Northern

Teacher
T

he NUT needs your support to

defend educa on and protect
teachers. There is a na onal strike
planned for March 26, but there is
much that can be done before then.
You can help us: ENGAGE with
parents. We know that
parents trust teachers far more than
they do the Government. We
have leaets and a pe on and you
can read our message to parents
online. We are also asking members
to set up stalls around the country,
where parents and the general
public can join the campaign for
educa on. To nd out more and to
volunteer your help, please contact
your school rep or local associa on/
division secretary.
Put PRESSURE on poli cians. We
have had great feedback from

members who have organised group

mee ngs with their local MP. This
has been a powerful way of ge>ng
across how low teacher morale is,
brought on by Government a?acks
on pay, pensions and condi ons, as
well as their professionalism. Speak
to colleagues in your school and
seek to organise mee ngs with your
own MP. There is a General Elec on
just around the corner - they need
to listen and your vote counts. You
can also write to your MP from our
website.
STRIKE on 26 March. We deeply
regret this step, but Michael Gove
hasnt shown any willingness to
change on issues which ma?er
deeply to teachers. Your support is
vital and it is your democra c right
to take ac on. Rallies will be

Issue 54, Spring Term 2014

organised throughout England and

Wales and details will be circulated
shortly.
We will engage in all talks to
avert a strike but they need to be
construc ve. To avoid a strike,
Michael Gove must show he is
willing to compromise. Already, the
STRB has dealt a blow to Michael
Gove in their refusal to accept his
imsy reasoning for changes to pay
and condi ons. Even the head of
Ofsted has dubbed it a scandal that
two 7hs of teachers leave the
profession within the rst ve years.
Educa on is in crisis and we must
stand against those who seek to
erode it further.
EDUCATION QUESTION TIME
We will be hos ng a public event
on 24 March at the Centre for Life,
Newcastle to debate key educa on
issues. Conrmed
panellists: Chris ne
Blower, Beth Farhat and
Robert Waugh.
We are standing up
for educa on. Join us
and get involved.

n a huge blow to Michael Gove,

the School Teachers Review Body
(STRB) has rejected his arguments for
further a?acks on teachers pay and
condi ons.
On teacher condi ons, Gove wanted:
Removal of all working me
protec ons in the name of
exibility
Removal of the rarely cover
provision
Schools to be able to determine
how much PPA me is allocated to
teachers
Teachers to be required to
undertake midday supervision
Teachers to be once again rou nely
required to undertake
administra ve tasks.
On teacher pay, Gove wanted:
Removal of the separate TLR
allowances.
Removal of the separate SEN
allowances.
Introduc on of non-consolidated
performance payments.
Removal of the teacher
safeguarding provisions.
The STRB rejected his imsy
arguments, accepted the NUTs case
and turned him down on all counts.
Although it did recommend removal
of the list of 21 administra ve tasks

Issue 54, Spring Term 2014

that teachers should not rou nely

undertake, the core provision that
teachers should not undertake this
type of work remains.
The anger and steadfastness of
teachers meant that Gove did not
dare reject these recommenda ons,
and instead accepted them in full.
Its vital that we maintain the
pressure with the next phases of the
campaign: engaging with parents,
pressuring poli cians and striking on
26 March. This victory for teachers
does not change the intolerable
levels of teachers workload or their
unacceptably long working hours. It
does not change implementa on of
performance related pay. It does not
change increases to pension
contribu ons or that teachers are
being told that they have to work to
68 or even later for a full pension.
Michael Gove now needs to engage
with teachers on these concerns.

City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland NUT
celebrated the commitment, over
many years, of Anne Moran, Eric
Moran, Gordon Yarrow and Ian
Simpson at a Thank you dinner in
Sunderland on 31 January 2014.
Sarah Lake, Divisional Secretary
said that Anne, Eric, Gordon and Ian
had made a massive contribu on to
the work of the Division over the
years and supported many teachers
throughout their long years of
service.
Norma Redfearn
Norma Redfearn, Mayor of North
Tyneside was guest of honour at a
special dinner hosted by North
Tyneside Division on 22 February
2014.
Norma is s ll an NUT member and
was a Headteacher for many years in
Newcastle. Norma was elected
Mayor in May 2013.

A coup in Redcar
In February, Simon Armitage
visited Saltburn Learning Campus.
This wordsmith who describes poets
as paid up members of the awkward
squad and poetry as an obs nate
form of dissent worked with 20 Y10
students and, later that day, talked to
an audience of 90 teachers hosted by
the NUT Redcar and Cleveland
Division. He read his work, discussed
crea vity and answered ques ons
about inspiring students with poetry.
Simons visit was described as a
coup for Redcar and Cleveland NUT.

Page 2

e are running out of

superla ves to describe
#RECT14 but if you dont believe us
read the feedback for yourselves here
www.rect.org.uk/feedback. Dozens of
young teachers enjoyed an
educa onal and sociable weekend at
the NUT Northern Regions Regional
Early Career Teachers event (RECT).
The annual event, now in its 10th
year since its forerunner in Cumbria, is
aimed at giving early career and young
teachers the opportunity to get ps on
improving their prac ce, as well as
learning more about the workings of
the NUT.
RECT is organised by a group of
young teachers from across the
Northern Region with support from
local ocers and sta from the
Regional Oce.
The weekend, from 31 January - 2
February, featured workshops on
subjects such as stress, behaviour
management, the new Ofsted
framework, subject leadership, SEND,
applica ons and interviews, moving
into management and does class
aect your class?
Here are some of the comments
from sa sed par cipants:
Fantas c weekend great chance
to meet people, network, share
ideas and learn new/up to date
info.
Thanks had a great weekend and
met great people, learned

Issue 54, Spring Term 2014

lots. Eager to for more training.

