Notes for Division Meeting: November 2004

Apologies already recorded: For EC / Both: Kath More For Council: None

Section A: National with National Executive Report

¤ Report from Glenys Shepherd.

1. Secretary wrote to Glenys on 11th October requesting more detailed reports on the major national issues and debates.
2. Executive News No. 109 (on pink)
3. Executive News No 110 (on lilac)
4. OFSTED report on inclusion – NUT reaction Commenting on today’s OFSTED report on inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools, Steve Sinnott said: “OFSTED’s report shows the enormous efforts schools have made to include children with special educational needs and their willingness to be seen as inclusive. But ... schools cannot be expected to include children with severe behavioural difficulties if teachers have tried and not been able to overcome the problems. Teachers have to have regard for the education of all other children in the school. Their education must not be disrupted by the behaviour of children with special needs. David Bell should have said that special school and unit provision should be available in all local authorities. He should also have warned that SEN support services, so vital for inclusion, are under threat from Government pressure on authorities to delegate more and more of their budgets to individual schools. We are still not there yet in achieving access to all school buildings for children with disabilities. Only a minority of schools have lifts allowing access to all floors for children with mobility difficulties. The Government should reinstate additional and specific fundings for making school buildings more accessible.” See also Secretary's report.

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   Circulars from HQ, etc:
5. 04-198-M&C - DIVISION SECRETARIES' BRIEFING 2005 - Wed 12th to Friday 14th October 2005
6. u 04-197-M&C - EVALUATION OF THE CAMPAIGN TO RECRUIT NEW TEACHERS 2004: For Associations to complete - did all Assocs return the pro forma and distribute re. teachers new to Suffolk and on school-based training routes?
7. 04-194-EEO - PREVENTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - RESOURCES IN SCHOOLS
8. 04-193-CCU - PCS CAMPAIGN IN DEFENSE OF PUBLIC SERVICES
9. u 04-192-EEO - NUT CONFERENCE ON ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING: TUESDAY, 18 JANUARY 2005, Hamilton House. Few details as yet. £30/60 tariff.
10. u 04-191-O&A - 2005 GRANT REGULATIONS. For Local Associations - may wish to make comments to Glenys.
11. 04-190-EEO - NUT SEMINAR FOR EDUCATION PSYCHOLOGISTS - 7 FEBRUARY 2005: Has been circulated to members in service, plus local rep of AEP.
12. 04-189-M&C - SOULBURY-PAID MEMBERS: RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
13. 04-188-EEO - NUT CPD PROGRAMME 2004/05 - PROMOTING THE PROGRAMME
14. u 04-187-SUP - REVIEW OF THE TEACHERS' PENSION SCHEME Including Joint Union Advice on responding to the DfES Consultation on Pensions. This has been distributed to all schools, apparently. Check re. follow-up. Will people do it?
15. ¤ 04-186-SUP - PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT ON 16 NOVEMBER 2004: FURTHER INFORMATION. Packs are to be available next week to be distributed via the Secretary. u EC to sort out logistics.
16. 04-185-CCU - NUT WALTER HINES PAGE SCHOLARSHIP 2005-2006
17. 04-184-CCU - SOLIDARITY WITH BESLAN TEACHERS: Education International has launched an appeal for contributions to the EI Solidarity Fund to assist the families of teachers who died in the tragedy at School No.1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, on 3 September 2004. See LA Reports.
18. ¤ 04-183 - NUT SUPPLEMENTARY SUBMISSION TO THE SCHOOL TEACHERS' REVIEW BODY, EVIDENCE FROM THE REWARDS AND INCENTIVES GROUP, NUT SALARY CLAIM AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
19. u 04-182-COS - BURGUNDY BOOK NEGOTIATIONS: Employers apparently wrote to LEAs (8/04) suggesting a variation on the national BB conditions of service that (a) the teachers' sick pay scheme to be replaced by the sick pay scheme which applies to local government staff under the Green Book. (This means that teachers would have their entitlement on the first day of sickness absence reduced by the aggregate of any periods of sickness absence which they have taken in the previous 12 months and would be expressed in terms of calendar months rather than the current formula using working days); and (b) the last 8 weeks of statutory maternity pay to be enhanced by extending the existing entitlement to 12 weeks' half occupational pay by a further 8 weeks. Secretary has written to Suffolk LEA seeking assurances that they will implement (b) but not (a). AA replied to say that Suffolk LEA had received no such communication from the National Employers.
20. 04-181-EEO - OFSTED INSPECTIONS SUMMER 2004 - UPDATE: Copy of OFSTED's own briefing to inspectors.
21. u 04-180-O&A - ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2005-TYNESIDE: FRIDAY 25th MARCH TO TUESDAY 29th MARCH 2005. EC to check on bookings, etc.
22. 04-178-COS - PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT-16 NOVEMBER 2004
23. 04-177-EEO - JOINT NUT AND SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD CONFERENCE ON REFUGEE AND ASYLUM SEEKING CHILDREN has been cancelled due to lack of participants.
24. 04-176-H&S - MINIBUS SAFETY: summarises Union guidance on minibus safety.
25. 04-175-SUPN - RETIRED TEACHERS' MEETING-17th NOVEMBER 2004
26. 04-174-M&C - REMINDER-NATIONAL TRAINING FOR LOCAL OFFICERS: SEPTEMBER 2004-JULY 2005
27. u 04-173-H&S - FACILITIES TIME FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISERS. At present H&S Training and time off for County Safety Committee, etc. has been met from the facilities fund. This can no longer cope with 5-day courses at Stoke Rochford, for example, and was never intended to cover time for school inspections, etc. EC to consider approaches to LEA, with or without joint representations via JNC?
28. 04-172-EEO - NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2004 - EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD: 40-page report of the 2004 conference. Dates of next years' conference will be 2-3 July at Stoke Rochford Hall.
29. 04-171-CCU - CONSULTATION ON EQUALITY PRIORITY RESOLUTION: Few replies received by HQ. More wanted (from associations) and will be received up to November 12th.
30. 04-170-CCU - THIRD EUROPEAN SOCIAL REFORM, Alexandra Palace Friday, 15 to Sunday 17 October incl.(i.e. no Suffolk NUT meeting before this event). Ipswich Association was supporting - See Conference, etc. Reports..

