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THE 66th EDITION FOR ALL PLYMOUTH TEACHERS FEBRUARY 2007

N

A GOOD LOCAL SCHOOL FOR EVERY CHILD

WORKLOAD BALLOT
TIME FOR ACTION!
The guidelines now in your school give excellent examples
and advice on how to combat the excesses of performance
management, lesson observations, meetings and general work-
load. If your school refuses to listen to your legitimate desire to
reduce teachers’ workload and ignores the chance to reach a
sensible agreement, you may choose to vote for [legal] industrial
action. Any loss of pay will be covered by the NUT.
GO FOR IT! “Cover Supervisers
may only be used
Member after member told us that their workload was relentlessly increasing, but they
felt unable to tackle the issue directly with school management. Well, now they can! when no actual
There are scores of issues covered by the ballot where members are asking for teaching takes
changes. We are happy to advise our membership in schools whether you are few or place” [statement
many. Just call us to a meeting. The message is clear—our working conditions must from the DfES & RIG
improve or the National Union of Teachers will back your action in your school!
Guidance].
A recent visitor to Schools will receive
Plymouth Division was the NUT standards
Bill Greenshields our
National junior vice-
mark in a public
President. Bill is seen ceremony in April.
with John Leonard To join in contact our
[Plymouth NUT’s
Membership Secretary]
President Martin
holding the National Edmonds
Membership Award [see back page]
certificate, Division
Secretary David Smale
and Regional Secretary
“Trust” Schools
Andy Woolley, at The Update
China House page 2

Independent of Government and not affiliated to any political party

Call the Joining Hotline 0845 300 1669
 UNITY
MAKES
SENSE!

What’s that Sooty?

More TESTING!
TESTING!
A naked Sooty asks
TESTING!?
Education Secretary
Alan Johnson MP
about the new key stage tests
TRUST SCHOOLS UPDATE

What Lord Adonis [the unelected PUSSS] says

above applies to all schools, so why would he
want “flexibilities” in the way staff are managed?
He states quite clearly that the external “partner” will appoint a number of governors who will share the
responsibility for employing staff, manage the school’s assets and set the admissions policy. No matter what
assurances and promises the current governors give, parents, staff and the local authority will have no say if the
governors later decide [amongst themselves] that they favour a different social mix of children or want to abandon
the pay and conditions of the staff they employ. There is no mechanism, once the trust decision is made, for staff or
parents to object—the “consultation” does not allow a democratic ballot of parents or staff about the future of their
school in the heart of their community—if parents know what’s best for their children why not ask them?
 May The Farce Be With You PAY & INFLATION
Christian The NUT were
Muslim the first
Hindu teachers’ union
Jedi
Sikh
to call on the
Jew government to
Buddhist review next
•• ••¬ September’s pay
rise now that
inflation had
passed through
3% and looked
to be heading
towards 4%
The RIG partners
Right Headmaster, now that you’ve relaxed the had accepted
wearing of religious symbols, as a Jedi, may I only a 2.5% rise
carry a light sabre?
A supply teacher writes, “I passed my NQT induction education. I am ashamed to say that I voted Labour, the
in 2004, but I’ve recently been seriously considering first time, but not the second, and it was purely because
giving it all up. I have just received information they said that they had big plans for educational
concerning a job at a local College for a "study reform... I come from a working class background and
supervisor" (it's all in the title!!); to all intents and struggled to get into higher education because there
purposes it is a cover teacher post. Having read the job were six children in my family. I did not go to university,
description I am convinced that it’s a cheap way of although I could have done, because I felt guilty at
getting a supply teacher to cover lessons even though depriving the family of funds that were badly needed. I
they say in the "short term" absence of colleagues. How finally made it, and now wonder why.... I feel like
do they define "short term"? Is there a designated time writing a letter to the HERALD asking parents to
limit? I feel like writing to the HT and explaining why I comment on what they think about their children being
will not be applying for the post, although I really could educated on the cheap! Most schools get around it by
do with a job, and it is in a classroom. Is the important saying that the session has been planned by a teacher
and crucial job of teaching our children coming down to and is only being delivered by the TA or LSA. What
a simple equation of money and balanced budgets? about all the other aspects of teaching and learning that
A friend of mine is a classroom assistant and she said go on in the classroom during the session? Observations
that the parents organised a petition against their and evaluations, monitoring progress, marking new mile-
children being "supervised" during teachers’ absence by stones that the child has reached, noting any serious
TAs and LSAs. Needless to say the school went with the problems, and so on. These are all part of the dynamics
parents as they knew that their support in other areas of of classroom teaching. TAs and LSAs whilst they are very
school life was vital, so they employed supply teachers to good do not have the depth of training and knowledge to
cover PPA time and other long-term teacher absences. undertake this role.
When speaking to friends with school-aged children So, do you have any advice for me? Why are schools
about what’s probably happening in their school, they using unqualified staff to replace teachers? Perhaps it
are horrified. Parents are being kept in the dark about will lift my spirits to talk to other supply teachers…”
this. I think if they knew they would be angry that their How do other teachers feel about the
child's education is often being provided by unqualified comments in this letter? Although schools
staff.
may say that lessons have been set by a
I have contacted several local schools and could only get
very small amounts of supply and with all my graduate teacher and only “delivered” by someone else,
loans and other financial responsibilities to pay off I teachers know that they are unable to set or
need to get at least 3 full days of teaching every week. [I mark work for their own PPA time—so who
choose not to work for an agency as the pay is poor and really is setting the work?
at my age I must contribute to the teachers’ pension The writer may be contacted via
scheme].
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
I feel very strongly about this new development in

