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.

Strike together to stop the Tories' attacks

I might be a physics teacher but it doesn't take rocket science to work out why the trade union movement needs to start taking united strike action.

The Coalition is pushing ahead with vicious cuts, privatisation of services and attacks on our pay, pensions, rights and conditions. It's high time that they were stopped.

There is a force that can do this - trade unions taking united strike action, backed up with support from the communities whose jobs and services we are struggling to defend.

Trade unions are strongest when we act together. It's about time that we did so. That's the message that the lobby of the Trades Union Congress being organised by the NSSN, the National Shop Stewards Network, will be taking to TUC delegates in Bournemouth on Sunday, 8 September.  

The NSSN Lobby of the TUC is becoming a part of the annual trade union calendar – and for good reason. In previous years, NSSN Lobbies have helped to apply pressure on the TUC to organise first a national demonstration against cuts and then to support the co-ordinated strike action that took place in 2011. Last year, the NSSN lobbied to help make sure that the POA’s motion calling on the TUC to consider the ‘practicalities of a general strike’ was carried. This year, we urgently need the TUC to move from just talking about co-ordinating action – to helping to organise it.
 
A number of trade unions are already battling in important local or national disputes. FBU members have been balloting on industrial action to defend firefighters' pensions. The CWU have agreed to hold a national ballot of Royal Mail workers against privatisation. UCU members in higher education are considering action over pay. PCS is consulting members across the civil service on the next stage of its campaign of industrial action.  

Teachers will be leading the way this autumn. A solid strike of both NUT and NASUWT members closed schools right across the North-West region in June. Now members of both unions in the rest of England and Wales will take part in one of two further days of regional strikes in September and October. That will be followed by a day's joint national strike action in November.  

Teachers have no choice but to take action. From September, the government is imposing divisive performance-pay arrangements that will allow school management to pick and choose who gets a pay-rise - and who doesn't. It's a scheme designed to cut the pay bill and to force teachers to work even longer hours. In the New Year, they're planning to announce more attacks on working conditions.  

There are other important events for trade unionists to support in September - not least to build a mass demonstration in Manchester outside the Tory party conference on 29 September to call a halt to the destruction of the NHS by this government in the interests of their big business backers.

However, demonstrations alone will not be enough. We need to call on the TUC to organise strike action coordinated right across our movement, a 24-hour general strike.

Some trade union leaders will continue to prevaricate but that makes it even more important that those who are up for the fight make plans for coordinated strike action. The NUT and NASUWT have already pencilled in a date for national action in November. Let's make it a day of coordinated national strike action that can start to push this government back at last.
 
NSSN rally at the TUC Congress at Bournemouth on September 8th:12.30pm-2.30pm Hardy Suite, Hermitage Hotel, Exeter Rd, followed by a lobby of Congress outside Bournemouth International Centre.

Confirmed speakers: Bob Crow, Mark Serwotka, Steve Gillan, Ronnie Draper and Ian Lawrence (RMT, PCS, POA, BFAWU and NAPO general secretaries respectively) Alec McFadden (North West representative on TUCJCC for trades councils and also President Merseyside County TUC), Teresa MacKay TUCJCC & Ipswich Trades Council and Linda Taaffe (NSSN).

GCSE Results - Gove pulls up the ladder once again

Protesting against GCSE grade robbery last summer

After last year's angry response to unexpected changes in GCSE grade boundaries, this year Ofqual and the Examining Boards made sure they had issued plenty of advance warning about another cut in GCSE grades. However, that advance notice will be of little comfort to those students who are disappointed by the exam results that they receive today.

Results released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) confirm small drops in the proportion of students receiving A* to C grades for English and Maths. In science subjects, where syllabuses have been changed for this year’s exams, the fall was from 60.7% A* to C grades last year right down to 53.1%.

This further tightening up of GCSE grades will inevitably penalise students, schools and teachers whose success is judged on these A* to C results. While, in pursuit of privatisation, Government insists that schools reach ever-higher GCSE results, the new policy of effectively maintaining fixed pass rates makes these targets almost impossible to achieve.

The numbers of 'early entries' - where Year 10 pupils are entered for GCSEs alongside Year 11s, together with increases in numbers taking humanities and foreign languages, are all a consequence of schools reacting to meet the latest Government demands. While an increase in entries in these subjects is welcome, it doesn't stem from a proper debate about the importance of a balanced curriculum, just schools 'playing the game' of meeting the latest changes in targets. So, for example, at the same time I know of several schools cutting back on teaching less -favoured subjects like technology.

