One thing the summer was dominated by was the Leadership campaign for the Labour party.

The election result in May was very clear, whist the general public do not trust the Conservative party (they only rec’d 24% of the vote) the general public had even less faith in Labour.

In general all three major political parties took a kicking one way or another!

The general mood in my opinion was that Labour had moved to far towards the  ‘centre ground’ & there was little to separate the two major parties & into this vacuum floated UKIP.

As such the Labour party had to decide where it went from this this 2nd bruising election defeat, were they to become ‘New – New Labour’ or even ‘Old Labour’.

The summer was dominated with hustings where one or another candidate blamed each other, or each others policies I/e the Blairites & Brownities went to war with each other.

Until another voice began to be heard, one that had a different message and one that spoke of open, honest politics, removed from spin & offering a move to the left and different choices to hardline austerity.

The Labour membership under new voting regulations voted by an amazing level (nearly 60%) to give this new voice a chance, and there is one thing that is certain, no longer can voters say their is not a choice, there is no difference between the two major parties, that austerity is our only option, that the poorest have to take the hardest burdens.

Time will tell if this voice will be heard & accepted by those outside of the Labour party, but one thing is certain there are now choices for the first time in a very long while to this Tory ideological manifesto and no longer can it be said that there is nothing between the two major parties.

Lets be having you Mr Corbyn & welcome!

Many apologies for the break in blogging, as teachers we are working flat out & then mid July comes & everything stops!

So here is my first blog of the new 2015/16 term which to begin with will review where we left off last term!

Mid June I attended the Disabled Teachers Conference in Birmingham & as seems to be the case the first point of order was catching up with friends from previous events/conferences/national conference.

Now whist it may not of been ‘Central Perk’ having attended a number of these events it is good that there is a chance to catch up, socialize and chat with friends before the event began, in yet another excellent location.

The Disabled teachers conference is one of many ‘special interest’ groups that the union represent, if you would like to check these out they are located on the website, hyperlink below:

http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/ ‘Get Support’

The conference is a forum/platform for members to discuss topical issues facing Disabled Teachers, it was chaired by Dr. Patrick Roach & Jenifer Moses, and gave members the opportunity to debate a range of issues, discuss the needs of disabled teachers both from our employers and also the support we are given by the union.

The guest speaker was Peter Purton of the TUC

who discussed the issues disabled people are facing under this Government, it was a very concerning, thought provoking talk on the harm & inequality the current G’vmnt policies are causing.

Lunch was superb,

before afternoon workshops on a range of maters, which allowed delegates the chance to network, get come CPD opportunity or simply enjoy a discussion/debate on educational matters.

Hand on heart on of the best things our union does is events like these, forums/platforms for like minded people to come together, if you have yet to sample an event like this, do yourself a favor & attend one this year!

Next weekend is the Disabled Teachers Conference, which for me is the BIG ONE!

When I considered teaching as a profession and when I entered teaching many moons ago I felt underwhelmed with the lack of support there was for disabled teachers through the teaching providers, teaching unions and employers, yet in the last 10 years equality & equality issues have become more & more relevant in society & perceptions & the support given have changed/improved.

Alongside this we now have mainstream disabled role models who young people can connect with and appreciate, & lets not forget forget to mention the sucessfull 2014 Paralympic Games.

NASUWT (alongside the other unions) now have support networks for Disabled Teachers, LGBT, Black & Minority/Ethnic Teachers, Women, Young Teachers etc..

Over the last 10 years as a Disabled Teacher I have been an Ambassador for the Teaching Development Agency (TDA) &   now the Dept of Education & also Skill The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities to highlight and support people with disabilities choosing teaching as a profession.

• So why are there still so few Disabled teachers?
• Whats happening with funding?
• Why are the Government support networks disappearing?
• What are the issues facing Disabled Teachers?

Next week I hope to explore these questions  many other topics with the DTC….

Check in to find out how it went.

It has taken me some time to absorb and respond the the recent Election result, like many of my colleagues in teaching  I was surprised if not shocked by the May election results.