Do you know where unqualified staff The average graduate’s first annual
are replacing teachers? Get in touch salary is £26 500. The starting pay for a
(anonymously if you wish) teacher is just £19 641– a gap of about £7k
Parents expect their children to be
taught while they are at school by
qualified teachers.
We know that the government has
advised HTs and governors that
schools can allow TAs or any
person to take whole classes.
Parents are often not fully
informed of the implications for
their children when non-teachers
take charge of the class. The NUT
believes that TAs and other
support staff should be paid
properly for the professional work
they do. That should be the
priority rather than using them to
replace teachers.
So, If your school only uses
qualified teachers to teach whole
classes let us know so we can
bestow the kite mark on your
school. Contact our President
Martin Edmonds at:
edmonds _ m@tamarside.co.uk
AGM MATTERS Steve Sinnott challenged the
could volunteer please contact the Secretary for
The AGM on March 29th @ 5pm at the DfES to just give £30m to a
more information and a nomination form—to
CHINA HOUSE Sutton Quay will confirm the be returned by 28th February. “failing” school rather than
Committee for 2007/8. We are particularly Come along and meet our new Presidentconvert it into an Academy
seeking black teacher and union learning with all the nonsense that
Jeff Gale and enjoy the buffet at 6pm.
representatives. There are also some general entails. It would be interesting
ALL NUT MEMBERS WELCOME to compare the outcomes of
committee posts available, so if you feel you
this school and the usual
A member asks, “I’ve been ‘told’ to set work, write lesson plans etc for my TA to results from the Academies
‘deliver’ during my PPA time. What should I say?” experiment!
Answer: If your HT had read and understood the workload reforms that came into force Any Questions? Contact
a while ago they would realise that they couldn’t direct you to do this. Indeed, it is plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
assumed that another teacher will be taking the class and the preparation you describe
Tell John on 01752 707606
distributor in your school?

would fall to them. Your PPA time is protected from this type of work so your polite
s.m.leonard@btinternet.com

refusal should be enough. If this remains an issue in your school for you or other NUT
so he can update your
address label today!

members, just contact the Plymouth Secretary

Are you the new
NUT Rep or mail