    Themes=war and peace; democracy and fundamental rights; social justice and solidarity; corporate globalisation and global justice; against racism, discrimination and the far right; environmental crisis and a sustainable planet. The cost of attendance for the three day event is £30 (waged) or £20 (unwaged and students). Info from www.fse-esf.org. Five seminars specifically about education are being held, as follows. - Friday, 15 October 7 pm to 9 pm: "Crisis in higher and further education? Access, fees, privatisation and democracy". - Saturday, 16 October 9 am to 11 am: "Globalisation, education and the European Union". - Saturday, 16 October 11.30 am to 1.30 pm: "Education is not for sale: education as a public service not a business". - Saturday, 16 October 2 pm to 4 pm: "Another education is possible: opposition and resistance to neo-liberalism". - Sunday, 17 October 9 am to 12 pm: "Challenging racism in education". Speakers from NUT, and from all over Europe.

31. 04-169-CCU - BEATING THE PANDEMIC: A WORKPLACE RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OF HIV AND AIDS: a half-day Conference on Saturday, 4 December 2004 at TUC Congress House, London, to develop the workplace response to HIV/AIDS, both in the UK and overseas.
32. ¤ 04-167-SALS - NUT SUBMISSION TO THE SCHOOL TEACHERS' REVIEW BODY u Some debate possible?
33. ¤ 04-166-SALS - PROGRESSION ON THE UPPER PAY SCALE: SEPTEMBER 2004u EC to check that information has got to members.
34. 04-165-CCU - CUTS IN CIVIL SERVICE JOBS, PENSIONS AND SERVICES/NUT PENSIONS CAMPAIGN
35. 04-164-SALS - LEA AND SCHOOL FUNDING 2005/06 This NUT circular provides information on the funding of LEAs and schools in England for 2005/06 and NUT advice on minimum funding guarantee arrangements for all schools and the position of schools facing falling rolls
36. 04-163-SUPN - REVIEW OF THE TEACHERS' PENSIONS SCHEME The recognised teachers' organisations represented on the Teachers' Panel of the Teachers' Superannuation Working Party will be meeting on Monday, 4 October to consider jointly agreed guidance to be issued to members to assist them in responding to the DfES. Details of the consultation together with the consultation document are available on the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations. Information and the background leading up to the consultation exercise is available through the DfES TeacherNet website www.teachernet.gov.uk/pensions. The consultation exercise is due to run through to Friday, 10 December 2004 and if you receive enquiries from members we would ask you to urge them not to respond to the DfES until they have had the opportunity to see the jointly agreed guidance that will be issued to members.
37. 04-161-M&C - NUT LEARNING REPRESENTATIVES' FORUM: BUILDING THE NETWORK - MONDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2004, NUT HEADQUARTERS
38. 04-159-EEO - THE NUT'S POSITION STATEMENT ON '14-19 REFORMS'
39. 04-158-L&PS - NEW STATUTORY INFORMATION AND CONSULTATION ARRANGEMENTS A new statutory right for employees to have access to workplace information and consultation procedures is due to come into force next year. No change in LEA schools / Suffolk.
40. 04-154-COS - UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOLS PFI
41. 04-151-H&S - HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISERS' BULLETIN NO.73

    * Manual Handling Guidance Update * Noise " Select Committee Report on HSC/HSE " HSC Annual Report " Heavy School Bags " Violence at Work " School Security " School Nurse Plan Welcomed " Asthma Information " New Asbestos Laws Being Ignored " Sickness and Absence Secondary Teacher 'Burnout' "

    * Working Time Directive * Report Praises Safety Committee " Brown Book " Work-Related Stress " 'Hazards' Magazine " RoSPA Raises Awareness of Teacher Risk Assessments " Child Sized Chairs " NUT Briefing on Role of H&S Adviser " Camera Mobile Phones " NUT H&S Advisers' Briefing " NUT H&S Reps' Training

42. 04-150-COS - STANDARD SCHOOL YEAR. The press reported an 'agreement' between NASUWT and LGA on the standard school year. The Union wrote to the LGA expressing our concerns. The LGA confirmed that the statement was issued from their side as a clarification of some issues that had become the subject of misinterpretation among some members of the NASUWT and have apologised for not consulting the Union. The LGA further confirmed that the statement essentially restates the principles agreed with the members of the Standing Committee in autumn 2003, with the addition of one other about protecting teacher holiday periods from unreasonable scheduling of INSET days
43. 04-150-COS - STANDARD SCHOOL YEAR ( ATTACHMENT )
44. u 04-148-COS - CAR MILEAGE ALLOWANCES 2004/05 The rates from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 as agreed by the NJC for Local Government Services are as follows, based on a price of 76.18p per litre (346.3p per gallon) for unleaded petrol (so where do they get their petrol from ??).

    Essential Users
    Car Engine Size (cc)	451-999	1000-1199	1200-1450
    Lump sum per annum	£666	£744	£954
    Per mile: first 8,500 miles	29.1p	31.7p	39.2p
    Per mile: after 8,500 miles	10.8p	11.2p	13.1p
    Casual Users
    Car Engine Size (cc)	451-999	1000-1199	1200-1450
    Per mile: first 8,500 miles	37.0p	40.4p	50.5p
    Per mile: after 8,500 miles	10.8p	11.2p	13.1p

    The tax-exempt rates remain the same (i.e. 40p per mile for cars).
45. ¤ 04-144-EEO - THE GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY FOR SEN: NUT advice to Divisions is to ensure that LEAs:

