Supplementary notes for February 2003

These notes are in addition to the notes prepared for the January division meeting, cancelled due to the weather conditions.

Supplementary correspondence items:

1. The STRB Report for 2003 giving Pay Recommendations for 2003-4 (.pdf file, 112 pages!!) and Proposed Pay Scales 2003-2004 (Excel file). Charles Clarke's acceptance of STRB recommendations (=the consultation paper). Salary calculator.
2. EXECUTIVE NEWS No 95
3. Executive News No 96
4. NUT News 5: Spot the difference
5. NUT News 6: You[r] Pay
6. Headway: Guidance to NUT Heads re. "The agreement"
7. Advice to School Reps on the Time for Standards "agreement".
8. LONDON AND FRINGE ALLOWANCES: EARLY DAY MOTION (715)
9. 03-030-E&EO - CAMPAIGN TO REPEAL SECTION 28
10. 03-029-COS - MATERNITY RIGHTS FOR TEACHERS
11. 03-028-O&A - ANNUAL CONFERENCE - HARROGATE: PAYMENT OF CONFERENCE REPRESENTATIVES' TRAVEL and OTHER EXPENSES (£66 per day)
12. 03-027-E&EO - BLACK TEACHERS' CONFERENCE 2003
13. 03-025-COS - SCHOOL FUNDING 2003-04: Up-date on Fair Funding and the changes to LMS.
14. 03-024-H&S - NUT HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISERS' BULLETIN NO. 67
15. 03-023-MC&T - REMINDER: NEW TEACHERS' RECRUITMENT MATERIALS
16. 03/022/COS - CAPITAL FUNDING UPDATE 2003 and allocations
17. 03-021-E&EO - OFSTED INSPECTIONS - AUTUMN 2002 - UPDATE
18. 03-020-MC&T - NEW TEACHER RECRUITMENT MATERIALS
19. 019-03-CCU - BRIEFING FOR DIVISION SECRETARIES - MONDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2003: WORKLOAD AND REMODELLING. Copy of the actual agreement made by the other teacher organisations "Raising standards and tackling workloads"..
20. 03-017-O&A - ARRANGEMENTS FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2003 including insurance for delegates.
21. 03-003-SUP - PENSIONS INCREASE PAYABLE WITH EFFECT FROM 7 APRIL 2003

Supplementary items of Division report:

1. SE Suffolk NUT is proposing that the Division appoint a Professional Unity Officer, "to underline the commitment of Suffolk Division to professional unity in addition to its membership of Professional Unity 2000." Mr Sharman suggests that the post could be combined, for the time being, with convenor of the JNC.
2. 6-Term Year: U-Turn! As the deadline for receipt of consultation responses for 2004-5 was Feb 14th, Secretary consulted the President and completed our submission which was posted to the LEA on 31st January. LEA responded rather angrily, saying, mysteriously, that they had responded to previous concerns about the 6-term year with their new proposals. Confusion! Penny asked LEA for information about what was going on in neighbouring Authorities. JNC meeting on February 5th received a copy of "traditional alternative" dates for 2004-5 which was under consideration "in other authorities". Rather vague statement about Suffolk considering going back to the traditional pattern. Then the day before half-term, schools received a new consultation document for Suffolk, adopting the same "traditional alternative" dates for consultation (giving about a fortnight for schools to respond!). The LEA forgot to send the consultation letter to the Union or to mention it at the JNC. Suffolk now appears to have done a complete U-turn. Unfortunately, they have left no time for proper consideration of any middle way and the current proposal is purely "traditional", making no attempt to "fix" Easter. Secretary did a FAX merge circular to Reps in Upper/High, Special and Middle Schools over half term giving the alternative dates, which Suffolk LEA has now adopted. There is an option to take 2 days from the Summer Holiday and add it to the Christmas break. Replies so far favour a longer Christmas holiday.
3. Snowline: Secretary wrote to Director of Education, copied to BBC Radio Suffolk, re. the difficulties experienced on Friday 31st Jan when so many schools were closed. Secretary suggested better preparation for the next emergency, including a ready-made list of schools (which alternative names where these apply) and suggest that the LEA could make blanket closures on the advice of local police stations. Reply suggests that Radio Suffolk could have been better prepared and had not tested their own ability to respond. Likely to be much more reliance on internet in future.
4. Comment from Derek Merrill: EMAG funding from Government has stayed at more or less the same level for four years now so this now represents a substantial cut. Any pressure from the NUT is helpful but most of the action points seem to be directed at the LEAs who have had to, and continue, to dig deeper into their funds. Pressure needs to be directed at the DfES/Government who are responsible for these cuts. I am a little disappointed that publicity about the cuts has not been as prominent as it could have been. Suffolk is bidding through the Vulnerable Children Grant for resources maintain the Traveller service and for money to support refugees. Letter to MPs is in preparation.
5. UPS2: Secretary has done another FAX merge to point out that if arrears of UPS2 are not paid in March, they might be subject to higher National Insurance payments when they are paid in the 2003-2005 tax year. For UPS2 + any allowance, salaries will exceed £30,000 and incur the higher rate of NI contributions. If paid in 2002-2003, it would save the recipients a three-figure sum.
6. One of the first advertisements in the country for Cover Supervisorscame from Copleston High School on 29th January, including "principal duties will be to support teaching staff by providing classroom cover, implementing set work, monitoring students and reporting on progress during short-term teacher absence". Forwarded to HQ for information. Poses problems re. rate of pay under single status arrangements, and conditions of service issues for members. School has been contacted.
7. Archant (East Anglian Daily Times group) have contacted schools and the Union re their events listings service. Schools and Associations/Division can publicise public events by FAX on 01473 324871 or email to listings@archant.co.uk
8. Draft guidance received from LEA on new (April 2003) Maternity Provisions, Paternity and other parental leave, and Flexible working. Sent to Regional Office for comment. Response in preparation.
9. Changes to LMS scheme: NQT payments. The Government has withdrawn the grant supporting the induction of NQTs, which is now supposedly subsumed into the normal per capita funding. The LEA is reluctant to withhold much from the amount devolved to schools and can now offer only £200 - £230 per NQT per term (depending on the number of NQTs recruited!).
10. Changes to LMS scheme: Infant Class Size: The Infant Class Size grant is being removed by DfES. The LEA will hold back some £400,000 (50% of last year's ICS budget) to alleviate situations where "planned group sizes" would exceed 30 in KS1 but says that it will have to be more insistent on schools mixing age groups to keep class sizes down. A new formula for KS1 will pay for staff on the basis of how well the total number of KS1 and KS2 children divide into groups of 30 + an allowance for headteacher non-teaching time, as per these tables:

