Schools

Academies, religion & schools, class sizes, remodelling, testing and tables, ...

How to fight the Tories’ plans for schools

Speeches from the opening session of Ideas for Freedom 2010, "How do we fight the Tories' plans for schools?" (10 July) The chair was Gemma Short, a first year teacher and AWL member from Sheffield. Jean Lane, teaching assistant and UNISON activist in Tower Hamlets I’d like to concentrate on the cuts we’ve faced up until now and how they are going to multiply in the coming period, particularly after the October spending review. Turning outstanding schools into academies is going to take money out of the central Local Education Authorities that fund all of the schools in their area and all of...

Unions need bolder fight against plans for Academies and "free schools"

"But what did we hear from the platform about what we do tomorrow, in the schools?", my school NUT rep asked me at the end of the 250-strong Anti-Academies Alliance rally in London on 24 June against the Government's new programme of Academies and free schools. These are the government's lists of schools which have "registered an interest" in becoming Academies: "Outstanding" schools Others Good question. Platform speakers included leading officials of five unions - NUT, NASUWT, ATL, Unison, and UCU - plus journalist Fiona Millar, London head teacher Paramjit Bhutta, and Alasdair Smith, AAA...

Vladimir Lenin on “Cultural-National” Autonomy [separate schools for each nationality, etc.]

The essence of the plan, or programme, of what is called “cultural-national” autonomy (or: “the establishment of institutions that will guarantee freedom of national development”) is separate schools for each nationality. The more often all avowed and tacit nationalists (including the Bundists) attempt to obscure this fact the more we must insist on it.
Every nation, irrespective of place of domicile of its individual members (irrespective of territory, hence the term “extra-territorial” autonomy) is a united officially recognised association conducting national-cultural affairs. The most...

Stop this free market in state schools!

The government’s first Queen’s speech was a mixture of cuts (but just the first round), policy built on New Labour’s “legacy” and various concessions to the Lib-Dems — most of which had already formed the basis of the pre-nuptial agreement between the two coalition partners. But the headline policy on schools reform, while being a logical step on from New Labour rule, was a giant step… towards a completely free market in state-funded education. And any imprint of historical opposition from the Lib Dems to such things as Academies was nowhere in evidence. What do the government propose? •...

SATS boycott hits, but not hard enough

Standardised Assessment Tests for 10 and 11 year olds were supposed to take place 10-13 May, but have been boycotted by head teachers in the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). An East London Year 6 teacher and NUT member explains the limitations and the importance of the SATs boycott. They are boycotting the test in my school and in my borough. There is about a 50% take up of the boycott. My impression is that there are pockets where the take up is less than that and pockets where it is more. The information coming out from the NUT is a 50-70%...

Teachers will block SATs tests

Primary school head teachers, members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) will boycott the SATs tests due on 10-13 May. They will lock up the test papers when they receive them, before 10 May, and not issue them. Labour schools minister Ed Balls has staged an apt finale to his term in office by urging school governors to bypass the head teacher and enforce the hated tests, maybe even by instructing the head teacher to stay off school during the test period! On 16 April the NUT and NAHT announced their ballot results. The result of the NUT...

Schools: unite teachers and students!

Superficially there seems nothing wrong with the call by the conference of the NASUWT (the second-biggest teaching union) for industrial action against the extension of pupil power without consultation. Like all trade unionists I don’t think management should bring in any new policy without consultation. But over an Easter weekend when NUT conference tried to prepare for the coming avalanche of attacks on the public sector, we were treated to the spectacle of our “sister” union grabbing the headlines by launching an extraordinary attack on Student Voice. For those unaware, Student Voice is one...

Australian teachers boycott SATS-type tests

Australian state school teachers will ban SATS-type tests due to take place on 11-13 May. The federal state school teachers' union, the Australian Education Union, voted on 12 April that it would block the tests "until the federal government stops the results being used to publicly brand students and schools as failures in league tables". The action will be carried out by the various state teachers' unions affiliated with the federal AEU. The Queensland Teachers' Union, for example, has told its members: "All action associated with the administration of the 2010 NAPLAN tests should be...

A S Neill, who set kids free for a society in chains

A S Neill, founder of Summerhill School, died in 1973 at the age of 90. In his practice and in his writings he was the most uncompromising advocate of freedom in education. “Their reaction to freedom is rapid and tiresome. For the first week or two, they open doors for the teachers, call me ‘sir’, and wash carefully. They glance at me with ‘respect’, which is easily recognised as fear. After a few weeks of freedom, they show what they really are. They become impudent, unmannerly, unwashed. They do all the things they have been forbidden to do in the past: they swear, they smoke, they break...

The "bad boys" in education

Recent press reports claim that “problem” pupils are on the increase and are holding schools to ransom. At Manton Junior School, Worksop, governors overturned a decision to expel a boy. The NASUWT threatened to strike if he stayed. The school had to find £14,000 from its own budget to provide isolated one-to-one tuition. Eventually, after much conflict, the whole school was closed. It is simplistic to blame “bad” boys and girls for these incidents. There are many causes of “bad” behaviour in schools. Class size is one of them. As classes of 35-40 become common in primary schools, insecure...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.