    a) when reviewing their special education provision have in place consultation arrangements which involve teacher, parent and governor organisations b) have a timetable for consultation which has, at minimum, a two term consultation period; c) retain sufficient funding to meet the needs of all children and young people with SEN through adequately funded SEN and behaviour support services; d) not delegate further SEN resources to schools without thorough consultation and consideration; e) guarantee access to a wide range of provision to meet a wide range of need, including high cost provision such as EBD schools and services for low incidence special educational needs; f) ensure that LEAs provide information on high quality professional development for teachers, which includes the NUT's Continuing Professional Development courses, on the practical needs of pupils with SEN and disabled students; g) ensure that all teachers have practical access to information on the statutory framework that protects the entitlement of pupils with SEN; h) monitor the use by schools of funding for continuing professional development on SEN; i) implement strategic long term financial planning to enable: > i. planning for new schools to include specialist units or other provision in their building programmes, staffing projections and curriculum planning; > ii. the organisation of flexible arrangements for pupils to attend both specialist and mainstream provision; and ? iii. the provision of resources for joint planning between specialist and mainstream provision; j) ensure that there is a strategy in place which ensures that there is a wide range of provision available to pupils with special needs and disabilities and which has the aim of ensuring stability in provision for at least ten years; k) in consultation with teacher organisations, provide guidance to schools on the minimum weekly leadership and management time needed for SENCOs to carry out their responsibilities; l) ensure that strategic planning to implement changes outlined in the SEN strategy dovetails with the LEAs response to the Every Child Matters agenda and local re-organisation of the delivery of children's services

    This advice being forwarded to Vanessa Harvey-Samuel and Gary Nethercott.
46. 04-143-EEO - DfES' GUIDANCE FOR LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SEN EXPENDITURE
47. 04-142-CCU - CHILDREN'S FOOD BILL: list of MPs who had signed the EDM.

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    Section B: Regional:
48. Penny attended the ERC meeting at RO on 16th October.

