Stand Up to Racism Wednesday March 9th

NUT London Mayoral Hustings on Monday - what are the issues?

From the NUT

NUT call on the next Mayor of London to defend education and help teachers create a just society for all.

 The NUT will be holding a London Mayoral Hustings on Monday March 7th 6pm at the union's headquarters at Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, WC1H 9BD, near Kings Cross, off the south side of Euston Road. 

The meeting will be introduced by Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary. The flyer advertsing the event lists the issues that matter to London teachers: London's schools are under threat London is a city full of creativity, talent and potential. Our schools and teachers are amongst the best in the world. Yet this sucess is under real threat. Spending cuts School budgets across London face 12% cuts under Government spending plans. In some boroughs, the losses could be over 20%. That would mean understaffed schools, bigger class sizes, more children's needs unmet and a narrower curriculum. 

 Teacher shortages

 Talented, hardworking teachers are being driven out of London's schools by excessive workload, the lack of affordable housing and an exam factory culture which demoralises both staff ansd children. Poverty and unaffordable housing Almost 4 in 10 children in the capital grow up in poverty. Unaffordable rents force too many families into unsuitable housing. These conditions impact heavily on children's education and their schools. Lack of school places London needs 113,000 more school places to meet demand. Yet our Councils have neither the funds nor the legal powers to open new schools. Stand Up for London's Education 

The NUT believes that every child deserves the best. We have produced a Manifesto for London's schools calling on the next Mayor of London to defend education and help teachers create a just society for all. Help stand up for education Come along to our hustings and other local campaign activities across London.

Issues to be addressed:

• A good local school for every child
• Affordable housing for children and teachers
• Education – invest, don’t cut
• All children deserve qualified teachers
• An equal chance for every child in London
• An end to child poverty in London
• An end to exam factories

Proposals to put forward:

• A good local school for every child
• Affordable housing for children and teachers
• Education – invest, don’t cut
• All children deserve qualified teachers
• An equal chance for every child in London
• An end to child poverty in London
• An end to exam factories

- See more at: http://www.teachers.org.uk/campaigns/london-manifesto#sthash.MZheSnug.dpuf

'Are the kids alright?' Green Party Conference hears an emphatic 'NO!'

The current crisis in education, and in the nature of childhood itself, has been a recurrent themes at recent Green Party conferences. The Green Party education policy has won plaudits from many involved in challenging the Conservative's neoliberal agenda and the GERM (Global Education Reform Movement).

Greens challenge 'factory schooling', with its emphasis on high stakes testing and the grading of both children and their teachers, along with the associated narrowing of the curriculum and the undermining of teachers' professionalism.

In this we make common cause with teacher associations including the NUT and ATL, the Save Childhood Movement, the Too Much Too Soon campaign and the Anti academies Alliance and many others.  

The NUT-ATL fringe this year focused on the impact on children, especially early labelling as failures, stress and mental illness.

In my intervention I praisedthe many  teachers who despite all the pressures from the DfE, Ofsted and sometimes their own senior management, and the resulting heavy workload and exhaustion, still do their best to give children an enriching school experience with a broad and creative curriculum that fosters curiosity about the world and the joy of learning. I suggested parents and governors should go out of their way to encourage such teachers by praising the work that they do.

These are extracts from the three main presentations:

 

 

 

Greens on the march against austerity tomorrow - please join us

The Green Party will join forces with Russell Brand, journalist Owen Jones and others tomorrow (June 21) in calling on the government to end its policies of austerity.

In a demonstration organised by the campaign group the People’s Assembly.  Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, will join thousands of campaigners taking to the streets of London to protest against what they see as the government’s damaging and needless austerity measures.
Caroline Lucas MP, said:

The Peoples’ Assembly shows that there are alternatives to the cruel and counterproductive austerity agenda, and that the people are prepared to fight for them.

Romayne Phoenix, the Green Party’s Welfare Spokesperson, member of Lewisham Green Party and Co-Chair of the People’s Assembly said:

It’s galling to see how the government continues to march ahead with its austerity measures, flagrantly dismissing the destructive affects they are having on our society. Inequality is on the rise.The number of food-bank meals needed to feed hungry families across the UK has doubled in the past year. Britain needs an alternative – sheer human decency demands it.

Dave Plummer, London Green Party activist, said:

It is fantastic to see the incredible range of people and campaign organisations that have turned out today to support the March Against Austerity. Whilst on the one hand it shows just how badly affected so many people have been by the cuts it also demonstrates that there is now so much agreement and collaboration in the fight for change. The Green Party is immensely proud to be one of those organisations calling for an end to austerity and for investment in an economy that puts people first.

