Suffolk Division NUT Information for Division Council Meeting (18:30 - 21:00) Belstead Brook Hotel, Ipswich Wednesday November 10th 2010

1. Executive News Oct 2010
2. 10-187-OM-EEPD - MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AWARDS (MDAs) AND THE BLAIR PEACH AWARD (BPA) 2010/11
3. 10-185-EE&PD - NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEES: 2011-2015
4. 10-184-EC&R - E-SAFETY - PROTECTING SCHOOL STAFF: NUT GUIDANCE AND MODEL POLICY: A model policy is included which governing bodies should be invited to adopt where an equivalent policy is not already in place.  Available on Hearth and at: www.teachers.org.uk/node/12092 . A brief guide for members in the form of “do’s and don’ts” on how to stay cybersafe is available at: www.teachers.org.uk/node/12093    and copied onto our website: www.suffolknut.org.uk/cybersafety.doc   
5. 10-183-SS&EE - TRADE UNION RECOGNITION IN ACADEMIES: TUC MODEL AGREEMENT:  A revised version agreed by ATL, NASUWT and NUT and support staff unions (GMB, Unison and Unite), available on Hearth.  NUT has sent this directly to NUT representatives in schools that have converted to academy status under the arrangements for outstanding schools.  We have asked them to approach the head teacher to confirm that the agreement will be adopted and that union recognition and other collective agreements as well as the contractual terms and conditions of teachers will not be changed following the school’s conversion to academy status.
6. 10-182-EE&PD - CAMPAIGNING FOR EDUCATION - FRED AND ANNE JARVIS AWARD 2011
7. 10-181-O&M - CAMPAIGNING SKILLS: COURSE FOR LOCAL OFFICERS: 6-8 DECEMBER 2010
8. 10-180-SS&EE - CENTRAL LOCAL AUTHORITY SERVICES (SOULBURY AND CENTRALLY EMPLOYED TEACHERS: advice to Division negotiators.
9. 10-179-EEPD - NUT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE AQA CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT QUALITY COMMITTEE (CAQC): seeks NUT representation on AQA’s Curriculum and Assessment Quality Committee.  2 vacancies for NUT members from 1 April 2011 for three years.
10. 10-178-S&C - THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS - TUC CONFERENCE: SATURDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2010 @ Congress Ho, London
11. 10-177-EEPD - UK DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH: newly established UK Disability History Month, from 22 November to 22 December 2010.
12. 10-176-SC - TUC LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT - 19 OCTOBER 2010: FINAL BRIEFING
13. 10-174-SC - THE ANTI-ACADEMIES ALLIANCE: promoting affiliation by associations and divisions
14. 10-173-SSEE - PENSIONS: NUT SUMMARY OF HUTTON REPORT AND CAMPAIGN MATERIALS, including Powerpoint presentation and speakers notes, on Hearth.
15. 10-172-ECR - CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS, ‘DROP-INS’ AND ‘LEARNING WALKS’: updated NUT guidance on classroom observation and two new documents have been produced (on Hearth). 1 - Classroom Observation Guidance – information and advice on

    the purposes of classroom observation;	arrangements for classroom observation;
    NUT protocol on the conduct of ‘learning walks	expectations and time allocations;