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    Section C: Division / Executive Committee:
49. u AGM Date: Secretary has a problem with March 10th. Would it be possible to move the AGM a week earlier, to March 3rd. (March 17th is not possible for Secretary, and March 23rd is the last day of term and the day before Good Friday / Easter Conference.
50. ¤ Up-dated advice for Reps, SENCOs and class teachers on the SEN Audit 2004 (supplements the original advice re. audit and workload from February 2004)
51. ¤ Autumn Newsletter posted on internet 1/11/4 and circulated to members via Association Secretaries
52. ¤ Management Allowances - briefing from Bury NUT (Helen Andrews). Re-printed with permission from Bury NUT and FAXed to school Reps in Middle / High and larger primaries beginning of November.
53. u Workforce Remodelling Group met 13/10/04. - NUT raised concern over re-modelling of Management allowances, financing for PPA (none), disappearance of the 3 day cover rule (asked LEA to give local advice to schools to retain it as "custom and practice", need for PPA for peris (e.g. county music school). Also teachers should not cover for "lessons" "taught" by TAs not present to teach. (Yes it is happening). - LEA is undertaking PPA Training. As there is no money for PPA, it means getting schools to share sharp practice, e.g. "enrichment" afternoons, where classes are divided up for activities (music, sport, etc) "taught" by non-teaching staff, to release staff for PPA. Next meeting 20th January.
54. Peasenhall: SCC EC resolved to close the school w.e.f. August 2004 but, curiously, decided not to start the statutory closure procedures until after Christmas when the final decision would be taken. This is, they say, to allow time for more attempts at federation, although we do not see much activity from the LEA on that front.
55. u Travel Expenses and Advisory, etc., staff: The much awaited meeting of the Suffolk Soulbury panel took place on 1st November. DT and AA reported back verbally to us re. the Tony Uden report which recommends status quo re. Soulbury staff and Essential User clauses, pending consideration of the report by Chief Executive and the County Council. Essential User status would be retained, but the criteria for deciding whether a post (new or existing) would be re-worded, in consultation with the Unions concerned. Managers and all staff would be instructed to seek all reasonable measures to save business miles overall. It is clear that the Council will not be able to force through the proposals. The current contractual situation re. EU militates against making savings on journeys, because if an officer did fewer miles than before, there was a risk of not being considered an essential user. If EU status can be awarded on criteria other than total mileage, then there is no disincentive to staff choosing to use public transport and/or hire car when the circumstances make this sensible, and cheaper. We expect the LEA to take this into consideration in future policy. The NUT undertook to work with the LEA to support genuine savings in business miles, without the employees themselves subsidising transport costs from their own pocket. We do not have a date for the next meeting, but we will meet with the LEA again once the Tony Uden report has been released, and the political decisions confirmed. We anticipate this will happen before Christmas. Although the current report and decisions relate only to Soulbury members as far as Education is concerned, the original intention was to extend the April 2004 proposals to advisory teachers, music peripatetic teachers, etc. The Teachers' JNC in October accepted an NUT proposal that no implementation for those on teachers' pay and conditions would be made until after the resolution of the Soulbury staff's situation. Clearly, a status quo decision on essential usage for Soulbury will mean that there should be no attempt to change the situation for any advisory teacher either, except perhaps to bring Advisory Teacher contracts into line with any new criteria for Essential User allowance.
