Teachers Pay: Preparing for battle
After a year of unprecedented industrial action, the National Education Union discussed what to do next in its ongoing pay campaign at its Easter conference.
Education
Education
Ofsted under fire
The Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Head Teachers have called for Ofsted inspections to be paused immediately.
Class struggle – school attendance matters
6 November 2023
The coronavirus pandemic affected the level of school attendances across Britain and they have not recovered since. This is brought out in a new report just published.
Rebuild our schools – assert our priorities
1 September 2023
Closing schools just before the start of term was sudden and unplanned but no surprise. Many school buildings are in poor repair and have been for some time. This is unsafe and bad for pupils’ education.
Back to school - a national priority
School attendance is essential for both personal attainment and a key part of developing the skills we need as a nation.
Teachers’ resounding victory
21 August 2023
The conclusion of the current teachers’ pay dispute has seen a resounding victory for schools in England and the unions involved, and has secured their biggest single pay rise in 30 years.
Teachers reject pay offer in fight for education
The well crafted and deliberate attacks on education by government are now being resisted by workers, who believe this is a critical point in the struggle to arrest decline…
Teachers on strike for pay [print version]
On 1 February, teachers in the National Education Union (NEU) joined other public sector workers on strike, the first of six days of national and regional strike action throughout England and Wales.
Teachers’ strikes for pay begin
14 February 2023
Teachers in the (NEU) joined other public sector workers on strike on 1 February. National Education Union members held the first of six days planned strike action throughout England and Wales.
School strikes ahead after big vote for action
20 January 2023
School teachers in England and Wales, members of the National Education Union (NEU), have voted to take industrial action over pay. Strikes, both national and regional, are set to affect 23,000 schools.
Private school pension action wins
16 May 2022
Teachers in independent schools have taken successful industrial action in thier fight to stay in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Employers argued they could no longer afford increased contributions.
Independent school teachers’ strikes win early gains
5 March 2022
After six days of strike action, teachers at the Girls’ Day School Trust have won a number of concessions from management about the future of their pension rights. But the fight is not over yet.
Independent school strikes [print version]
Teachers in 23 independent schools run by the Girls’ Day School Trust voted overwhelmingly to strike after their employer said it would withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme
Independent school teachers take strike action
23 February 2022
Teachers in 23 independent schools run by the Girls’ Day School Trust have started strike action after their employer said it would withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Most primary schools lack a library, says report
3 November 2021
A report from the National Literacy Trust reveals that one in eight primary schools in England do not have a library – despite the proven link between school library provision and literacy levels.
Nursery funding: Stop cuts, say staff
Over 200 nursery school staff marched from Parliament Square to Downing Street to demand secure long-term funding for the sector.
Power grab threatens chaos in teacher training
Having struggled with the impact of Covid-19, the education profession is now facing turmoil as the government seeks to take control of all aspects of teacher training…
BTECs: Scrapping opposed [print version]
An announcement that BTEC qualifications are effectively to be scrapped in 2023 has met with widespread condemnation ...
United opposition to axing BTECs
31 July 2021
An announcement that BTEC qualifications are effectively to be scrapped in 2023 has met with widespread condemnation across the further education and university sectors.
No return to the Middle Ages
The shocking events at Batley Grammar School in March this year should alert us to the constant need to defend the principle that we are a secular society.
Free speech has to be defended
28 May 2021
The report into events at Batley Grammar School in March has lifted supensions on the teachers involved. But it does not deal with the threat to free speech and educations posed by the fundamentalist demonstrations.
Nurses: stop the poaching!
20 May 2021
In the midst of a global pandemic, what is a country like Britain doing importing nurses from India, itself in desperate need of medical staff?
Teachers win reinstatement battle
11 May 2021
Louise Lewis, the suspended National Education Union rep at North Huddersfield Trust School, has finally been reinstated after a seven-month battle by her fellow union members.
Applications flood in for medical schools
Applications to UK medical schools have increased by over 20 per cent, according to figures published by the Medical Schools Council.
Covid-19: Russian lessons for British schools
7 February 2021
Russia’s main opposition party is campaigning for the “natural right” of children to go to school in the face of widespread closures.
Speak for the children
15 August 2020
The case for opening schools to all children in September is compelling. We know how the benefits for children of attending school vastly outweigh any risks.
Back to school, urge paediatricians
19 June 2020
More than 1,500 paediatricians have signed a letter to the prime minister urgently calling for the government to publish a clear plan for getting all children back to school.
Back to school, at last
5 June 2020
The phased wider opening of schools which began on 1 June was marred by confusion and concern. Take-up will grow when parents see that Armageddon has not been unleashed
Moving forward
15 May 2020
For the foreseeable future – for years – there will be no such thing as 100 per cent safe. Only workers can assess what is reasonably safe in their workplace, and every workplace is different, including every school.
1870: The Education Act
Britain took a halting step forward along the road to universal education in the 1870s – but not without ruling class opposition…