Academies

Tories threaten human rights

The Queen’s Speech — the government’s announcement of its plans for new laws — on 18 May is likely to include the Tories’ implementation of their Education White Paper and replacing the Human Rights Act. The Tories stated their thinking on the Human Rights Act as far back as 2005: “to liberate the nation from the... politically correct regime ushered in by Labour’s enthusiastic adoption of human rights legislation”. The Human Rights Act, legislated in 1998 by the Labour government, wrote the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. It enabled people to bring cases citing that...

Forced Academies U-turn: only half a victory

Nicky Morgan's announcement that she was withdrawing proposals to legislate to force all schools to become academies was both a real success and a major danger to the campaign against forced academies. On 6 May, Nicky Morgan announced that, as a result of listening to MPs, teachers, school leaders and parents, she has decided that, while reaffirming our continued determination to see all schools become academies in the next 6 years, that it is not necessary to bring legislation to bring about blanket conversion of all schools to achieve this goal. The speed and breadth of the campaign to...

Don’t let the Tories recover!

A rising mood that cuts are not inevitable, a rising anger against economic inequality, and a rising confidence that alternatives are possible, has damaged the Tories in recent months. Ian Duncan Smith resigned, demagogically spilling the truth that the Tories have been victimising the worst-off to benefit the rich. That was one of the side-products of the Tories’ splits over Europe, which have seen Tory right-wingers suddenly “discovering” that the NHS is underfunded and suggesting Britain’s EU budget contributions could fill the gap. The Tories were forced to retreat on disabled benefits...

No to forced academies!

Teachers, parents, governors, trade union, Labour and community activists turned out to the first Hands off Our Schools – No to Forced Academies meeting in Leeds on Thursday 28 April. 100 people attended. Organised by the Leeds National Union of Teachers (NUT) branch, it was a positive first step in building a campaign to defeat the Government’s White Paper on Education. This is the government’s attempt to force through wholesale privatisation of education. Patrick Murphy, Leeds NUT, spoke about some key elements to fight against — lack of democracy, the lack of evidence for any benefit to...

Industrial news in brief

CCTV workers employed by Glasgow Community Safety – a Glasgow City Council Arms Length External Organisation (ALEO) – are back at work having won a 24% pay rise after twelve strike days over six weeks. The 19 workers, all Unison members, struck to achieve equal pay, i.e. parity of shift allowance payments, with other employees who work the same pattern of 12 hour shifts in a round-the-clock service. A campaign by Glasgow school janitors, also Unison members, in primary, nursery and Additional Support for Learning schools continues, with another three-day strike in late April following on from...

Schools protest grows

Campaigning against the education White Paper — Educational Excellence Everywhere — is beginning to gather pace across the country. On 23 April the Parents Defending Education conference will take place in London. Organised by the Anti-Academies Alliance the conference is supported by teaching unions NUT and ATL. The Rescue Our Schools campaign has also been set up by parents to stand up for state education. What is required to defeat the White Paper, as well as industrial action to defend workers’ conditions, is local vibrant campaigns. Barnet Trades Council and Barnet Momentum have passed...

A political campaign to fight the Education White Paper

The Government’s education White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, is a threat to state education as we know it and to education workers’ pay and working conditions. It will only be defeated by a combination of industrial action by the education workers’ unions and by a political campaign without and within the Labour Party and the labour movement. It is important that this campaign isn’t just left to education workers and parents. The issues affect us all. The campaign must unite education workers, parents, activists and the public. The sheer level of private looting that is being...

Start campaign now to save schools!

The conference of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) on 25-29 March voted to ballot for discontinuous strikes in response to the Government's Education White Paper published on 17 March. The first of what should be a series of strikes is to take place in the week beginning 4 July. The objective is to win a national system of pay and conditions for all state-funded schools regardless of status. The Education White Paper says that all state schools will be forced to become academies, funding will be cut, and head teachers can decide at will who is a qualified teacher and who is not. Forced...

Campaign against the education white paper!

The attacks in the government's education white paper are enormous and include the forced academisation of all schools (smashing up remaining teachers terms and conditions and abolishing all local control of schools) and huge funding cuts for schools. The NUT plans to run a political campaign linking up with other school workers and with parents and students. However it will be up to activists to make sure this happens in a real way locally rather than just being materials produced centrally by the union. This is not just an issue for teachers (or other school workers), everyone can campaign...

Education white paper: what to do next

At NUT conference on Easter weekend 2016 a priority motion was passed on fighting the Government's education white paper which plans huge funding cuts and forced academisation of schools. The motion passed means the union will be organising a ballot of all members in state funded schools (including academies) for a national contract for all teachers in those schools. The union will also seek to work with other school workers, parents and students to organise a campaign against the attacks. These are the bulletins produced by Workers' Liberty teachers at the conference. Bulletin 1 Bulletin 2

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