56. u Section 188 notices: A meeting was held on 19th October to consider redundancy handling in 2004. The NUT wrote in with a number of concerns, particularly re. Riverside Middle and Benhall Primary. The LEA is preparing a new Redundancy Pack for schools which should be ready for the next round, which begins around Christmas. There remain concerns over practices in the N Area, where the unions have been informed of 3 situations, but before any Section 188 notice has been issued. The NUT is providing Reps with the LEA's timetable for redundancy handling, which they have not themselves been adhering to in all circumstances. Current known notices for Easter 2005 are Eye Primary, Blundeston and Barnby & North Cove.
57. ¤ Union Inspection Notice: Secretary asked John Osborne to sign a Union Inspection Notice re. a Special School in the Western Area, having responded to members' concerns, examined a whole term's incident forms and made requests and suggestions to the headteacher, none of which had been taken up. A UIN gives notice of a perceived breach of H&S legislation and gives a time period (in this case to November 19th) to put matters right by seeking to eliminate the notified hazards.
58. Wortham Primary School - OFSTED complaint. Wortham lodged a complaint against its inspection team and report. This was supported by John Bangs who kept in touch with OFSTED on the matter. On 26th October OFSTED informed the Union that the complain was upheld on two counts. Secretary in touch with John Bangs. Serious weaknesses classification remains, however.
59. A Meeting was held on 9th Nov under the auspices of the JNC of County Secretaries, Acting Director of Learning and Chief Executive, Michael More on the decision of SCC to create a post of Director for Children and Young People. Theirs is a vision of a multi-disciplinary department at County level, to be reflected in various forms of local arrangements ("trusts"?) which would have particularly sharp consequences for Area Education Offices. Areas already under the stewardship of the County Council (schools, adult education, parts of the youth service, and social services) would be lead by a single director, mainly embracing ages 0 (or pre-natal) to 19 (or thereabouts) but close working arrangements would have to be made with other agencies, such as the LSC and, notably separate from the Co Council, the Health Service trusts. Much optimistic talk of enabling better delivery of services where needed, and raising educational standards for the most disadvantaged by social policy support and intervention in the early years. It would be delivered in "localities" by a variety of structures, where the school would become the focus of extended services to the community. The concept has been generally well received in schools and elsewhere at managerial levels. We put the proviso that it would all depend on how change was brought about and, of course, resourced. In the absence of very large investment of extra resourcing, it could all just be an expensive re-painting of an empty shell. Will it actually get us more Educational Psychologists or ensure that they were available when required.
60. A Letter to East Anglian Times was published on 28th October, re. inclusion and the removal of ASCs., occasions by an article in the EADT featuring the Westgate Partial Hearing Unit. This in itself tied in with OFSTED's report commented on above on SEN integration.
61. ¤ Nominations for Division Officer Posts received by 1st October 2004:

    Assistant Secretary	Penny Cook
    Equal Opportunities Officer	Kath More
    Secretary	Martin Goold
    Treasurer	Paul Brewerton

    The current Vice President, Peter Dunnett, will become the President at the AGM. It will be the turn of Ipswich Association to nominate the next Vice President.
62. ¤ Teacher Representatives: Report on Learning For Life Overview and Scrutiny Committee Thursday 23rd September 2004
63. ¤ Courses and Conferences: Margaret Bulaitis (Ipswich Association) to report on the European Social Forum event.
64. Student Recruitment:Up-date.

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    Section E: Local Associations
65. Bury St Edmunds Association has contributed £200 to the fund set up for the families of teachers killed in Beslan.

Date of next meeting: February 3rd 2005 Venue to be announced

Notes for Previous Meeting: September 2004

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