PRC (Policy, Research and Campaigns) Committee
- Agreed a motion that commits the national union and regional offices to stop using X and recommends districts and branches do the same
- Agreed to work with Save Our Children’s rights (SOCR) on a campaign around the SEND white paper
- Agreed to continue to support the Teaching Commission which is continuing and will now look at the Curriculum and Assessment
- Survey of members about baseline assessment showed that overwhelming majority thought it was a waste of time
- Discussion on Ofqual proposal to move to online assessments by 2030 for GCSE exams
- Agreed a motion to LGBT+ TUC conference on protecting LGBT+ workers
General Secretary’s report
- Daniel expressed solidarity to members of the Arthur Terry Learning Foundation Academy trust in Coventry who are taking action against redundancies and financial mismanagement – the trust take a 25% top slice from schools’ funding
- Daniel expressed solidarity with members in Bristol who have been attacked by the right wing press over the postponement of the visit of an MP who is Deputy Chair of Labour friends of Israel
- Daniel explained the importance of the Together Alliance and the March on 28th March. He also agreed to open Hamilton House so members attending the march on their way to national conference can store their luggage there.
- Daniel reported that talks are ongoing with the NJC unions and that it is important we are not isolated after the Special Conference
- Daniel stressed the importance of the upcoming indicative ballot. A 6.5% pay offer over three years is a pay cut (inflation is currently 3.4%), schools are already running on empty, there will be no additional funding for the pay deal and the Secretary of State is preparing to attack the 1265 hour protection.
Urgency reports
International
- Agreed following donations: £20,000 to the Rohingya Centre, £8,500 to the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, £10,000 to the Women’s World Congress
- Steve Sinnott award won jointly by Mike Kearney (York district) and Shahzia Salim (Rhondda Cynon Taf district)
Professional Unity
- Recommendation to approach the NASUWT to start discussions to end the cut price membership offer to teachers that was started over 20 years ago
General Purposes
- Agreed budget of £771,000 for indicative ballot
- Agreed timeline for by-elections in National Executive districts 1 and 15
- Agreed following donations: £150,000 (£50,000 from political fund) to Stand up to Racism, £1,000 to the National Pensioners Convention, £10,000 to Learning Outside the Classroom, £85,000 (from political fund) to Hope not Hate, £60,000 to Show Racism the Red Card, £5,000 to Care for Calais and £250,000 (from political fund) to the Together Alliance
Policy, Research and Campaigns
- Agreed motion about closing accounts on X
- Agreed to work with SOCR
- Agreed to continue to work with Teaching Commission
- Agreed LGBT+ TUC motion
- Agreed to extend deadline for applications for Poland educational visit until February 20th
Bargaining and Negotiations
Agreed that support staff and teachers will be balloted in indicative ballot with following questions:
Support staff:
- Do you agree that the defence of support staff jobs is essential to Save Education?
- Are you prepared to take industrial action to win sufficient funding to secure an above inflation pay increase, reduce workload and prevent redundancies?
Teacher:
- Do you reject the proposal of an unfunded 6.5% increase over three years for teacher pay?
- Are you prepared to take industrial action to win sufficient funding to secure an above inflation pay increase, reduce workload and defend existing directed time provisions, including the 1265 hours limit?
Recommend answering yes to all questions.
Treasurer’s Report
- Variance report is currently in deficit but confident it will return to surplus as it is to do when costs occur
- Sustentation payments have increased significantly due to the increase in local action:
Membership Report
- Membership just over 500,000
- Many students have lapsed membership and not upgraded to standard membership
Action Committee
- Since 1st January there have been 21 indicative and 24 formal ballots authorised
Motions
- Agreed to support Peace Conference in London in June 2026 and to encourage members to attend
- Agreed to send solidarity to educators in Iran
- Agreed to defend our right to protest, to support any members who are victimised or sanctioned by employers for doing so, to publicly state members have a right to rasie concerns and organise against individuals going into school due to their politics or actions and to publicise the political use of Ofsted in the case of the Bristol school where an MP’s visit was postponed
To contact me:
Email: deborah.gwynn@neu.org.uk