The debate that will now open up again around the technicalities of grade boundaries and pass rates must not be allowed to hide the fundamental truth - that the Government no longer wants so many of our youngsters to succeed. Faced with a protracted economic crisis, big business no longer requires a widely educated workforce. So now it's time for Gove and Co. to draw up the ladder once again so that only a select few youngsters are able to succeed.

Students, parents and teachers must expose these attempts to rob the next generation of a decent future and campaign for properly-paid employment, training and educational opportunities for every youngster.

Finally, these results must also be a further warning to teachers about the dangers of performance-related-pay. It's absolutely clear that the results that teachers will be judged upon are open to all sorts of influences outside a teachers' control - including direct interference in GCSE pass rates.

National Association of Head Teachers' General Secretary, Russell Hobby ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23759165) has commented that: "A lot of us assumed that there was more objectivity to the grades people get. Exams are often held up as being this objective standard, but there's a lot of subjectivity in the marking and grading of exams. It's quite shocking.". However, that hasn't stopped the NAHT issuing model pay policies that recommend that teachers' pay could be determined by exactly such subjective decisions!

For example, how many of my science teaching colleagues ( and I'm yet to find out how my Year 11s have got on * ) will be penalised for a drop in GCSE grades that had been imposed in advance by Ofqual ?

NUT and NASUWT members need to respond to today's news by resolving to make an even more determined effort to build Autumn's programme of strike action against performance-pay and other Government attacks, and to go out and explain to parents why we are fighting for the future of their youngsters' education as well.

 * I know the results now - so congratulations to any of my students who might come across this post!

Solidarity with the South African mineworkers

The international news from South Africa is focusing on the poor health of Nelson Mandela.  Regrettably, for the overwhelming majority of South Africa's workers, youth and poor, today's ANC Government no longer stands for freedom but for corruption and continuing poverty.

The reality of today's South Africa was brought shockingly to the world's attention by the Marikana massacre of 36 striking miners shot down in cold blood by the police almost 12 months ago. This was a calculated attempt to break the Lonmin miners' resistance and to defend the super-profits of the mining companies - but they failed.

The miners maintained and spread their action across the mining industry and succeeded in winning a significant pay - rise.

That victory was based on the leadership offered by an unofficial national mineworkers' committee of representatives elected from each mine, organised independently of the official NUM union who are now seen as being a tool of the employers.

I had the chance to meet an organiser of that committee today at a meeting in Belgium. I was able to tell him about the £300 for the South African Miners Fund that I raised on my sponsored  solidarity cycle-ride to the event. It's a small contribution but one that was appreciated (and there's time to pledge more of course!)

Their struggle is far from over. 'Retrenchments' or cuts and redundancies are now being threatened despite the massive profits made by the mineowners from the labour of the workers who have to endure life in squatter camps with no electricity or sanitation.  This is in part a reflection of growing economic pressures as demand for raw materials shrinks from a world economy in crisis. It is also an opportunity for the bosses to try and seize back what they were forced to give to the miners and their families.

What's clear is that the economic and political struggles will continue. Abandoned by the ANC, the miners and other workers have also taken the initiative to launch their own party, WASP, the Workers and Socialist Party, to challenge the ANC in next year's General Election.

The heroism and determination of South African workers that attracted so much international support in the time of the struggles against apartheid have not gone away. Once again, trade unionists across the globe must give them our support and solidarity.

To donate, send cheques to 'South African Miners Fund' c/o Lewisham NUT Office, Town Hall, London, SE6 4RU.

Does every child still matter ?

A report from the 2013 National Education Conference

This weekend, the NUT’s National Education Conference is meeting over a glorious weekend in the even more glorious surroundings of Stoke Rochford Hall in Lincolnshire.

This annual event gives delegates a chance to reflect on the broader ideological agenda underlying Government attacks on teachers’ pay and conditions – and on children’s education. 

This year’s Conference is entitled “Does every child still matter?”. As Christine Blower rightly pointed out in opening the event, of course, for teachers, every child always mattered. However, it’s quite clear that the success of only a select few matter to this Government. Without jobs to offer to our youngsters, they are seeking to ration education by making it harder to achieve examination success. 

As an article by Dr Rona Tutt in the NUT’s latest “Education Review” points out, “there is nothing wrong with politicians being ambitious as long as they realise that simply making standards harder to reach does not, in itself, mean that children will become more able to reach them …. increasing the pressure on pupils and those who teach them can be counterproductive” [unless, I would add, increasing ‘failure’ is, in fact, your actual objective].