Time will tell how the next 5 years pan out but I don’t think anyone foresaw that the Conservative party would be returned with a majority ruling. I fear over the next 5 years teaching, the teaching profession and the education landscape will change dramatically & possibly never recover. Why am I so downbeat? well a few examples…..

Unqualified staff teaching our children:

When speaking to parents all were surprised that one of the central planks of the Tory manifesto would be the recruitment on unqualified staff into teaching positions

I wouldn’t want my child taught by someone who was not qualified to teach, nor do I know of any parent who wants this for their child – Yet if this Government can, Nicky Morgan the current Education Minister will introduce this  policy. Call me a cynic but with recruitment numbers of people choosing teaching as a profession declining alongside unprecedented numbers leaving teaching I cannot feel that this is anything but a ‘cost cutting’  ideological recruitment policy by the Tories to plug the pending teaching gap.

Pay, Regional Pay & Performance Related Pay

Then comes the issue of pay, regional, pay and performance related pay, all business and their corporate related objectives are taken from the ‘GERM’ or the ‘GLOBAL EDUCATION REFORM MOVEMENT’ which Micheal Gove the previous Education minister (some say he still pulls the strings) so believed in, GERM suggests schools run along more business proven models, but there is a fundamental flaw in this argument, businesses are (in the main) designed for profit, schools by their nature and outcomes are a not for profit SOCIAL GOOD provider, you cannot have corporate objectives in a public sector/social good producer, it is an oxymoron. By doing so it will drive ever more from the profession.,

Supply Agencies & Deregulation 

With such a decline in teaching staff numbers, supply agencies simply ignore the economic principle of supply & demand, this being when supply is low & demand is high a premium can be placed on that product, however teacher supply agencies take the reverse approach, demand is high for supply teachers but their pay is falling. HOW?

Through supply agencies charging schools ever greater rates and supply teachers ever lower rates – i/e making a profit from education.

That is what happens when you allow a market to be deregulated and schools & supply agencies to fix the rates of pay for the workers.Jeremy Hunt the Health Minister denounced supply agencies in the NHS stating these agencies should not be profiting from a public sector as crucial as the NHS is, but it seems education & schools are ripe for profit making. Therefore supply teachers pay may continue to fall.

Cuts, Cuts, Cuts

We are now into Year 4 or is it Year 5 of the austerity programme and schools budgets are being cut by another 12- 13%  & this is actually Year 1 of the  Conservative party stand alone Budget/austerity programme, which will only be deeper & harsher than what came before………….where are these ‘savings’ to be found????

in one place through the pay & pockets of the current teachers & education staff. It is not enough teachers have had years of pay freezes whilst politicians get 10% pay increases, it is not enough during this time inflation has running at 4 to 5% so the reality is actual pay decline or that teachers have had pension reform thereby by forcing them to pay more in pension contributions. And what has been the outcome of the last 5 years? I do not see our public finances repaired as promised by George (Gideon) Osborne 5 Years ago.

In Summary:

• I fear for my job.
• I fear I will not get a decent rate of pay from my supply agency.
• I fear schools in an ever tighter squeeze on finances will offer me less pay.
• I fear for my old age and how I can provide for it through sensible retirement planning using my teacher pension.
• I fear for my children I don’t want them taught by someone who is not qualified to teach them, as education should set them up to be able to work & earn a good living throughout adulthood.
• I fear for my profession, the one I worked so hard for.
• I fear this Government are decimating education.

I hope I am wrong – only time will tell.

.

I cant wait, next month as part of BIRMINGHAM PRIDE 2015 I am volunteering & supporting the ‘Pride Parade’ & will be part of the NASUWT decorated car/float.

The Pride Parade will take place on Saturday 23^rd May, & Sunday 25th May.in Vitoria Square, City centre, and we are meeting up by 11am. 

It should be a cracking weekend, for more information go to www.birminghampride.com

As I find out more, I will share details but should be great fun!