Conditions of Service Advice

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Kevin Courtney nominated by WSTA

The hustings meeting for WSTA held on 26th November overwhelmingly supported the nomination of Kevin Courtney for the role of Deputy General Secretary.

Kevin made it clear that he thought the union needed to be actively campaigning on the issues of workload and the proposed attack on teachers' pensions by all the main political parties.

He will aim to increase the number of NUT reps in schools to provide the backbone for that campaigning work.

Send us your views on OFSTED

Ofsted's decision to 'raise the bar' in its new Inspection Framework, introduced in September, is causing anger and fear among teachers. The NUT has received a number of reports that inspectors are using trivial issues to downgrade schools.

NUT General Secretary Christine Blower has written to both Christine Gilbert, the Chief Inspector, and Ed Balls expressing her extreme concern about this situation.

The new framework contains 'limiting judgments' on pupil attainment, safeguarding, and equality of achievement, which means that if schools receive a low judgment in one of these areas the overall judgment cannot be better. An arbitrary limiting judgment based on a trivial issue, therefore, can lead to a school being deemed to have failed.

Examples the Union has received include:

schools being marked down for failing to record centrally employed staff on the single central register;
the Lead Inspector, on entering a school on the first day, marking down the school because the head has not immediately asked for their Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check;
inspectors paying little attention to Contextual Value Added (CVA) data and just concentrating on raw results; and
a first school being marked down because of the low height of its perimeter fence.
The NUT is determined that this situation should not continue. It urges all members who have experienced unfair inspections to e-mail their experiences to inspections@nut.org.uk. All examples will be anonymised, unless you indicate otherwise.

Christine Blower says,

"For nearly two decades teachers have had to endure an essentially punitive inspection system. The new Inspection Framework has made the life of schools even worse. The NUT is determined to change school inspection into a system which supports not punishes schools. Our campaign can achieve this change. I urge every member to send their experiences of inspection into the Union so that we can change the minds of Government and Ofsted."

DisSATisfied

Video by Andy Woolley, Carly Doyle and directed by Marian Darke

Meet the parents!

From the Teacher Support Network:

In our wellbeing survey a year ago, many of you told us that you had been affected by problems with pupils' parents.

As a result, we are now looking at this issue more closely, and we would really like to hear more about your experiences and opinions on relations with pupils' parents - good or bad.

This new survey comes at a crucial time. The Government will be proposing a host of new measures next week which could strongly impact on parent-teacher relations and your wellbeing.

We want to engage with government and others on this issue and can do so much more effectively if we can give a strong indication of teachers' opinions on these issues. The survey findings will also feed into an influential report that we are preparing with the parent support charity, Parentline Plus, so please spare five minutes or less to take part.

To start the survey, just click here: http://bit.ly/390ZX0

Factsheets:
Meet the parents: http://bit.ly/fH2tH
In the classroom: working with other adults: http://bit.ly/2uECLq
Dealing with difficult people: conflict in the workplace: http://bit.ly/2AaG7G
Seven types of difficult people: http://bit.ly/3JUySq

Local Voice

National Campaigns

The NUT, along with NAHT, continues to campaign to get rid of SATS. In the light of the Review on the condition and future of English primary education headed by Professor Robin Alexander, SATS are seen by education experts as a block to the creative talents of children and have led to an unacceptable level of "teaching to the test" in order to meet government targets.

Support this campaign. Use your vote by November 30th!
The union is also involved in a campaign against the proposed “Licence to Teach”, through which the government plans to require teachers to be re-licensed every five years from September 2010. Register your opposition to this by visiting the NUT website teachers.org.uk/nolicencetoteach and using the link to email your MP.
Rarely Cover

How is this working out in your school? WSTA has received reports from some schools that whilst teachers welcome the reduction in the number of lessons they are required to cover this is having a negative effect on CPD and trips. Colleagues report a reluctance to even request the chance to take a group on an educational visit, as school leaders manage the supply budget by restricting the number of teachers allowed to be out of school on any given day. Some concern has also been expressed about the regular use of untrained or inadequately trained cover supervisors instead of qualified supply teachers. WSTA will shortly be surveying its members to establish just how schools are meeting the new regulations and the impact on staff.

UPS Progression

WSTA wishes to remind its members who are due for progression to UPS2 or UPS3 that there is no need to apply or submit folders of evidence to support progression. 2 successful Performance Management rounds are the only evidence needed. However, should you choose to submit evidence to support your progression, then you may do so – but there is no obligation to do this!

Drop-Ins

Colleagues in some schools are concerned about the increased numbers of so-called “drop-in” observations, especially when notes are made on their lesson and feedback given, yet these mini observations are additional to the 3 annual observations permitted by School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions.

The Union advice on this is:

The management of the school do have a right to observe how the school is running. This might involve senior staff or heads of department observing what is going on in a general way.

Any formal observation, no matter how long, in which a written record is made and the teacher identified should be covered by the normal observation agreement. In most cases that will involve an agreed time and purpose.

The situation regarding formal observations should not be onerous or punitive in practice. There is no need for this to take place more often than suggested in the guidance given by the Union in our document (available on the website).

If there is a problem in any of your schools, colleges or academies, please consult your local Divisional or Association Officers. Also, it would be useful to circulate a copy of the Union guidance on classroom observation and suggest this be tabled as an agenda item for a Staff / Union meeting in any schools, colleges or academies where “Drop-Ins” or “Learning Walks” are being considered.

