Tagged with NUT

Parents should be angry…. with Michael Gove

o17-7_0Today I am in Durham to address the People’s Assembly as teachers across the country are on strike over pay, pensions and conditions. Parents are right to be angry. No teacher wants to go on strike; they know the disruption it causes to families and most importantly the children. However, while Ministers are on TV, attacking the teaching profession yet again and trying to turn parents against those who educate their children, I am supporting teachers.

There is no need for this strike. It could have been averted by the Education Secretary Michael Gove, returning to the negotiating table to hear the concerns of teachers. However, he refuses to talk to teachers stating that his views on the substantive issues are fixed. Continue reading →

Defend the teachers

It is a peculiar quirk of capitalist thinking that the individual ambition of workers is lauded and encouraged but the ambition of a group of workers to protect their position is one of the deadliest sins you can commit. Indeed, one of the major ironies of the proposals put forward by Hutton for public sector pension reform is that they penalise aspiration and achievement by ending the link of pensions to final salaries. Continue reading →

Parents reject ‘free schools’

A YouGov survey commissioned by the NUT of parents in the 22 local authorities where the proposed 25 Free Schools are scheduled to open shows a clear rejection of the Government’s flagship education proposal. Over three-quarters (78%) of parents believed that children in Free Schools should only be taught by qualified teachers and 81%, believed that the headteacher should hold a teaching qualification. Parents also are very clear about the facilities they expect in schools. 83% of parents wanted libraries, 86% an outdoor play area, 78% dining halls, and 69% kitchens. With Free Schools being able to set up in shops, offices and factories, many will not have the space to provide such amenities.

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