Notes for Division Meeting: June 20th 2002

Previous Meeting's notes (May 2002)

nutlogo

Suffolk Division NUT
Executive Committee (17:30 - 18:45)
and DIVISION COUNCIL MEETING (18:45 - 21:00)

June 20th 2002 Venue: Stowmarket Local Learning Centre

Apologies already recorded: For EC / Both: John Dixon, Hilary Bucky, Christine Lloyd, Glenys Shepherd. For Council: .

Part 1: Information, Reports and Matters Arising

*=Items for Executive Committee

dot=Items for Division Council

Section A: National with National Executive Report

  1. dot Written Report from Glenys Shepherd.
  2. dotEXECUTIVE NEWS No 90 (copies available at the meeting).
  3. Headway Special: June 2002 on UPS2, incorporating the change in direction by NAHT and SHA.
  4. Other main issues: Threshold 2002 (cohorts 3 and 4).
    And items of correspondence from HQ for Divisions only.
  5. 02-072-CCU Resolutions passed at Conference 2002 (Word format). Now published on the website.
  6. 02-091-CCU - NATIONAL EXECUTIVE TIMETABLE 2003 - FOR INFORMATION
  7. * 02-92-O&A - UNIFORM E-MAIL ADDRESSES FOR DIVISIONS
  8. 02-093-O&A - CONFERENCE 2002 - DELEGATE VOTING ANALYSIS Analysis to follow by post.
  9. * 02-094-E&EO - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING
  10. *dot 02-095-COS - NJC CAR ALLOWANCE RATES FOR 2002 - 2003
    451-999 1000-1199 1200-1460
    28.1p 31.2p 38.3p
  11. 02-096-COS - SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
  12. 02-097-SALS - JNCTRE SETTLEMENT 2002 - forwarded to Rep at Priory School
  13. * 02-098-E&EO - CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY SCOPE AND SPONSORED BY THE NUT: PREPARING FOR THE SEN AND DISABILITY ACT 2001 - PROMOTING INCLUSION
  14. * 02-099-E&EO - FOUNDATION STAGE PROFILE
  15. dot 02-100-E&EO - 'RESPECT' - AN ANTI-RACIST AND MULTI-CULTURAL FESTIVAL FOR LONDON: 20 JULY 2002, VICTORIA PARK, LONDON E3
  16. 02-101-E&EO - NUT SURVEY CITIZENSHIP The NUT survey on citizenship, 'The Citizenship Curriculum : Plain Sailing or a Drop in the Ocean?', is available on the Union website on www.teachers.org.uk.
  17. * 02-102-E&EO - JOINT NUT/NALDIC CONFERENCE: REASSERTING PROFESSIONALISM - DEVELOPING AN AGENDA FOR TEACHERS WORKING FOR MINORITY ETHNIC PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT TO BE HELD ON 7 OCTOBER 2002 AT HAMILTON HOUSE
  18. dot 02-103-H&S - STRESS: FURTHER UNION GUIDANCE
  19. 02-105-L&PS - CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU DISCLOSURE SERVICE
  20. * FOR DIVISIONS: 02-106-M&C - NUT LEARNING TRAINING COURSES JULY 2002 - APRIL 2003
  21. 02-107-E&EO - OFSTED REPORT: SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS
  22. 02-108-SUP - PENSION BENEFITS FOR UNMARRIED PARTNERS
  23. Circular index 2002
  24. Copy of the NAHT and SHA Guidance on UPS2: May 2002. This gives the U-turn on "extra criteria" and moves much closer to the NUT position.
    Section B: Regional: John Dixon/Hilary Bucky to Report
  25. A training session for Div Secs and Divisional Casework Assistants (Andrew Guite and Paul Brewerton) was held on 19th June, dealing particularly with Threshold 3 and UPS2 issues.
  26. Regional Secretary has held talks with the LEA about Soulbury recognition and the transfer of members to Soulbury conditions (LEA co-ordinator posts). We have around 20 members in Soulbury posts, which would of course more than double if all Advisory Teachers were put onto Soulbury.
  27. John Dixon has contacted all the L&SCs with a view to a meeting and better communications.
    Section C: Division / County:Division Secretary, Martin Goold, to report, including items from the preceding Executive Committee meeting.
  28. Issues being pursued by Secretary/RO via local negotiation and casework:
    Review of operation of the General Complaints Procedure To be lodged with JNC
    Industrial Injury: determination that an absence is due to industrial injury (non-physical) LEA; JNC
    Recognition for Soulbury Purposes RO - LEA
    Outstanding matters re. Advisory Teachers' Pay and Conditions (e.g. leave) Casework; LEA
    Assaults on staff: Joint LEA and Police guidance (draft) JNC
    Ex gratia payments (final version of policy still awaited) LEA
    UPS2 issues, including for unattached Casework; County LEA