    and 2 - Classroom Observations: NUT Model Policy and Commentary
16. 10-171-ECR - JOINT UNION ASBESTOS QUESTIONNAIRE: NUT has joined forces with all the other teaching unions and the unions representing support staff (UNISON, UNITE and GMB) to undertake a major survey of school safety representatives.The purpose of the survey is partly to raise general awareness among safety representatives about the problem of asbestos in schools but also to gain a better understanding about how well, or badly, it is being managed.
17. 10-170-ECR - THE EQUALITY ACT AND THE SINGLE EQUALITY DUTY:  Consolidates existing provisions and introduces a new general duty on public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to all relevant protected characteristics, not just race, disability and gender. Public bodies will be required to comply with the broader general duty immediately upon repeal of the existing race, gender and disability duties – this will not be before April 2011.  Local authorities and schools must, however, continue to meet their existing duties in relation to race, disability and gender until then.
18. 10-169-RM - REGIONAL OFFICER - SOUTH WEST REGION
19. 10-166-S&C - NAHT POSITION ON ASSESSMENT REFORM CAMPAIGN: Government has promised full consultation on the review of primary school assessment and accountability.  The NAHT Council has decided to not to ballot NAHT members on a boycott of SATs in 2011.
20. 10-165-ECR - GOOD PRACTICE IN PLANNING REQUIREMENTS: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: the NUT is to focus each term on a particular workload issue with materials produced nationally.  This will enable LA and division secretaries, working with school groups and representatives in their areas, to target those schools in which gains on workload problems on each term’s targeted area can be achieved, as well as seeking to develop ways in which less confident school groups can be supported and encouraged.
21. 10-164-EEPD - PAKISTAN FLOODS APPEAL
22. 10-163-S&C - INVOLVING RETIRED MEMBERS: an e-mail from HQ.
23. 10-162-S&C - CAMPAIGN EVENTS - LOBBY OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE AND DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW
24. 10-161-SS&EE - 2010 SCHOOL TEACHERS' PAY AND CONDITIONS DOCUMENT: includes revised pay scales incorporating the 2.3 per cent pay increase to all pay scales, TLR payments and the SEN range.  Main changes to the 2010 STPCD are:
    • re-ordering and some changes to teachers’ conditions of employment and professional responsibilities.
    • From 1 September 2010, the two separate SEN allowances are replaced with the power to pay SEN allowances within a specified SEN range from £2,001 to £3,954, matching the levels of the former SEN allowances must continue to be paid to teachers in SEN posts that require a mandatory SEN qualification and to teachers in special schools and in designated special classes or units in schools and LA services. SEN allowances are also payable to certain teachers in non-designated settings, including PRUs, who meet the revised criteria.  Where an SEN allowance is to be paid, the relevant body determines the value of the allowance, taking into account the structure of the school’s SEN provision and matters relating to qualifications, expertise and the relative demands of the post.  Provision is made for three year safeguarding where SEN allowances are lost or reduced due to the implementation of the new system or subsequent reorganization of SEN provision.
    • Consultation - The previous requirement for headteachers to consult with Local Authorities has been removed.
    • ‘Reasonable Direction’ - The 2010 Document no longer includes the reference to teachers carrying out professional duties ‘under the reasonable direction of the head teacher’.  This issue has been raised with the DfE which has confirmed that no contractual change has taken place, so that any direction must still be reasonable.
    • Work/Life Balance - The 2009 reference to the need for head teachers to maintain a reasonable balance for each teacher between work carried out in school and work carried out elsewhere is replaced with a duty by head teachers to ‘lead and manage the school’s workforce with a proper regard for their well-being and legitimate expectations, including the expectation of a healthy balance between work and other commitments’.
25. 10-160-RM - ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011 - HARROGATE: FRIDAY 22 APRIL TO TUESDAY 26 APRIL 2011: Accommodation bookings and Forms 427 for submission of original motions. Last day of Conference is first day of term.
26. 10-159-O&M - NUT LEARNING REPRESENTATIVES' FORUM: SATURDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2010, NUT HEADQUARTERS
27. 10-158-EEPD - LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANS TEACHERS' CONFERENCE 2010 Saturday, 6 November at NUT Headquarters, Hamilton House, London.  
28. 10-157-RM - REGIONAL SECRETARY - MIDLANDS REGION (R401) - RE-ADVERTISEMENT
29. 10-156-RM - ELECTIONS FOR NATIONAL DISCIPLINARY PANEL AND NATIONAL APPREALS COMMITTEE: 2011-2015
30. 10-155-RM - ELECTIONS FOR ADVISORY COMMITTEES: 2011-2015
31. 10-154-RM - WALES EDUCATION OFFICER: NUT CYMRU – VACANCY
32. 10-153-EEPD - NUT WORLD TEACHERS DAY RECEPTION: FROM 5.00PM ON WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER 2010 AT HAMILTON HOUSE
33. 10-152-SC - TUC CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CUTS – LOBBY AND RALLY OF PARLIAMENT: 19 OCTOBER 2010
34. 10-151-SC - LAUNCH OF NUT TWITTER ACCOUNT: now on line at http://twitter.com/NUTOnline
35. 10-150-EC&R - ON-LINE SURVEY OF SUPPLY MEMBERS to obtain an overall picture of pay and working conditions, particularly for those who work through agencies.  We also want to find out the views of supply teachers on the introduction of ‘rarely cover’.
36. 10-149-S&C - TUC LOBBY OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CONFERENCE: SUNDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2010
37. 10-148-SSEE - PENSIONS UPDATE: AUTUMN TERM 2010: NUT response to the Public Service Pensions Commission, changes to the inflation-indexing arrangements for Teachers’ Pensions and other updates on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.  
38. 10-146-ECR - HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISERS’ BULLETIN NO. 88:

