National strike by NUT on March 26th

Breaking news from the NUT

 The NUT is today announcing a national strike across England and Wales on Wednesday 26 March in pursuit of the disputes that Michael Gove has caused with the profession around pay, pensions and conditions. In the run up to the strike we will engage in all talks and encourage our members to leaflet parents and engage with politicians.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“Michael Gove’s persistent refusals to address our ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions of service, is unnecessary and deeply damaging. As a result, thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving the job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming with two in five teachers leaving the profession in their first five years.*

“The NUT and NASUWT met with government officials in October – now over 17 weeks ago.  Reassurances were given that Michael Gove would talk about a wide range of matters on implementation of pay and pensions and the direction of travel and implementation on conditions. Subsequently, the Education Secretary has put obstacle after obstacle in the way of talks, showing no serious attempt to resolve – or even to discuss – the matters in dispute.

“We on the other hand have made every effort. We cancelled the strike planned for November and postponed action in February. We have indicated we will meet with Michael Gove anywhere, any time to seek to resolve the disputes in the interest of the education service.

“Strike action is always a last resort for teachers and we deeply regret the fact that we have been put in a position whereby we have no alternative. The strike action can of course be called off. For this to happen, the Secretary of State needs to give reassurances that he will not go ahead with any changes which worsen teachers’ working conditions. He can step away from the proposals he put to the School Teachers’ Review Body. Further, he needs to commit to serious and substantive talks on the other elements of the dispute, including on pay and pensions.

“The responsibility for this situation lies fairly and squarely at the door of this intransigent Education Secretary. His policies are losing the coalition parties votes. It is time he changed his attitude and listened to the genuine concerns of teachers.”
 

Further strike action planned as Copland staff fight ARK Academy takeover

Press release from union members at Copland Community School

Staff from the three teacher unions voted unanimously at a well attended meeting yesterday at Copland Community School to take further strike action over plans by the Interim Executive Board (IEB) to hand over the school to the ARK academy chain. The 'consultation' which they have announced including a public meeting is a sham.

Councillor Pavey, who was elected as lead member for Children and Families on the basis he was opposed to academies and free schools[1], has made it clear he supports ARK taking over Copland. He justifies this by saying that Copland 'is different' but cannot provide any supporting evidence for his decision regarding Copland. Redbridge Council which is Conservative has defended democratic, locally-run education and prevented Snaresbrook Primary being forced to be an academy

It is inflated hype about the academic ‘success’ of the Wembley Ark Academy. They have only just started their Year 10 intake. Copland is already improving as was shown by their exam results this summer.

Of course ARK will have the benefit of the new school building at Copland which has already been agreed. The spin doctors are trying to make it sound that ARK will be responsible for this.

Hank Roberts, Brent ATL Secretary said:

The consultation is a joke. They have already decided that the head of the ARK academy will be the joint headteacher of both schools and they have already decided it will be an ARK academy. They have offered no choice, and will seek to go ahead whatever the 'consultation' results. We are united in opposition to this. 

Tom Stone, Acting NASUWT said,:

It is quite scandalous how the pupils and staff are now being treated at Copland School. They have suffered enough. Their ex Head teacher is a convicted criminal and now their combined souls are being given over to an Academy chain that has no real interest in them, but is VERY interested in the future profit they can make from the school and their site.

Lesley Gouldbourne, Joint NUT Secretary said:

Brent Council and the IEB claim that converting to an academy will improve results. There is absolutely no evidence  for this and increasingly in fact the opposite. The tide is turning against academies. For example Sweden which used to be quoted by Gove is now dismantling them.

 As reported widely and in the Independent on 8/11/13:

More than 30 academies have been warned they must pull their socks up - or their sponsor could face the sack, the Government disclosed today.

[1]          Quote from Cllr Pavey on his blog 29.5.13 “I dislike the Academy system. There is no evidence that Academisation leads to improved educational outcomes. Academies fragment educational provision – when it should be based on local co-operation. And worst of all, Academisation is a step towards marketisation of education”.

Not:e The Chair of Ofsted (which condemned Copland to forced Academy status) is Dame Sally Morgan. Dame Sally Morgan is also an ‘Advisor’ to Ark Academies.

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