    Threshold (Pase 1) appeal to LEA alleging discrimination, outstanding County LEA, NA LEA
    Transfer of "teacher's" posts to Soulbury RO; LEA
    H&S Agenda (see below) John Osborne, LEA, JNC
    6-term year: decisions awaited LEA
    Grievance, Disciplinary, Capability Procedures - updates. Response awaited LEA; JNC
    LEA Policy on Restraint LEA; JNC
    LEA Guidance to schools on Absence Policies LEA
    Allegations of Abuse: County Policy needs up-dating LEA; JNC
    LEA's Guidance on "Cover to Contract": final version awaited LEA
  29. Supplementary UPS briefing sent by FAX merge June 13-17th. Text:
    Progress to UPS2. Further to our May 2002 Briefing, the NAHT and SHA have heeded objections and have withdrawn advice to their members to impose additional hurdles for the award of the second point on the Upper Pay Spine (the agreement they made with Government!). They are now following NUT advice to NUT Heads that there must be no additional criteria beyond satisfying themselves that the threshold standards have been maintained. It is the headteacher’s duty to make the recommendation for UPS2 to the Governors, without any application forms, and there is no requirement for any extra evidence to be submitted. Normal annual performance management evidence is all that is required for a "review".
    However, NAHT and SHA are still advising Heads not to "review" UPS salaries until the Autumn Term 2002, but to back-date any pay rises to September 1st 2002. The NUT believes that all pay decisions should be completed before September 1st, when all staff have a right to a statement of their pay.
    This is particularly important for any teacher moving schools this summer. The decision whether to pay UPS2 is with the Governors of the school where you work now. Your new school has to pay whatever your present school decides! But, if you have left your present school before you hear the decision, and you are not awarded UPS2, you will not be able to appeal, because you will no longer be an employee at that school!
    If any member is leaving his/her present school this summer, (s)he should now ask the headteacher to confirm, in writing, that (s)he will complete that particular salary review straight away, will call a meeting of Governors to ratify the headteacher’s recommendation and will inform that teacher of the Governors‘ decision, before the end of this term. If heads do not so confirm, contact the Union without delay.
  30. The GTC Fee. All qualified staff being paid in May, including supply teachers who worked in April, should have received £33 in their May pay packets to cover the cost of the GTC fee for 2002. Part timers should also receive the £33 in full. Schools have been sent claim forms for supply teachers who were not paid ianything in May; as soon as the supply teacher does any paid work for any school and any authority, they should send this form to the LEA to have the £33 added to their pay. They will have to certify that they have not already been paid that amount for previous work. The actual GTC fee is £23.00. If members sent in their "promise to pay" by cheque or Direct Debit, the GTC will have sent you an invoice for the £23 payment, and they will have told the LEA that you will be paying as agreed. If the LEA does not have you on the list of those who have "promised to pay" (because you have not responded previously), then the LEA has been forced to make a deduction of £23 and to pay it to the GTC. Members are advised to check that this payment has not been made twice: once by yourself or your bank, and again by the LEA. . Because the £33.00 is paid through salary, it is subject to deductions for Tax, NI and pension contributions. However, the £23 is tax-deductable, so you should contact the Tax Inspector to claim your tax rebate. If you are already registered with the GTC, they will send you a tax claim form for this purpose.
