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NUT Conference
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
The National Union of Teachers have been having their annual conference this week, and seem to have a headline every day, so I thought I'd start a thread on it.
They first voted to limit class sizes to 20 by 2020. An ambitious target, but one that I assume everyone would support.
They voted to consider industrial action if the government don't increase the current 2.45% and 2.3% pay increase. They're getting more than most public sector workers (still technically a pay cut), but imo, teachers are already hugely underpaid relative to the level of training they have to do.
The NUT voted to oppose faith schools. They called them devisive. Instead they said that Preists and suchlike should be able to come in and teach the children of religious parents in additional classes instead. Can't argue with this, only to say that imo, we certainly shouldn't be funding these additional classes.
Teachers vote to oppose military recruitment activities in schools.
NUT criticises over testing. Nothing new here.
Teachers blame spoiled brats for disrupting lessons. Nothing new here either I guess.
Thoughts?
They first voted to limit class sizes to 20 by 2020. An ambitious target, but one that I assume everyone would support.
They voted to consider industrial action if the government don't increase the current 2.45% and 2.3% pay increase. They're getting more than most public sector workers (still technically a pay cut), but imo, teachers are already hugely underpaid relative to the level of training they have to do.
The NUT voted to oppose faith schools. They called them devisive. Instead they said that Preists and suchlike should be able to come in and teach the children of religious parents in additional classes instead. Can't argue with this, only to say that imo, we certainly shouldn't be funding these additional classes.
Teachers vote to oppose military recruitment activities in schools.
NUT criticises over testing. Nothing new here.
Teachers blame spoiled brats for disrupting lessons. Nothing new here either I guess.
Thoughts?
0
Comments
I've been hearing about a few schools where they really mix this up. A really good teacher will take a big class of 50 (with help) while another teacher will then take a class of 10 to give them really close attention.
More than anything I think there should be more flexibility, especially with young kids.
i quite agree.
Can I ask what you mean by that?
I quite like some of the proposals. As a teacher, a class of 30 children, on your own, is far too many. If I had 3 teaching assistants, then that may be different. A teacher cannot make sure that all the children are on task and actually learning at all times. It is nigh on impossible.
I am also for the pay raise
Testing is the bane of our lives and I absolutely hate it. The children are under so much pressure. Y6 (aged 11) is a year dedicated to SATs. Simple as. And it isn't fair on the children to be under that much pressure when, to be perfectly honest, the grades mean more to the school than the children themselves.
Can't remember the other points made. These are the ones that I feel passionate about.
Now, let's have a look at the madness coming out of this conference. So, they want to limit class sizes to 20 by 2020. And how are they going to achieve this, exactly? Where are all the extra classrooms and teachers going to come from? They're threatening to go on strike if the government don't increase the current 2.45% and 2.3% pay increase, are they? Fine by me - the Government won't listen to them, anyway. They didn't listen to the cops, so what chance have teachers got?
They voted to oppose faith schools, I notice? Again, posturing. There's nothing they can actually do about their existence, and no one's forcing them to teach in a faith school, after all. And they also voted to oppose military recruitment activities in schools? On what grounds exactly? And I notice I'm With Stupid didn't leave any comment at all on this point in his starting comments - why?
On the grounds that in their experience military visits have failed to offer a balanced view of military life, and as such are tantamount to early recruitment drives. Something like this.
Because I couldn't care less. I was just giving an overview of the main points of the conference. Why do you give a shit what I choose to comment on? If you want my opinion, I think the better option would've been for them to commit to helping the MOD reform their school visits to offer a more balanced description of a military career. But like the student unions, they've let their political opinions about a particular war get in the way of offering a good careers service.
Where exactly did I say that I didn't realise that this was the case? I don't recall saying that and don't think i inferred it, either.. Maybe you are reading something that isn't there. I got into teaching to make a difference to children's lives (which, may I point out, I am actually doing)
Also, I work in a school where there is no homework. Different schools do different things.
Maybe all the extra teachers that are currently unemployed away from London. There is big talk about a 'teacher shortage' but that's a crock of shit. The only place there is a shortage is London, nowhere else really. So they could actually use all the teachers that they are training and not employing. Just an idea, like. 20 is a manageable size for a teacher. 30 is not. You try teaching 30 children where you are on your own, one child kicks off and hurts another child, 4 are sat in silence because they don't get it and the rest are either getting on or making the pretence they are getting along. Which child are you going to deal with? What about the others? Without realising it, you are actually failing some of the children. With a class of 20, you wouldn't be.
There are many different reasons why our education system is behind our European counterparts. One of those reasons is to do with class sizes.
You really are a cynical tosser, aren't you? How would you like a pay raise that is under the rate of inflation? A lot of teachers have so much shit to put up with in their job. Should the government carry on treating us like shit, too?
What about using some of the money that the government are using to refurb/rebuild every secondary school in England? I'm sure that if they can do this, they can find the money to build more schools. Use some of that money.
That is fairly irrelevant. Every single worker should have a rise that is at least in line with the rate of inflation. And if the government are not willing to actually consider this for one of the most important professions in the country, then we have a problem and a justifiable reason for striking.
You didn't answer all my points, like where I said that I didn't realise that children were being tested so much.
Anyway, I suggest something else - scrapping all those useless, counter-productive exams that kids have to go through and ploughing all that money into the refurbishment/rebuilding programme. If the classrooms are there, I would be all in favour of reducing class sizes. One of the most important? Now there's a question and a half! Are coppers not important? The Government obviously doesn't think so - it won't give the full increase to them. (only Scotland has had the good sense to do so) What about the binmen? If they went on strike, you'd have rubbish uncollected... soon, you'd have a public health hazard on your hands. Just look at the Winter of Discontent. The only group whom government will always give inflation-busting pay rises to are MPs and ministers. How can anyone not realise that kids are being endlessly tested? You've got SATS at the ages of 7, 11 and 14, GCSEs at 16, AS-Levels at 17, A-Levels at 18... and that's just the official ones. When you add on the others that schools set, you probably end up doing several tests every single year. That was my experience of schooling, I finished in 2003. As far as I know, things have changed little since. I agree entirely that kids are tested far too much - it's stressful for all concerned.
Still, this is what happens when politicians are in charge of our children's education. Year on year, they churn out (dubious) figures which show that exam results are getting better and better, presumably in the hope that the Prime Minister is listening and gives them a promotion. The only winners under the current system are politicians, and that is bad news for everyone.
What you mean is that you want what they have,
Of course what you miss is that it also has to be paid for out of the same pot of cash. What we have (for example short waits for NHS) isn't replicated in those two countries.
This is local democracy in action, meeting the wishes of their population and rather than condemn it you should applaud.
They don't do it because they want to brown-nose the PM FFS. They do it because the public want "evidence" that education standards are improving.
Frankly as far as I can see more and more is demanded of teachers and less is given to them. Especially given what they put up with they're more than a special kind of person. It's more than being able to teach, I can teach, I have taught, being able to control a group of kids though, being able to take some of the abuse some teachers get is something else.
They do it because they think that people with therefore trust them and vote for them. Fuck all to do with who is PM or brown nosing that person.
I was talking to my dad about this and I've personally found it impossible to get some help during lessons when there are 30+ other children in the classroom. Especially when we're all working at different paces.
I remember this. I also remember in Year 9, teachers acting as though our lives depend on our SATs. When it came to GCSEs, they didn't care about how we did.:rolleyes: