Notes for Division Meeting: June 24th 2004

Notes for Previous Meeting: May 13th 2004

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Suffolk Division NUT
Executive Committee (17:30 - 18:30)
and DIVISION COUNCIL MEETING (19:00 - 21:00)

June 24th 2004 Venue: Orwell Suite, Belstead Brook Hotel, IPSWICH

Apologies already recorded: For EC / Both: Penny Cook (Parents' meeting), Glenys Shepherd (Exec Meeting) For Council: Most of the world! (something about a silly football match?)

u =Items for Executive Committee

¤ =Items for Division Council

Section A: National with National Executive Report

  1. ¤ Report from Glenys Shepherd.
  2. Executive News 108 June 2004: Cover, Pensions campaign, Rally, Sickness absence (=20%!), STPCD Advice to members, DfES School profile consultation, DfES Consultation on Performance Tables and Pupils with SEN, NCSL Revised National Standards for Headteachers, S African Democratic Teachers' Union, Doug McAvoy's last EC meeting.
  3. Executive News 107: May 19 2004 MS: TUC General Secretary, TUC Affairs, School Workforce Reform, Teachers’ Pensions and the Meeting of the Executive.
  4. NUT News 11: Who will teach your child today? - Take Heart
  5. NUT News 12: On the cheap
  6. NUT News 13: Who will teach your child today? Who will treat your child today?
  7. NUT News 15: UNISON breaks ranks Published: Wednesday June 23 2004 "Every class should have a teacher and every class a teaching assistant." - UNISON Annual Conference, 2004 The support staff union, UNISON, has agreed that the School Workforce Agreement should be renegotiated. This marks the breakaway of UNISON from the Agreement and opens the door to joint approaches by the NUT and UNISON. Common cause The NUT will be happy to campaign with UNISON for changes to the Workforce Agreement that achieve common objectives. The NUT has never considered the Agreement to be in the best interests of either teachers or support staff. The NUT agrees with UNISON that teachers should teach and that support staff should support. Further, the NUT believes that support staff should be employed on permanent contracts, be properly paid during term time and school holidays and have access to training.
  8. PRESS RELEASE June 15 2004: Extract: The NUT is sending letters to headteachers and chairs of governors of every school in England and Wales urging them not to put their children’s education in jeopardy by using unqualified persons to teach whole classes. Governors will be urged not to use a new regulation, which is part of the School Workforce Reform Agreement, allowing headteachers to appoint any person whether qualified as a teacher or not to teach whole classes. Doug McAvoy, General Secretary, said: “Parents do not want staff who are not qualified teachers taking responsibility for their children’s education. Today the NUT takes its case to prevent this happening to every headteacher and chair of governors in England and Wales. “Our statement makes the case for qualified teachers on grounds of educational standards. Standards cannot be improved nor maintained if schools employ unqualified persons to teach. I am confident that head teachers and governors will support our approach. Where schools are not adequately funded we will campaign for the necessary resources.”
  9. PRESS RELEASE 15 June 2004. Extract: Commenting on the announcement today of new short notice inspections of schools, John Bangs, head of education at the NUT, said: "The high stakes nature of inspections has not changed. No matter how much the Government claims to trust schools, these changes do not reflect that trust. "Schools and individual teachers still face the prospect of failure based on a narrow focus. Teachers in the core subjects in secondary schools will have an unfair burden placed on them. The problems of the current system are replicated in the new.
    Circulars from HQ, etc:
  10. ¤ 04-116-CCU - IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES TO THE STPCD 2004-05: STATEMENT FOR HEADTEACHERS AND CHAIRS OF SCHOOL GOVERNORS
  11. 04-115-H&S - HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE (HSE) DRAFT MANAGEMENT STANDARDS FOR MANAGING WORK RELATED STRESS: STRESS MANAGEMENT STANDARDS: NUT GUIDANCE TO DIVISIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS; HSE PILOT PROJECT: MANAGING WORK-RELATED STRESS. Also sent to John Osborne.
  12. 04-114-COS - SCHOOLS CAPITAL FUNDING: BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE: NUT Guidance
  13. u 04-113-CCU - CONSULTATION ON 'EQUALITY' PRIORITY RESOLUTION 04-113-CCU - CONSULTATION ON 'EQUALITY' PRIORITY RESOLUTION. To Kathy More for action, please.
  14. u 04-112-SALS - NUT GUIDANCE ON TEACHERS' PAY AND SCHOOL PAY POLICIES
  15. u 04-111-M&C - YOUR GROWING UNION: CAMPAIGN TO RECRUIT NEW TEACHERS
  16. 04-110-CCU - TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS' FESTIVAL 16-18 JULY 2004
  17. ¤ 04-109-EEO - DFES' "NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH SCHOOLS" PROGRAMME
    · the Single Conversation - the establishment of a school improvement partner for every secondary school;
    · the School Profile - the introduction of an annual statutory document to replace the annual governing body report to parents;