Michael Gove is also trying to enforce a dull fact-laden curriculum on maintained schools that will make it even harder for teachers to inspire a love of learning, particularly to pupils from the poorest backgrounds. It could even attract some maintained schools to become Academies so as to be ‘free’ of Gove’s ‘National Curriculum’.

Teachers have to remind politicians, and our data-driven school managements, that while well-run schools and high-quality teaching will, of course, benefit pupils, the effect on educational outcomes is far less significant than other factors like inequality and poverty. 

Another article in the Education Review, by Carl Parsons, concludes from research that the ‘school effect’ could contribute to perhaps just ten per cent of attainment. Poverty, or “the cumulative disadvantage of low income, tiredness, lack of time, lack of space, poor diet, poorer health and lower parental educational attainment,” plays a much greater part in deciding educational outcomes. Yet these facts are conveniently forgotten by politicians – and Ofsted inspectors – determined to blame teachers for problems that have much more to do with the failure of the UK Government to tackle child poverty and growing inequality in our society. 

A session led by Professor Colin Richards spelt out how the pseudo-science of ‘Ofsted grades’ was based, at best, on subjective and tentative evidence rather than any objective measurement of a teacher’s worth. Colin pointed out how an individual lesson ‘grade’, just like pupil attainment, was subject to so many factors outside a teacher’s control (including their nerves!).

Yet classroom observations and pupil attainment results are being used to make judgements on schools, and to make judgements on teachers’ pay-rises.  Colin pointed out that genuine inspection was more akin to an ‘art’ than a ‘science’ and involved complex judgements over-time, which should be linked to supportive advice and feedback, not ticking-off against a list of Ofsted criteria.

Two school leaders, both NUT members, explained their views and experiences of Ofsted. Susan Penney, a primary headteacher from Lancashire explained how her school’s recent inspection was carried out by an inspector with a sales background who had never taught in her life! Baljeet Ghale, a previous NUT President now teaching in Tower Hamlets, reminded the Conference of her Presidential speech where she had called for all inspectors to be practising teachers with recent experience. 

Another delegate who had been at the receiving end of Ofsted a few days ago reported that attempts to ask for feedback had been rudely refused by the inspectors. Ofsted act to bully and undermine schools, and certainly not to advise and support teachers.

At an afternoon workshop that I attended, subject specialists in Design and Technology and Citizenship reported on their tortuous efforts to persuade civil servants to revise the original draft plans for Gove’s new National Curriculum after they were released in February.  In both cases, the original drafts had been absolutely dire, produced from within the DfE with little or no consultation with teaching professionals. The citizenship draft had read like the content of an old ‘civics’ exam and the technology draft had been an outdated craft-based syllabus.


As in several other subject areas, lobbying had achieved some successes. The Design and Technology Programme of Study is certainly much improved. However, the lobbying was helped by business and industry also being critical of Gove’s original proposals. Improvements in Citizenship had been more limited. After all, while Gove may want to listen to business concerns, he certainly doesn’t value schools teaching genuinely ‘critical thinking’, especially about the real reasons for problems with public finances!

Gove even steals our sunshine

The final session, on education in Wales, confirmed how these data-driven policies were an international phenomenon. Welsh teachers had been proud of the fact that their schools were not subjects to SATs and league tables, unlike schools in England. However, annual national reading tests from Year 2 to Year 9 had been introduced from this year together with a totally unreliable ‘banding’ of schools to compare them unfairly into ‘successes’ and ‘failures’. Education Minister Leighton Andrews had angered teachers by echoing Gove’s criticism of teachers and refusal to accept that lack of school funding and child poverty were significant factors in attainment outcomes.

Leighton Andrews has been forced to resign but, of course, this was a Labour politician carrying out Tory policy. Shadow Education Minister Stephen Twigg has also made clear that he accepts much of Gove’s educational ideology too. While some speakers implored the Union to work harder in lobbying politicians, the reality is that it will be our collective strike action that will have the greatest effect. Surely, after the debacle over Falkirk and Milliband’s attacks on UNITE, it’s also time for trade union leaders to recognise that they have a duty to rebuild our own political representation, independent of the main pro-business parties sitting in Parliament.

The Conference continues tomorrow with sessions looking at Inclusion and on ‘Breaking the Mould’, reporting on a project to tackle gender stereotypes in primary schools.

Gove's policies widen the class divide in education

I had an opportunity this morning to discuss how the widening divide between rich and poor in Britain - combined with the damaging effects of Government education policies - were also widening the class divide in education in Britain. 