Patrick Ginnelly, Regional Officer

Future Editions of Local Voice

From now on Local Voice will be on the WSTA website to allow for more efficient use of your subscription at http://local.teachers.org.uk/westsussex/







Elections for Deputy General Secretary

West Sussex Teachers Association invite you to meet the candidates and put your questions to them, Thursday 26th November, The Hawth, Crawley, RH10 6YZ 7pm for 7,30. Food and drink provided by WSTA!



Reps’ Training

WSTA has a tradition of running very successful annual training days for reps. The next day will be February 10th 2010 at the Hawth in Crawley. More information to follow. New reps are very welcome.


Keep up to date with the WSTA Blog: http://wsta1.org.uk/
Including news, discussions, links and CPD.

Published by WSTA Editor
Alison Baker
St Philip Howard
Barnham

IMPROVING BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING

FOR EARLY CAREER TEACHERS FROM ALL KEY STAGES
(IN 2ND, 3RD, 4TH, or 5TH YEAR OF TEACHING in England & Wales)

IMPROVING BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (TnC/7)
Aligned with Teacher Learning Academy (Stage 1) – see ACCREDITATION below

LEAD TUTORS:
Paul Howard and Pete Hrekow – Dreyfus Training

DATES:
Initial Seminar:
Wednesday, 25 and Thursday, 26 November 2009
(Dinner plus B&B will be provided on 25 November 2009)

(Seminar begins at 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday and ends at 2.45 p.m. on Thursday)


Participants will be enrolled in a dedicated internet forum at the initial seminar so they can continue dialogue (with peers and tutors) about behaviour for learning and related classroom management issues over subsequent weeks until:


Follow-up Seminar:
Friday, 5 February 2010
(Follow-up seminar: 10.30 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. Participants with more than 1½ hr journey can request B&B on 4 February – details at initial seminar)

VENUE:
Stoke Rochford Hall, (the NUT’s Education and Training Centre), nr Grantham, Lincolnshire NG33 5EJ. (Easy access A1 and free parking. Free taxi can be requested from/to Grantham Station – 15 minutes journey.)

AIMS:
To enable early-career teachers to build on their successes to date by:

reviewing and further developing their classroom and behaviour management skills and adding to their ‘toolkit’ of approaches that work;
deepening their understanding of how pupils’ learning and behaviour are linked and influenced by classroom organisation and culture as well as teacher/learner relationships; and
refining effective strategies which promote behaviour for learning.

EXPECTATIONS:

Participating early-career teachers will review and learn during an initial two-day seminar; then try out appropriate strategies/approaches in their school/classroom during the school-based weeks between the seminars (supported by the online discussion forum); and at the follow-up seminar reflect on and share what they have learned and develop their personal action plan for the future. All participants receive a personalised NUT CPD Certificate.

ACCREDITATION:


Participants who fully complete this teacherstogether course (and are registered with GTC England) will be eligible to gain Teacher Learning Academy professional recognition (Stage 1) accreditation. TLA (Stage 1) – at £95 only available through NUT CPD – is OPTIONAL (the fee is not included in ‘COST’ below); and full details, guidance and support for this online process will be provided before and during the initial seminar.


COST:
£25 (NUT members); £125 (others). Includes VAT, lunches, refreshments on all seminar days and dinner with B & B on 25 November.


NUT members will be able to claim their travel expenses (receipts must be provided except for car travel where reimbursement will be based on mileage). The Union cannot pay for supply cover – costs are eligible for funding from professional development funding delegated to schools. GTC (Wales) offers CPD bursaries to all teachers in Wales.




APPLY:

Click here to download an application form

Every Child and Adult Matters – Leading Wellbeing

HEAD TEACHERS, EXPERIENCED/SENIOR TEACHERS AND THOSE
WITH RESPONSIBILITY/LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR BEHAVIOUR AND/OR
EVERY CHILD MATTERS (ECM) IN SCHOOLS

PLUS COLLEAGUES WITH PASTORAL AND PHSE RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS OTHER SCHOOL STAFF INVOLVED IN MENTORING AND COUNSELLING YOUNG PEOPLE AND PRIMARY/SECONDARY TRANSITION

ARE INVITED TO APPLY FOR

‘Every Child and Adult Matters – Leading Wellbeing’ (Code: TF/59)
(Focus on key stages 2 & 3)

LEAD TUTORS:
Mary Hrekow and Ruth MacConville

VENUE:
NUT Headquarters, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD
(five minute walk from Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross Stations)
DATES:

Thursday, 19 and Friday, 20 November 2009

(10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on both days)

AIMS:

To support the development of more positive classrooms which meet government expectations for enhancing wellbeing through a whole school approach or a stand-alone wellbeing curriculum. The principles will be relevant to all key stages but the materials around which the course will be structured are designed for KS 2 & 3.

The main focus will be on pupils; however the background information on the principles of positive psychology are relevant to adult and pupil well-being.


COST:

£50 to NUT members; £150 (others). Includes VAT, lunches and refreshments on both days. OPTIONAL dinner with B & B (£25) at end of first day (to request this see application form).

NUT members will be able to claim their travel expenses (receipts must be provided except for car travel which will be reimbursed by mileage). The Union cannot pay for supply cover – costs are eligible for funding from professional development funding, which is delegated to schools.


APPLY:

Click here to download an application form