    Organising around Health and Safety Asbestos Update European Health and Safety Week Joint Union Asbestos Survey

    Lord Young Review of Health and Safety NUT Circulars Health and Safety Advisers Briefing Health and Safety Representatives Training National Inspection Day

39. 10-145-SSEE - SCHOOL FUNDING IN ENGLAND – AUTUMN 2010 UPDATE on Hearth incl DSG review, Building Schools for the Future; EYSF; Cuts in DfE Grants;Free Schools and Academy funding issues;Post-16 funding.

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    Assistant Secretary's Report

1. SOR: Circular to NUT Reps in Middle Schools, Nov 2010: MG attended a meeting of TUs with SD and PW on 3/11/10 at which the LA announced that, from immediate effect, it was ceasing to send targeted vacancy information to MS staff with the expectation that they would apply for such "suitable" alternative posts but would in future just send the full vacancy list to schools for dissemination to all staff.  Individual schools would no longer be informed of those whom HR thought should apply with a copy of their Skills Audit.  The Skills Audits will no longer be used, and individuals will take charge of their own applications - or lack of them.  This should remove the threat of refusing a redundancy payment on the grounds that the employee did not apply for a specific post.  SD said that Section 188 notices will go out in Jan or Feb and will include an invitation to express an interest in taking voluntary redundancy and, for the 55s or over, early retirement without actuarial reduction.  Up to now, HR has insisted that they would not seek volunteers, but NUT has maintained that there is a legal duty to seek volunteers in order to minimise the risk of compulsory redundancy.
2. SOR: Leadership Group: SD has also confirmed to the NUT that those MS staff on Leadership Spine may now apply for posts below the Leadership scale and have their pay safeguarded for three years.  Up to now HR have been telling Assistant Heads, etc, that they must apply for Leadership Posts or not be safeguarded.  The NUT has challenged this using the STP&CD regulations and they have conceded, by saying that they will pay safeguarding if the new post has at least a 2a TLR. The NUT believes that the regulations would apply even if the post was just main scale, although we would not wish to see such a potential long-term drop in salary for any member.
3. The Cuts 1 - ISIS Review:  Appointments to the all four tiers of ISIS posts are now nearly completed. Half a dozen members remain without suitable alternative employment and a similar number are volunteering for redundancy, mostly with early retirement.

   "Clearing house" for any unfilled vacancies	10th November
   Notice of redundancies for those not appointed	end of November
   Redundancy to take effect	March 31st 2011 (except some funded work)

4. The Cuts 2 - METAT Review: MG and GW met with members of METAT (incl members of other unions by invitation) on 20/10/10 to respond to ISOS recommendations.  At the JNC meeting that same afternoon, AO had presented modified proposals: which included:

   	Merge the current Advisory Headteacher EMA and Adviser for Traveller Ed into one Soulbury 19-22 post of Lead Adviser - Equalities and Minority Ethnic Attainment
   	Create 4 to 5 new "Narrowing the Gap (BNE) Advisers on Soulbury 7-10
   	Remove the Travellers' Education Teachers and replace with GRT Engagement Officers (Single Status Grade 4)