I was asked to comment on BBC London Radio about research that had found that Britain had one of the biggest divides between rich and poor students when PISA data on reading levels for high-achieving boys was analysed. For background on the research, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23271555

The link between poverty and achievement is no surprise given the damaging effects of parents in low-income families often having to work excessive hours, and their children having less access to books, libraries and so on. What is a disgrace is that that link should be so pronounced in England.

It's a reflection both of the increasing poverty resulting from this Government's policies and the effect of a test-driven curriculum where children and teachers have little time for 'reading for pleasure' in the rush to meet the next imposed set of targets. Performance-pay will only make things worse.

To hear the full interview - and I'm glad I managed to get in library cuts and university tuition fees too (!) - go to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01bp0l8 - at 2 hours and 45 minutes. (It will be there for the next seven days only)

NUT Executive Report - get ready for our ongoing calendar of action

UPDATE: the calendar of ongoing action has now been released:

• a second phase of rolling national strike action in the week beginning 30 September;
• a third phase of rolling national strike action in the week beginning 14 October; and
• a one-day national strike before the end of the Autumn term.

In the week commencing 30 September, members will take part in strike action in the Eastern, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside regions and in parts of Wales.

In the week commencing 14 October, members will take part in strike action in the North East, London, South East, South West regions and in the rest of Wales.

See: http://www.teachers.org.uk/docs/files/pr124-2013-nut-nasuwt-further-strike-action-final.doc
+++ 

Today’s NUT National Executive Meeting was the first since the June 27th action in the North-West restarted our calendar of strike action to defend pay, conditions and education.

Reports that have been compiled since the day of the North-West strike confirmed its breadth and strength. Even according to Local Authority figures, 90% of maintained schools were totally or partly closed – although even this high figure is likely to be an underestimate of the strike’s actual impact.

That success has helped ensure that the next stage of the calendar of NUT and NASUWT strike action has now been agreed. To respect the national unions’ own decisions on publicity, I am not going to announce the exact dates here – but a national announcement about that calendar will be made tomorrow (Friday). Plans are being made for joint rallies and demonstrations on those strike days.  

Dates have already been announced for joint Rallies for Education building up to that strike action in London and Nottingham on Saturday September 14th and in Cambridge and Exeter on Saturday September 21st (which, regrettably, will clash with the next Steering Committee of LANAC in Leeds taking place that afternoon).

It’s certainly good news that those strike timings are about to be confirmed. NUT and NASUWT members will now be able to leave for their summer break knowing what they are preparing for when they return in September. There will then be urgent work to be done in building the Rallies for Education and, above all, the next rounds of regional – and then national – action.

It’s clear from the angry and determined mood at the General Meetings that I have attended recently, that members want their unions to show a real sense of urgency and determination in building the campaign.  It was also reported to the Executive that meetings between the unions and both those Michaels - Gove and Wilshaw - have shown no sign that they are willing to shift their positions. We have to build a campaign of action that is strong enough to make them think again.

Teachers will be pleased to hear that discussions are also taking place about further strike action to follow in 2014. It was reported that the NUT and NASUWT negotiating teams will be meeting before the end of term to discuss these plans. It was also agreed that a Special Executive meeting on September 6th will receive an update on those plans, along with plans to co-ordinate with any other TUC affiliates that might be moving towards strike action over the months ahead. 

NUT and NASUWT members have every reason to build the strongest possible action to defend our pay, conditions and education. However, we are not the only unions looking to oppose attacks on our livelihoods and our services. PCS civil servants have long been involved in an ongoing campaign of action. CWU members face the threat of privatisation of the Royal Mail. FBU firefighters are about to ballot over the threat to their pensions. Instead of striking separately, wouldn’t it be better for unions to strike together and have the biggest possible impact?

That’s why I pointed out to the National Executive that, as well as the major demonstration of the Tory Party Conference on September 29th, the National Shop Stewards Network are organising a Lobby of the TUC Congress in Bournemouth on September 8th to which the NUT has been invited to send a speaker. In response, Christine Blower confirmed that Frances O’Grady, the TUC General Secretary, was trying to bring together unions with live disputes to discuss co-ordination of action. The NSSN Lobby is being called to apply some pressure to make sure that co-ordination takes place.

Questions were also asked about plans to build localised sustained strike action in authorities – like Brighton and Lewisham – where it appears that unacceptable pay policies are being imposed on teachers. 

In short, teachers need to take a well-earned summer break – and return refreshed (and perhaps with a little money saved to help cover strike pay!) ready for a determined campaign of strike action next term. It’s a campaign that must continue and escalate into 2014 – and go on until we defeat these disastrous attacks.