A great course would recommend
to other new teachers. Enjoyable
and informa ve!
Overall I have had a great
experience, learned useful
informa on and advice to further
my career and cope with the
stresses of teaching. I would
recommend this event to all young
teachers.
Really enjoyable weekend. All
aspects have been helpful and
inspira onal. I would love to be
able to come back and will
recommend this to other NUT
members.
Superb loca on, fantas c
organisa on, amazing weekend.
Thank you very much for an
amazing inspira on and instruc ve
weekend. I will denitely
recommend it to every teacher I
know and tempt NASUWT
members into changing to NUT. I
understand so much be?er all the
issues at hand.
Thank you very much for organising
this weekend. I have really enjoyed
sharing good prac ce, ideas and
look forward to implemen ng them
within my school
Really worthwhile way to spend a
weekend.
A lovely weekend, full of inspiring
ideas and lots of reassurance. The

clear message was we need to

s ck together. I would like to help
to organise RECT next year if there
is anything I can do to help. Thank
you for a great me.
A fab weekend thank you to
everyone involved in organising it.
Fab me, learnt a lot and looking
forward to next year. Thank
you. Would love more courses like
this, where you get lots of
workshops around dierent areas
of teaching.
Fantas c experience, good
networking/sharing
prac ce. Would like to a?end
again!
Excellent would love to come
again!
Really enjoyed my weekend, learnt
a lot, thank you.
Thank you for organising a great
learning conference. Really
appreciate the me and energy
that has gone into providing such a
good weekend!
Thank you for an informa ve and
mo va ng opportunity to meet
fellow young and new teachers. Its
easy to feel isolated and
overwhelmed so early in my career,
and this was a great opportunity to
relax and learn at the same me.
A really useful, produc ve weekend
which Im very pleased to have
been part of
Very enjoyable weekend that gave
me lots of ideas.
I hope youll let me come back
again next year!
Thank you for an excellent
weekend!
Great event will denitely a?end
again!
Thank you for a very well organised,
informa ve and fun weekend
For details of #RECT14 and our
prepara ons for the event in 2015
visit www.rect.org.uk or search
#RECT14.

Page 3

Curriculum Change
A new na onal curriculum is to be
introduced in England in September
2014.
The Government has indicated it will
not provide any na onal resources or
support for implementa on. It has
advised schools to seek out and
purchase the help they need.
Professional Control
Together with the Curriculum
Founda on, a not-for-prot social
enterprise organisa on, the NUT is
developing a range of prac cal
modules to help all schools develop
their curriculum. The Year of the
Curriculum programme is based on
the belief that teachers can take
professional control of the curriculum
and assessment and make it
appropriate to their own students.
Making Learning Irresis ble
The Year of the Curriculum

programme will help you develop

curriculum aims and principles
rela ng to na onal requirements,
your learners needs and your local
context and then to design your
school curriculum accordingly
whether you teach in a primary,
secondary or special school, or in a
maintained or academy school. You
can a?end a course or access an
online programme. Both will be
composed of four modules:
W What are we trying to achieve?
W How shall we organise learning?
W How shall we evaluate success?
W How do we make it happen?
If you missed the recent Year of the
Curriculum Conference in Newcastle
dont worry as the online CPD
materials will be available on the NUT
website www.teachers.org.uk/
campaigns/curriculum

We are asking all members to:

join a leae ng campaign
aimed at parents and the public
in every town and city
take part in inuencing
Parliamentary candidates in
every marginal cons tuency
and beyond
prepare for strike ac on in
state schools, academies and
sixth form colleges on 26 March
We have produced a leaet for
parents and a pe on for them to
sign. The leaet and pe on can
be downloaded from
www.teachers.org.uk/parents.

The Na onal Union of Teachers is both a professional associa on and a trade union. It is the largest and most inuen al teachers'
organisa on in Europe, recrui ng only qualied teachers, or those who are on courses or in posts that will lead to teacher qualica on.
Complete Protec on. Being a member of the NUT brings access to the very best legal and professional protec on. It gives you a service
unrivalled in the teaching profession.
Support and Advice. The NUT has a network of regional oces in England and NUT Cymru in Wales. Each oce has experienced casework
ocers and solicitors, as well as other expert sta to give conden al advice, informa on or assistance on employment rights and other
ma?ers rela ng to your professional life.
Campaigning. The NUT campaigns for a reduc on in working hours, the removal of excessive workload, and a be?er work-life balance. We
also campaign for fair pay and reform of the assessment system.
Experts in Educa on. We work on curriculum issues as well as pay and condi ons of service.
Con nuing Professional Development. Our con nuing professional development programme is recognised as one of the best in the
country.
Benets and Services. We oer a wide range of membership benets and services. Our members save hundreds of pounds a year by
accessing discounts available through their membership.
Equal Opportuni es. Our groundbreaking policy work on equali es issues has been adopted by schools, local authori es and other
government ins tu ons.
Young Teachers. We have a thriving young teachers sec on for all full members under 36. To nd out more, visit our website
www.teachers.org.uk.
One Union for all Teachers. The NUT campaigns consistently for professional unity in the teaching profession. We believe that a single
professional body, ar cula ng the views of the profession, would benet both children and teachers.
Educa on for All. We campaign for a good local school for every child and for every community. We are also a member of the Global
Campaign for Educa on, working for every child in the world to have a primary school educa on by 2015.

NUT Northern Region

3 McMillan Close, Saltwell Business
Park, GATESHEAD, NE9 5BF
AdviceLine: 0203 0066 266
nutadviceline@nut.org.uk
@NUTnorthern