    · self evaluation and inspection - the development of national school self evaluation materials and revisions to the OFSTED Inspection Arrangements; and
    · information and data management - the development and introduction of a Common Basic Data Set covering pupils, adults, schools and LEAs.
  18. 04-108-EEO - THE RESPONSE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS TO THE "INTERIM REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON 14-19 REFORM. Available on: www.teachers.org.uk/resources/pdf/NUTresponse14-19.pdf
  19. 04-107-CCU - TUC PENSIONS RALLY - MID-DAY, SATURDAY, 19 JUNE 2004
  20. u 04-106-CCU - SCHOOL WORKFORCE REFORM - PREPARATIONS FOR CONFERENCE TO BE HELD ON 7 JULY 2004: Questionnaire to be returned to RO by 25th June.
  21. u 04-105-E&EO - PRIDE IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2004 20th November 2004: Strategies to combat homophobia in schools
  22. 04-104-E&EO - NEW REGULATIONS FOR SCHOOL GOVERNANCE (COLLABORATION) AND FEDERATION OF SCHOOLS (ENGLAND): Forwarded to Andrew Guite and staff of Peasenahll.
  23. u 04-103-M&C - ANNUAL UNION LEARNING FUND CONFERENCE - 6 JULY 2004
  24. 04-102-CCU - THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES TO THE SCHOOL TEACHERS' PAY AND CONDITIONS DOCUMENT (STPCD) 2004/05 - NUT ADVICE TO HEAD TEACHERS AND CHAIRS OF SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES
  25. 04-097-EEO - NUT SURVEY ON DfES' VULNERABLE CHILDREN GRANT: forwarded to Barbara Robinson.
  26. 04-096-E&EO - 2004 ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTION ON RACISM AND THE RISE OF THE BNP
  27. 04-095-EEO - ETHNIC MINORITY ACHIEVEMENT GRANT: Forwarded to Derek Merrill for help in completing. Due to HQ 30th June.
  28. u 04-094-M&C - NUT POCKET DIARY 2004-05 : Order form.
  29. 093-CCU - NUT WALTER HINES PAGE SCHOLARSHIP 2005-2006
  30. 04-092-M&C - NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME: DIVISION SECRETARIES' BRIEFING: WEDNESDAY 13 TO FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER 2004 AND NEW SECRETARIES' COURSE: MONDAY 11 TO WEDNESDAY 13 OCTOBER 2004: Jenny Mosesson informed.
  31. 04-091-H&S - HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISERS' BULLETIN No.72
    · Principal Officer Post - Health & Safety Unit, NUT · · NUT Health and Safety Advisers' Briefing Course 2004
    · NUT Health and Safety Working Group - summer term meeting date · New Minister for Health and Safety
    · TUC Survey of Safety Representatives 2004 · Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry into Work of HSC and HSE
    · Updated NUT guidance on School Visits · Free guidance on Minibus Driving from IAM Fleet
    · IER revised publication `Health and Safety Revitalised or Reversed?' · Six Pack Regulations: Summary of Changes
    · Falls from Height - new NUT guidance
  32. 04-090-SALS - TUC MARCH AND RALLY, LONDON JUNE 19 2004. Poster FAXed to Reps, re. coaches organised by NASUWT, NUT and Ipswich Trades Council.
  33. 04-089-SUPN- QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES QUALITY PUBLIC SERVANTS AND QUALITY PENSIONS
  34. 04-088-SUP - AMENDED CIRCULAR - TEACHERS' PENSION SCHEME (TPS) - MEMBERSHIP AND CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF NON-TEACHING STAFF
  35. 04-086-M&C - CASE STUDIES FOR SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES: A MODULE FOR LOCAL TRAINING
  36. u 04-085-E&EO - NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES (NJC): GUIDANCE ON SUPPORT STAFF JOB SPECIFICATION: ADVICE TO DIVISIONS (No. 2) Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) notes can be accessed on: www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/remodelling/
  37. 04-082-SALS - KEY WORKER LIVING PROGRAMME - HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR TEACHERS. Help for Key Workers. Contacts for Zone Agents for Norfolk and Suffolk: telephone 0845 8502050 or www.orbit.org.uk
  38. 04-081-O&A - CONFERENCE 2004 - DELEGATE VOTING ANALYSIS AND CBC ELECTION RESULT Delegate Voting Returns Report (not available in e-mail format)
  39. 04-080-O&A - ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2005 GATESHEAD/NEWCASTLE
  40. ¤ 04-084-SALS - SECRETARY OF STATE'S DECISIONS ON STRB REPORT
  41. 04-079-CCU - RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT CONFERENCE 2004
    Section B: Regional: John Dixon to Report .
    Section C: Division / Executive Committee:Division Secretary, Martin Goold, to report, including items from the preceding Executive Committee meeting.
  42. ¤ Workforce Reform Training for all and sundry is under way, except nothing for cover supervisors yet, the only posts which are really taking off! Concern rising over use of classroom assistants for teaching classes. JNC is asking LEA for statement about how next year's budget will address the implications of 10% PPA time (+management/leadership and dedicated headship time). Many schools are getting teaching staff to do performance management of non-teaching staff, despite our stance.
