The Lib Dems were in favour of replacing them and although the Conservatives were not, they seem open to the idea of placing more trust in teacher judgements which is what we have been asking for. Naturally we will keep a careful eye on the workload implications of any system of assessment that replaces SATS.
The local authority has been kept busy restructuring itself as part of the ironically named ‘Building Our Futures’ programme. CYPD have not been immune and many of our centrally employed teacher members are facing uncertain futures or radically difference workplace challenges. The undermining of the LA through increased emphasis on the unfair Academies programme will place further strain in central services as they will lose the funding that comes from top-slicing the delegated schools budgets as local schools, especially the Grammar schools, choose to take the additional funding that comes from signing up for the Academy programme. It will be a major challenge for myself and other NUT officers and reps to ensure that members in those schools are not disadvantaged. It will also be important to try and ensure that admissions arrangements do not further disadvantage other schools that remain within the LA umbrella.
The school redundancy season has been busier than ever before with significant numbers of teachers facing compulsory redundancy on statutory terms. Allegations made against teachers by students, parents and even support staff are also on the increase.
I hope that members enjoyed our General meeting earlier this month. I look forward to communicating with you again in the Autumn.
With best wishes John Pemberthy - Divisional Secretary
|
Gloucestershire
Association Divisional Secretary, John Pemberthy writes:
"The NUT is the largest teachers' union in Gloucestershire
representing teachers in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary establishments,
as well as supply teachers and Soulbury-paid members across
the county."
The
National Union of Teachers is the
only union which takes into membership qualified teachers
(and those on courses training to become teachers) exclusively.
All the other classroom teacher unions include non teachers,
which affects their focus. The Gloucestershire Association
of the National Union of Teachers serves its members in many
ways.
 It
represents their collective views, as well as the policies
of the Union nationally, to the LEA, School Governing Bodies,
the press and the media;
it
is the only teaching union which allows into membership teachers
from all sectors of education from newly qualified teachers
to head teachers, supply teachers to advisers and therefore
speaks for the whole profession and not just one section of
it;
it
is the only union which employs its own team of solicitors,
in all regions of the country, who specialise in the law as
it affects education, teachers and their pupils;
it
acts as a source of information and expertise for members
to call upon other issues such as salary scales, threshold,
sick leave, maternity leave, part-time contracts, job sharing,
pensions - in fact, the whole range of education and employment
law so important to teachers in their daily working lives;
it
provides advice and training for professional development;
it
supports and represents individual members facing professional
difficulties;
it provides the opportunity to meet socially with fellow teachers
from other schools and settings;
it
campaigns for a better deal for teachers and their pupils. |
 OFSTED SCHOOL INSPECTION FRAMEWORK
NUT Briefing for DIVISIONS
OCTOBER 2009
The documents in this folder provide information and advice about the changes to the OFSTED inspection framework for schools (Section 5 inspections). The main briefing document is based on the OFSTED publications “The Framework for the Inspection of Maintained Schools in England from September 2009”, “OFSTED’s Evaluation Schedule of Judgements for Schools Inspected Under Section Five of the Education Act, from September 2009” and “Conducting the Inspection: Guidance for Inspectors of Schools from September 2009” which may be downloaded from the OFSTED website www.ofsted.gov.uk.
The folder includes a range of materials about the revised inspection arrangements that have been produced to support members. |