    Calculation of the estimated number of staff to meet class size target

    Classes	Pupils	HT non-contact time
    11	300+	Full time
    10	270+	0.910
    9	240+	0.820
    8	210+	0.730
    7	180+	0.640
    6	150+	0.560
    5	120+	0.470
    4	90+	0.380
    3	60+	0.290
    2	30+	0.200

    This calculation will be made for each term on the basis of "planned" numbers. Where total staff "needed" in this way is greater than the formula allocation from the existing staffing formula, the difference (if greater than 0.1 fte) will be met by extra finance from the LEA. The money will not be adjusted for unexpected admissions of children during the financial year, but termly salary costs will be adjusted to take account of wage inflation and to "ensure that the budget is fully allocated to schools and that calls on the budget do not exceed the funds available".
11. Response to New LMS Proposals on NQT funding and Infant Class Size grant. Secretary consulted with as many Headteacher members as possible (i.e. where e-mail addresses were known) and responded to LMS Document 03/06 before the deadline of 14th February.
12. Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002: LEA has up-dated the Schools' personnel Manual (Up-date No 1) amending Sections E and G of the (new) Manual. Secretary is preparing a leaflet for staff on temporary and fixed-term contracts. Essentially, the law will now remove waiver clauses (for redundancy payments) and there will be a need to consult on virtually all non-renewals of fixed-term contracts. There will also be a new right to be considered for a permanent post.
13. New appointment to post of Special Education Needs Manager: Mr Gary Nethercott, from Leeds. The post to be vacated by John Carnall (Assistant Director) is to be re-advertised.
14. Schools' Personnel Manual Update 2: Checking Criminal Convictions, Revised LEA Guidance, February 2003. Administrative advice re. who and how to apply for the right level of check. Note: the requirement to check School Governors has been delayed, due to the backlog at the CRB.
15. The LEA has issued draft guidance to County Secretaries re. Right to Flexible working and Maternity, Paternity & Adoptive parental leave with pay. This is initial guidance to schools re. the new regulations which come into force for expected dates of birth on or after 6th April 2003. Secretary has suggested some improvements to the information for headteachers. As yet, little is know about the practical method of recording and monitoring individual's right and the method of information payroll, etc. National negotiations are expected to reach some agreement eventually about how the statutory provisions will amend the Burgundy Book conditions of service for teachers. Secretary has asked LEA to point out to headteachers that existing (custom & practice) acquired rights to compassionate leave consideration should not be abandoned. and may well provide better terms for both the individual and the school.

Preparation for AGM. Treasurer to propose the following honoraria and expenses allowances to be paid at the AGM 2003:

Also proposing to increase Auditors' fee (x2) to £25.00 each (from £18.50).

LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS: SE Suffolk: SE Suffolk Association passed the following motion to be sent to Prime Minister, NUT HQ and local press: "This Association strongly objects to the possibility of war in Iraq, bearing in mind the number of civilian deaths which will be incurred and the effect on children's lives and education in that country, and in the region generally."