December Executive NEUs

Joint General Secretaries’ report

· OECD/PISA report published on 3 December:

· UK’s ranking (69 of 72) low but important to note that PISA built on a system of teacher autonomy without inspectorate interference

· reliance on rote memorisation an understandable response to the volume of information to be recalled in high-stakes testing;

· on well-being, 66 per cent of young people said they were sometimes or always worried compared with an OECD average of 50 per cent;

· underlying factors vital – poverty the enemy of learning; children in poverty begin their school lives with a 40% gap which only widens through the key stages; compounded by staffing profile of schools in disadvantaged areas with teachers disproportionately in first 3 years of careers;

· contrast findings with Estonian system where play-based curriculum until 7 years; standard, broad and balanced curriculum; mixed ability teaching; teacher autonomy with no external inspectorate – reflected in high PISA rankings.

OFSTED Guidance

· new OFSTED framework predicated on secondary staffing structures;

· advice to teachers (primary in the main) who are not in the leadership group and who do not receive a TLR payment for responsibility for any subject or curriculum area is that they should not be expected to be accountable for subject area;

· viewed by over 30,000 to date.

General Election Campaign

· Re-launch of School Cuts website with analysis of all parties’ education manifesto promises;

· Model letter emailed to districts with school cuts data for mailing to local press contacts.

Winning the Pay Award for members

· All geographical Executive members provided with contact details for their branch secretaries and where no survey response yet received;

· Important survey data from c80 of 175 branches including where not compliant with the NEU/NAHT advice.

Sixth Form Colleges

· Further day of strike action on 20 November;

· Strategy to win dispute to be evaluated when outcome of election known;

· Agreed to continue to seek a pay agreement in line with the Staff Side pay claim

· Agreed to congratulate the NEC member and members in the sector on their support for the NEU strike action;

· meeting to be convened (in accordance with protocol on national/sectoral action) to include post-16 Executive seat-holder, Chair of Bargaining and Negotiations together with College Reps to discuss the ongoing action strategy into 2020.

Efficient Working and Size of the Executive

Following discussions at the September and October Executive meetings, it was agreed that a proposed Rule change would be included in the Executive report to Conference reducing geographical multi-member seats from 4 members to 3 in English districts.

Bargaining Strategy – The Executive agreed to further development of the proposed NEU school information database, drawing on publicly available and locally sourced information, and initially established for trialling purposes as an internal resource.

The Executive agreed the Submission to School Teachers Review Body on School Teachers’ Pay noting that it would be revised and finalised to reflect the outcome of the General Election and signed off by the Chair.

Mairead Canavan, Sarah Carter and Kiri Tunks were elected as delegates to the TUC Women’s Conference (March 2020) and the text of two motions on families in poverty and celebrating black women and girls in education was agreed. Louise Atkinson and Karam Bales were elected to the delegation to TUC Black Workers’ Conference (April 2020). NEU delegations to TUC equalities conferences will be reviewed to ensure that the Membership and Equality Officer is an automatic member of all delegations.

The Executive agreed the following recommendations from GPC:

· NEU to become a named signatory to the Global investment statement on climate change;

· the NEU engage Electoral Reform Services to provide ballot, election and MAC services for the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 following a tender exercise;

· the subsistence rates for 2020 (uprated by 2% in line with the 2% increase in member subscriptions) and a change to the expenses regulations to allow members to claim an allowance (currently £4 per week £208 per year) if using part of their home as an office;

· proposals regarding the organisation of CPD and breakout sessions at Conference 2020;

· multi-year deals for Conference 2021 -24 in Bournemouth and Harrogate;

· election of regions/Wales delegates to TUC Congress to ensure a delegate balance between women and men more in proportion to that of the Union membership;

· Rule change in relation to the remit of the Professional Conduct Committee for inclusion in the Executive Report to Conference;

· Support for national officers – advice to candidates in national elections.

The Member Defence Committee discussed and approved the existing and intended work on implementation of the Tackling Workload resolution including; the gathering of figures on excessive bullying and workload cases; re-affirming messages to relevant staff in support of an active legal strategy against excessive workload and bullying with a pro-active approach to test cases; ensuring sufficient budget for such a strategy; working with sympathetic trade unions on the strategy; arranging regional conferences/briefings to facilitate discussion between relevant legal and casework staff and members for explanation of and dialogue on the Union’s legal strategy to ensure a concerted national approach. Both Member Defence and Union Strength committees also discussed a range of factors relating to the promulgation and implementation of a Code of Behaviour at Union events that will now form the basis for a set of proposals and recommendations for ratification at the February Executive.

The US Committee discussed a paper setting the framework for guidance to local officers regarding increasing member engagement to sustain locally agreed increases in quorum arrangements. The Executive agreed that more detailed guidance on best practice to foster member engagement in branches and districts will be discussed at the February meeting of the Committee.

The Executive welcomed the fact that local secretaries can now amend member records and noted that members have had this ability to amend their own records via MyNEU since 2017. Local secretaries’ ability to add reps will go live before the end of term and reps’ own ability to amend member records will follow in the New Year.

The Executive agreed an updated version of the NEU/NAHT Avoidance of Disputes Protocol and a Protocol and Guidance on National/Sectoral Action. Both will be available on the website.

Finally, the Executive agreed a resolution to review the election processes at the Executive for referral to GPC.

Seasons’ Greetings to you all – wishing you an enjoyable and restful break.