The People’s Assembly is a coalition of campaigns, unions, writers, politicians and performers united in the goal of bringing an end to the government’s austerity programme. It was founded in February 2013 and is supported by a range of prominent political activists including Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite, the writer Owen Jones, and the comedian Francesca Martinez. The late Labour politician Tony Benn and General Secretary of the RMT Bob Crow were also amongst its founding members.

Tomorrow’s demonstration will see thousands of campaigners march from Portland Place/Oxford Street to Westminster/Parliament Square, led by speakers including Lucas, Brand, and Christine Blower of the NUT.

Birmingham affair reinforces need for accountability through LAs

Today's  report on Birmingham schools has revealed many contradictions but the one that strikes me most is that some of the most serious allegations are about an academy school which of course is allowed to ignore the national curriculum and exercise its own 'freedom from local authority control'.

Ignoring that Gove is to require all schools to promote 'British values' that could easily become, given Gove's record on history become 'Gove values' or 'Daily Mail' values. Poor kids, but not far away from some of Katharine Birbalsingh's comments about what will be promoted at her Micheala Free School.

I welcome then the calm and balanced comment from Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT:

From an unsigned and undated letter has grown this so-called ‘Trojan Horse’ affair. 

The highly inflammatory deployment of an anti-terrorism chief to head up the inquiry, the unprecedented and clearly political inspection of 21 schools by Ofsted, and the public squabble between Theresa May and Michael Gove has not been positive for Birmingham schools and the children they educate. 

There seems to be a redefinition of ‘extremism’ from the Secretary of State for Education, and as yet lots of speculation and not a little hyperbole.
What all this does show is that if schools sever their connection with a local authority, the levers to monitor or effect change available at local level are lost. 

What is clearly needed is local authorities with powers to monitor and support schools, clear national agreement on the importance of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) and the need to promote community cohesion and the aim to create schools in which individuals feel at ease with themselves and are respectful of difference. Knee jerk reactions from government on the basis of personal predilections are not what is required. 

Any issues which arise in a school should be capable of discussion and resolution at a local level and be addressed speedily and proportionately.
The charge of Islamophobia will stick to this affair unless the schools and their wider communities are seen to be engaged in the solution rather than castigated as being the problem.

Video: NUT Standing Up For Education March 26th

People's Assembly makes itself fit for purpose

Today's recalled People's Assembly Against Austerity  began with a warm minute of standing applause for Tony Benn and Bob Crow which seemed to set the tone for a serious but friendly day in which the organisation sorted out its  aims, structure and priorties in an atmosphere refreshingly untainted by sectarianism.

I could have been there wearing one of several different hats but settled for the Green Party Trade Union Group which had put forward a resolution committing the PAAA to campaign for effective action against climate change. Natalie Bennett's moving of the resolution linking austerity, neoliberalism and clinmate change was well received and the resolution was passed overwhemingly.

The Assembly adopted the People's Charter for Change which states:

We need a government to reverse damagaing austerity and replace it with a new set of policies providing us with a fair, sustainable and secure future. We can no longer tolerate politicians looking out for themselves and for the rich and powerul. Our political representatives must start governing in the interests of the majority in the direction outlined by this statement of aims.

The aims were:

1. A fairer economy for a fairer Britain
2. More and better jobs
3. High standard homes for all
4. Protect and improve public servies
5. For justice and fairness
6. For a secure and sustainable future

Supplementary motions were passed adopting the People's Charter; supporting the  nationalisation of those firms and banks that do not invest to build a high-skilled, high-wage, high employment economy; supporting house building, rent capping and opposing fixed term tenancies and 80% market rents in Council and Housing Association properties and supporting regulation of rents, conditions and tenancies in the private rented sector;  stepping up campaigns to defend the NHS and abolish the NHS and Social Care Act, brnging privatised NHS services back under public ownership and control; and resolving to campaign for money to be spent on welfare rather than warfare,

The structure that was agreed created a body to be known as 'The Assembly' which would manage the PAAA between conferences and would be made up of one representative from each signatory group and one representative for each local, national or group assembly and this will nominate a management group to be endorsed by the Assembly. The Assembly will meet at least twice a year.

A supplementary motion from  the Coalition of Resistance was approved which set out the People's Assembly's commitemnt to be a broad united campaign against austerity, cuts and proiatisation in workplaces, commity and welfare services based on general agreement on the signatories' Founding Statement. It was made clear that the PA would be linked to no political party and would be committed to open non-sectarian working.