  43. ¤ Adoption Leave: LEA has agreed in principle to extending the post-natal element of maternity leave to adoptive mothers of babies under 1 year at the time of placement. However, they appear not to have considered (a) what this actually means and (b) how it would mesh in with statutory adoption pay (@ £100 per week). HQ has provided information on how this should be interpreted, but LEA is proposing just 11 weeks half pay! HQ also indicates how maternity pay can be meshed in with SAP. Forwarded to AA. Discussed in JNC. Respone awaited from LEA,
  44. u Mileage and Travel for Centrally Employed Staff: Secretary is seeking legal assistance re. clause in some contracts re. "required to have a car" and essential user. Situation over Soulbury staff is being re-evaluated. But AA is now proposing to extend the 40p per mile rate AND use of hire / loan / public transport for ALL teachers, including school staff. He had not considered, however, whether InSeT rate would also be at 40p. Implementation date for Soulbury staff is September 2004, for teachers will have to be later - no specific date given.
  45. u Peasenhall Primary School:Andrew Guite to attend a meeting on July 7th with staff re. the future. First attempt at federation has failed.
  46. ASCs/SSCs: Promised meeting with the LEA on employment stability in SEN with the demise of ASCs has been postponed. Some of the original 15 SSC candidates are getting cold feet, as the money does not appear to be enough to meet costs. Some may well withdraw. Concern continues re. geographical distribution and paucity of SSCs.
  47. ¤ SEN Audit: consultation on review is nearing its end. Secretary will re-vamp the previous guidance to members as its submission.
  48. Pensions and Advisory Staff: the LEA has raised a question mark over whether Advisory Teachers should be in the teachers' superannuation scheme, as they could be considered "organisers". We are maintaining that they are paid as Advanced Skills Teachers because that is the sort of work they do. They should therefore be included. AA has written to TP to ask for a ruling.
  49. School Reps Training: there were 32 applications, of whom 30 actually participated on June 11th. This was our most successful course yet, re. participation. Nearly all comments from participants afterwards were complimentary, some glowing! One said it was too much talk and not enough discussion.
  50. u Learning Representative: Secretary has asked for an extra 10 days specifically for training and activity of the Divisional learning representative, Tina Webber. LEA is refusing, saying (1) that it is a matter for the JNC and (2) that we have enough facilities time anyway. Neither is true.
  51. ¤ Repayment of Student Loans for shortage subjects: Some NQTs who start their (September 1st) contracts in their first school early (eg. weeks' teaching in June - July) are falling foul of some "jobsworth" in the Loan Company who claims that, because this means that their first contract starts before September 1st 2003, they must have been NQTs in 2002-3 and are therefore too late to apply for their loans to be repaid. It is a nonsense but Secretary has been unable to get TTA, DfES or Loan Company to sort it. Have contacted Secretary of State to ask him to get it sorted. Also warned LEA (SCITT staff and payroll/personnel.
  52. Risk Assessment and EOTAS / SEN: Third working party meeting held. Progress on checking premises for suitability and safety for home tutors. Huge agenda and the WP will become at least semi-permanent, with an action plan to feed in to Education Management. Agenda includes loan workers and access to information for all involved in the transfer of children with SEN or EBD, including significant personal / family information.
  53. There are two important cases involving Special Sector and risk. In 2 special settings, staff are getting injured on a regular basis. LEA H&S and Schoolsafe personnel informed and action requested. In one case, a pregnant teacher has been given medical leave, because the working environment is considered too hazardous (pupil behaviour). We are saying this is an intolerable situation and LEA must intervene.
  54. u 7 NUT members joined the Norwich TUC coach for the rally on Pensions in London on June 19th. The march was well attended (about 10,000 people). Nice to see the National NUT banner in use. Some remarks about mothballs heard. Norwich TUC would appreciate a donation towards the cost of the coach. The coach we were to sponsor, together with NASUWT, was cancelled when we had no takers.
  55. Secretary did write to EADT re. BNP candidates in the election, taking as his cue the decision of Radio Suffolk to include the BNP in an election programme, from which Labour and Conservative candides withdrew. The letter was not published.
  56. u Membership Meeting: July 1st 2004, 7:00. Venue to be announced.
  57. u Teacher Reps: Our candidate for the post of Teacher Rep (Special) has been elected unopposed. She is Jenny Mosesson of Belstead School.
  58. H&S: John Osborne to Report.
  59. Courses and Conferences
  60. Student Recruitment:
    Section E: Local Associations, etc

Date of next meeting: September 30th 2004 Venue to be announced

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