   NUT Initial Response to the METAT proposals was submitted to AO, 3/11/10, arguing against down-sizing what the ISOS report admitted was a good team doing effective work on very small numbers and with scant resources. NUT particularly supported the retention of GRT teachers to be effective educational liaison between the traveller communities and schools. MG has circulated the response to the other JNC unions.
5. The Cuts 3 - Sport: ITFC, Swimming Service and School Sports Partnership initiatives for schools are all now to be closed, and several members are under redundancy notice.  MG has approached ISIS managers to seek possible ways of continuing to fund this work, from school budgets and other sponsorship.  They are actively looking into these possibilities, but the employment prospects for the staff involved are not good.
6. The Cuts 4: Healthy Schools: MG met with managers of Healthy Schools and HR on 4/11/10 to receive proposals to make the entire team redundant.   MG preparing an initial response to include concerns that much funding for this team comes from the NHS, and not just in Suffolk (NHS boundaries are not co-terminous with county) and they have not been consulted. The move sits ill with SCC's bid to become the healthiest county.
7. The Cuts 5:County Council Redundancies: All SCC Unions have received notice of an intention to remove 447 posts from SCC establishment between 1/1/11 and 30/9/11.   The CYP Unions received (9/11/11) a Section 188 notice from CYP declaring 190 job losses from CYP.   The proposal appears to be to reduce (or close??) Area Offices and to move to 7 local "clusters" commissioning services for children and young people.   As with the rest of the "Strategic Direction" proposals, detail is very hard to find. Simon White's letter to staff says that the key features of the new service are:

   •Locality co-located Integrated Teams using the current community clusters •Specialist Social Care Teams aligned to the localities and Integrated Teams •A Targeted Youth Support Service that is integral to Integrated Teams •Divestment of Open Access youth work •Specialist countywide services for Children and Young People •Access Team to be rolled out countywide.

   The NUT has asked for details of the parts of the service embraced by the term "Specialist countywide services for CYP.  There is to be briefing for Unions on 16th November.
8. Severe Weather - new draft guidance (reproduced on this website) to headteachers. Draft of new guidance to headteachers were discussed at JNC and are now ready to be distributed to Heads.  The guidance makes it clear that Headteachers alone can make the decision to close but seeks to get them to remain open wherever possible. Contents:

   What plans should schools be making for severe weather this winter? Who makes the decision about the Closure of the School? So, the School remains open, but what are the practical steps I need to take? When do I have to make the Decision to Close? Do I have to start and end the day at the normal time? If School hours are changed, what do I need to consider about school transport? What is the situation about unauthorised absences? The police often say that people should not go out unless their journey is essential. Does that mean that school workers should stay at home?

   What responsibilities does the Headteacher have towards staff in these situations? What if I clear the school site? Am I taking a risk that someone might fall and injure themselves?Can I use members of the local community to help clear the site? Will the roads to my school be gritted? If the weather is bad will the School Transport operate to my School? How do Schools make information available for parents? What will happen if the school is in the middle of an Ofsted inspection during a period of severe weather?

   Appendix 1: Checklist for Planning for Severe Weather Appendix 2: Extract from the Lord Young report on Health and Safety

   Appendix 3: Advice for volunteers spreading salt/grit or clearing snow from the highway at times of severe weather Appendix 4: Information for Schools about obtaining Grit Bins

9. Outstanding Transfers to Soulbury: MG met with LW to finally iron out the remaining transfers of Advisory Teachers to Soulbury Scale, which should have taken place w.e.f. Sept 1st 2008.  We are now assured that those who were not transferred in Sept 2009, because of an error in which they were still paid on an AST scale point which was higher than the Soulbury point they should have been on, will be assimilated w.e.f. 1/11/10.  Initially, this will mean a drop of salary (having been overpaid in the past) but those same employees are now eligible for a SPA point which would give them another increment.  If they apply and are successful, that increment would be paid back to Sept 2010.   MG represented all unions at that meeting and has reported back to ATL and NASUWT who had members present, but could not represent them on Soulbury matters.
10. All Advisory Teachers who transferred to Soulbury (or who should have transferred to Soulbury) w.e.f. Sept 2008 are now eligible for Structured Professional Assessment points, which for those not on the maximum of the scale can be in addition to the annual increment.  This is part of the Agreement signed by ASPECT and NUT in August 2009 and for this group of employees will be a welcome pay increase at a time when many others are facing a pay freeze, because the transfer was on to a scale with a higher maximum than before.  Soulbury members have been reminded of this by circular.

Date of next meeting: January 19th 2011 Ipswich