An amendment to adopt a less formal, decentralised structure with participatory democracy and consensus decision making, on the lines of Occupy, across the PAAA was defeated.

Two slightly contradictory motions were passed on Finance with some confusion about what constituted membership and membership fees, and whether these should be paid centrally or locally. This will need sorting out in the near future.

The Assembly adopted a future programme based on mobilising hundreds of thousands of people in activity and coordinating national events, days of action and support groups,

It was agreed to work to set up new People's Assembly groups, strengthen local groups and central organisation (finance will be essential for this) to hold 'meetings, rallies, protests and actions in every locality possible' and to mobilise for the following national events:

• March 19th Budget Day Demonstration 
• March 22nd Stand up to racism demo
• March 26th Support for NUT strikes
• April 5th Day of Action Against the Bedroom Tax
• May Day Events
• June 21st People's Assembly National Demonstration (support by the NUT)
• August 31st NATO Protest Cardiff
• September 28th Tory Party Conference protest
• October 18th TUC National Demonstration

 The day ended with a rousing speech from Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, making a strong case for community based campaigning in the form of the Stand Up For Education camaign that has seen NUT members out engaging with the public at high street and market places stalls throughout the country.

There is clearly a massive amount to do but the day left me feeling that we now had the beginnings of a structure to build a movement and the sense of shared purpose that can make it happen.

Towards a National Campaign for Education

This week's Education Question Time in Hammersmith which was organised by the Anti Academies Alliance and the group Towards a National Campaign for Education, arose out of a desire to bring together the various campaigner groups under one umbrella. Sharing experiences and strategies and building an alternative model for the organisation and content of education area clearly a formidable task but this meeting, attended by more than 400 people, made a start.

The need for such a campaign was made even more urgent by the news that Hammersmith and Fulham Council had voted to close the high achieving and popular local Sulivan Primary School in order to sells its site to a Fulham Boys' Free School. LINK

There will be a similar meeting in Brixton, South London on February 27th:

A chance to debate and ask questions about the key debates in education

Chaired by broadcaster and journalist Fiona Phillips.

The panel includes:
Professor Gus John, Institue of Education Jenny Landreth, Writer and local parent David Wolfe, Barrister, Matrix Chambers Lib Peck, Leader of Lambeth Council Jess Edwards, Teacher and coordinator of Charter for Primary Education

Register for tickets here: http://educationquestiontime.ticketsource.co.uk/
To ask questions in advance email us: TowardsNCE2014@virginmedia.com  or Direct message @nce2014 with hashtag #edqtime

SouthLondon_QT_27Feb14_A5 (1).pdf

Vital Education Question Time Meeting in New Year

Why are teachers striking? Is OFSTED a political tool? Do we need SATs? Why is there a shortage of school places? Are standards falling in our schools?

If you would like to propose questions for the panel to consider please use #edqtime @NCE2014

7pm, WEDNESDAY

22nd JANUARY 2014

CHAIR: Adrian Chiles ITV presenter and local parent

PANEL: Michael Rosen Children’s author and broadcaster 

Christine Blower National Union of Teachers General Secretary

Julian Bell Leader of Ealing Council

Government and local campaign speakers are invited

Everyone is welcome especially parents, governors and students

There is no charge for the event but please register for tickets at

 http://educationquestiontime.ticketsource.co.uk

Press contact: 07958 542872  Nickgrant2512@mac.com

Venue: St. Paul’s Church, Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, W6 9PJ 

Nearest tube: Hammersmith

A message about tomorrow's teachers' strike

Christine Blower (General Secretary of the NUT): A message to parents and carers about the strike action on 17 October

The NUT sincerely regrets the disruption that will be caused by strike action on Thursday (17 October) for children and parents. Teachers, however, feel they have no other choice to demonstrate their concerns about the Government’s proposals because Michael Gove:

• has done nothing to address the crisis of low morale in the teaching profession which threatens the continued provision of high quality education in your child’s school;
• is making changes to teachers’ pay, pensions and conditions that will make it harder for your child’s school to recruit and retain good teachers;
• has not engaged in negotiations with us to seek to resolve our dispute.

For further information, please download a leaflet on “Why we are striking” and a pamphlet on why ‘It’s time to stand up for education’.
Please email your MP - using these templates if you are a teacher, governor, or parent and tell them why the Government is damaging the education service.

Rousing seven minutes on all that's wrong with academies

Brilliant rousing stuff from  Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, on the fight against acadsemies and free schools. She was speaking at Downshill Primary School in Haringey where a community campaign is resisting Michael Gove's attempt to force it to become an academy.

Beware - he may try similar things in Brent soon.