore, preparing to request strike action as part of our national dispute against Gove's performance pay plans.

Of course, this was the same day that Gove announced his new National Curriculum, to be rushed in without any consultation with the teaching profession, and apparently with scant regard to what is known about how children learn and develop.

But then, as I explained, this curriculum is not intended to really promote learning for all - it is planned to restrict success to the lucky few. This Government wants to cut back on educational opportunity, and cut back on the cost of education. Cutting teachers pay and conditions is part and parcel of these anti-educational plans. His imposed curriculum could also help make the ' freedom' of academisation a more attractive scenario.

Luckily, I was able to conclude by assuring members that we would soon know when the next strike days will be taking place - as they are due to be be announced after this week's meetings of the NUT and NASUWT Executives. 

All members of those Executives should be in no doubt that the mood of teachers in the Greenwich meeting tonight, as in many other areas, is that it's time for decisive action to be taken - before it's too late to protect teachers and education from disaster.

 (... and thanks to Greenwich NUT for also voting unanimously to nominate me to stand for NUT Vice-President - and to Hillingdon and Oldham NUT Associations who have also confirmed that they have nominated me as well )

Lewisham NUT ready to do battle on pay!

Thirty-seven members packed into Lewisham NUT's General Meeting tonight to show that they were ready to do battle to oppose performance-pay - and to support my campaign to become NUT National Vice-President as well!

After hearing a reportback from our two delegates to the Annual NUT  Young Teachers' Conference, our first decision was to send messages of support and encouragement to NUT members in Liverpool preparing for regional strike action on June 27th.

Our second key decision was to agree that we would all be marching in London on June 25th in the Regional NUT 'March for Education'. Orders for T-Shirt sizes were taken so that we can all march to the rally in the same NUT clothing, behind the Lewisham NUT banner!

The next vote was to agree that we must urgently go back to our schools tomorrow and warn Heads that, if they support the damaging draft pay policy that Lewisham Authority has circulated in advance of Tuesday afternoon's negotiation meeting, then Lewisham teachers would be calling for National Union support for urgent strike action.

The meeting then unanimously agreed to nominate me to stand in this Autumn's  NUT Vice-President election and also to contribute to my campaign with funding, support, and through a campaign team.

Finally, after a short report of my experiences in Istanbul, the meeting agreed to donate £200 to Turkish teacher unions as a gesture of international solidarity. 

This is a picture of Turkish teachers taking strike action today in protest against state repression