  31. Industrial Injury: The Division is seeking a clear route to establishing whether a long-term absence was due to an industrial injury or not. This has to be established independently, and cannot rely on the say-so of the employer, for obvious reasons. The LEA has until recently not contested the issue, but is now treating all absences as "non-industrial" (and cutting pay to half pay after the first 100 days) unless an "approved medical practitioner" can "attest" that the absence is caused by an incident or conditions at work. Where the doctor "indicates" that this is the case, the LEA have not accepted it. The Union is challenging the LEA's right to make such an interpretation and we are suggesting a proper, clear and open procedure for decision making, to take place before any half-pay.
  32. Absence Policies: Secretary has sent to AA a copy of the Union's circular on school absence policies, to assist the LEA in drawing up one of their own.
  33. Joint LEA-Suffolk Police Draft Document on assaults on school staff. Secretary has made several suggestions for amendments: as it stands, the guidance ignores assault by pupils, and still has some discouragement for schools and individual staff, re. pressing charges. A case last week is putting it all to the test.
  34. 6-Term Year Proposals: Secretary completed the Division's response, adding comments from the Website and comments from BSE members responding to the survey. Final response posted to LEA on 28th May. Acknowledgement from DJET. Regional responses seem to be similar.
  35. Regional Office has been involved supporting members at St Felix Independent School, Southwold, where redundancies are still possible, despite the apparent withdrawal of the announced closure plan.
  36. Website: The Suffolk LEA General Complaints Procedure for parents and others, has been published as an html document. Recent cases are highlighting inconsistencies in the application of the procedure, at school and Area Office level. To be taken up via JNC.
  37. dot REPORT FROM THE TEACHER REPRESENTATIVES: received from Alan Draper (Middle). These are also to be posted on the SCC website.
    Section D: Other reports
  38. dotCourses and Conferences
  39. Student Recruitment: Christine Lloyd to report.
  40. dot Health & Safety: John Osborne The Division has registered with the LEA its intention to use, if necessary, the TUC system of Union Inspection Notices, as agreed in May. They will only be issued by the Divisional H&S Adviser, and then only in certain very restricted circumstances, where all the normal machinery has failed.
  41. The Consultative Group met with LEA Officers on June 11th. with considerable progress made. Report.
  42. From JO: Initial analysis of Incident Report Forms Some 50 recorded incidents occurred in the period Jan/Feb 02. Figures for apparently an 11-month period:
    66% of Primary schools report no incidents at all. Of those primary schools reporting, the average number of incidents is 2.2.
    All middle schools reported incidents There were an average of 2.6 incidents per school.
    89% of High Schools have made returns, with an average of 4.3 incidents. 4 High Schools made no return at all. These are clearly the safest schools to work in the County, since not a single incident occurred in an 11 month period!
    43% of all returns (379) came from Special schools or Units, (10 schools).
    35% of all returns involved teaching staff (excluding classroom and support assistants).
    Section E: Local Associations
  43. dotWaveney & Yoxford: Ian Ford has officially taken over from Tricia Andrews as Association Secretary. LEA, HQ and RO informed. Letter from Division to Tricia thanking her for all her work for the Association and Division, and expressing the hope that she will wish to remain a Division delegate. Andy Royall and Tricia are helping Ian to get started. Facilities time to be tranferred to Leiston High School. Ian has applied to go on the New Secretaries' Course in October.

dot Part 2: Decision Making

1. Confirmation / Amendment of EC recommendations from EC meeting: including:

2. Action arising from National Matters

3. Action arising from Regional and Local Matters

4. Motion from Ray Frowd: that Suffolk Division NUT should appoint a Learning Representative to carry the following duties:

Any other business from Part 1.

Date of next meeting: September 26th, Bury St Edmunds

Circulars also sent to Local Associations / Treasurers:

  2. List of Circulars 2002 up to 02-086

INDEX / SEARCH

HOMEPAGE