Though it was holiday time the education unions have been busy, reports Jean Roberts
First, the National Education Union’s Conference in Harrogate from 3rd to 6th April began with the announcement, to much cheering, that teachers had rejected last month’s below-inflation and largely unfunded wage package from the government, which was only tabled following weeks of national strikes. Schools would be expected to find the money for the increase from their already stretched school budgets.
The NEU consultative ballot, conducted for just a week, rejected the government’s pay offer by an overwhelming 98% of NEU teacher members in England on a turnout of 66%. Dr Mary Bousted, joint General Secretary said: “The offer shows an astounding lack of judgement and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system.”
Strikes have already been announced for 27th April and 2nd May with more on the cards later in the summer if no progress is made.
Later that week, NASUWT members also rejected the government’s pay offer and decided to re-ballot members in schools and sixth-form colleges in England for industrial action. 87% agreed that the union, which had not recommended how they should vote, should reject the government’s pay proposals. 77% of members in a consultative survey also said they would take strike action.
Patrick Roach, General Secretary, emphasised that the problems facing the profession run much deeper than just pay, calling for an end to the 13 years of government failure in which ministers have demonstrated serial contempt for the profession and their pupils. He said: “Teacher morale is so low the government refuses to collect the statistical data to track the extent of the problem. But we do and it confirms that 73% are seriously considering quitting and won’t recommend teaching as a career to others.”
Heads are angry too. More than 87% of members of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) rejected the pay offer on a turnout of 56%, with its national executive deciding what action it will take after the Easter break.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), with members working predominantly in primary schools, released the results of their consultative survey with 78% of respondents saying they wanted to vote and take industrial action. 90% voted to reject the paltry pay offer. Their first ballot fell just short of the 50% imposed government threshold as had the NASUWT.
NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman gave a rousing speech to the NEU conference saying that unions needed to work together. He said to cheers from delegates: “I’m proud of the work my NEU sisters and brothers have done. That old trade union adage that there’s more that unites us than divides us gets stronger every day in education. This profession will have its day.”
Parents have shown solid support for the action as they realise the core of this is underfunding in schools over the last decade, leading to shortage of staff, SEND children not receiving the provision they are entitled to and subjects being taught in secondary schools by non-specialists. Add onto that the rising costs of heating and crumbling schools –the Department for Education consolidated annual report and accounts 2021/2022 says “there is a risk of collapse of one or more blocks in some schools which are at or approaching the end of their designed life-expectancy and structural integrity is impaired” and that the risk level has been escalated from “Critical – Likely”, to “Critical – Very likely”, as long ago as July 2021, and that the direction of travel for this risk is assessed by the DfE as “worsening”.
The government must wake up and be forced to accept the crisis in education. Otherwise more strikes will be inevitable. Teachers, support staff and headteachers are passionate about education and, with the support of parents and the general public, will not stand by and do nothing.
Ofsted must go
A clear call for the abolition of Ofsted also came from the Conferences. First the NEU, following on from the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry after Ofsted said they would downgrade her school, passed a motion unanimously after many passionate speeches against the hated system of inspection.
The motion calls on the NEU to develop alternative methods of school assessment in England that are more “supportive and collaborative”, and states that “Ofsted is causing significant risk of harm to our members”.
Paul Arnold, who teaches near Ruth’s former school in Reading, said he could “not begin to describe the damage and loss felt by our community. Thirty-two years of passion for the profession, destroyed in a single word.” After the motion was carried, Louise Atkinson, the NEU’s president, read out a message from Ruth Perry’s sister, Julia Waters: “Thank you NEU. Ruth’s name must not be lost in vain.”
One consequence of the motion would be that headteachers who are NEU members could decline to work as part-time inspectors, which could limit the number of inspections that Ofsted carries out. In her final speech to conference, Mary Bousted reiterated this and called on NEU headteachers who were also Ofsted inspectors to refuse to take part in inspections.
Paul Whiteman said on Ofsted that he had heard of headteachers resigning as Ofsted inspectors as a result of the controversy after Ruth’s death. He said the feeling among school leaders was that the response to Ruth’s death “needs to be a watershed moment”.
Robin Bevan, an NEU executive member and the head of a school in Essex, said Ofsted’s inspection regime was “an international outlier” and that teachers in other countries looked at England “with pity and with ridicule”.
The NASUWT also passed a motion at their Conference calling for the abolition of Ofsted. Teachers described a “deep-seated fear” of Ofsted inspections.
The motion instructed the NASUWT’s national executive to work with other education unions to call for an immediate inspections freeze, and to launch a campaign to abolish the system in its “current form”, replacing it with a supportive framework.
Gherie Weldeyesus, a teacher from Brent, was applauded by delegates when he said: “It’s about time we said enough is enough. You cannot label a whole school including the leadership, educators and the pupils as one word – inadequate. Let’s put an end to this peddler of misery. Let’s end this reign of terror and abolish Ofsted.”
Hank Roberts, another Brent delegate, said it was no longer enough to call for Ofsted’s reform, accusing it of “mercilessly bullying” teachers. “This has been going on for years. We’ve been condemning it regularly. Clearly, this is not enough. They don’t give a stuff what you think. What they care about is what you do, and we have to do a lot more.”
Unity brings strength
For the abolition of Ofsted to happen the education unions do indeed need to work together. Only a unified stand will bring any change. UNIFY, an organisation campaigning for one education union, works across the unions in urging united action wherever possible. It was key to the amalgamation of ATL and NUT into the NEU. At the NEU conference a motion calling for work towards greater unity and further amalgamations was passed unanimously.
Educators are at war. We know that unity gives strength. The government is about to find out.
Jean Roberts is Vice Chair of Kensal Green Branch Labour Party and Brent NEU Officer.
Main image: https://freesvg.org/female-teacher-image
Image in text: Gherie Weldeyesus addresses Conference
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