ATL Conference 2011

Monday 18 April - morning session

First session of Conference - 9.30am-12.45pm

During this session there was an address by Rt Hon Kevin Brennan MP, Shadow Schools Minister.

Resolutions

01 University funding and the impact on ITT - carried

INDIVIDUAL

THAT conference is concerned about the long term recruitment of teachers based on changes to funding for undergraduate courses, which are likely to have a detrimental impact on both the numbers and the range of people who become teachers in the future. Conference asks the Executive Committee to conduct an in-depth analysis of how these changes will affect teaching and to lobby the government and campaign accordingly.

Proposer: Carly Prout, Park House School, Newbury
Seconder: Matt Mugan, Strode College, Somerset

02 Teacher training and qualifications - carried

COMPOSITE - from resolutions submitted by Bradford, Birmingham and Nottinghamshire & Nottingham City branches

THAT conference notes that it is not the class of the degree that makes a good teacher but the class of the person.
Conference also notes with grave concern the Secretary of State's confirmation that free schools will not be required to employ teachers who hold teaching qualifications. Further, conference disagrees with the government that fast track teacher training conducted in schools on a one-year basis is the answer to teacher shortage or is the best preparation for the profession. Conference instructs the Executive Committee to:
(i) produce a position statement on ITT, to include clarification of the extent to which teaching has become more demanding and whether difficulties identified are harmful to well-being;
(ii) lobby the Westminster government and parents:
(a) to look again at the entry qualifications for those wishing to be a teacher or lecturer, since academic excellence and first class honours degrees are no guarantee of anyone's ability to teach;
(b) to retain regulations which allow the employment of unqualified teachers only when attempts to employ qualified teachers fail;
(c) to realise that the vast majority of ATL's membership in independent schools hold qualified teacher status.

Proposer: Ralph Surman, Cantrell Primary School, Nottingham
Seconder: Stuart Herdson, unattached member, Bradford

03 Academies - carried

COMPOSITE - from resolutions submitted by Bradford and Brent branches

THAT conference rejects the policy that potentially all schools and educational establishments in England with pupils of school age may become academies in the future and confirms its support for members who are opposed to their school becoming an academy to take action, including ballots for industrial action. Conference believes that everything possible should be done to build support amongst parents, teachers, support staff and governors for the maintenance of a democratically accountable LA-based state education system and opposition to privatisation.
Conference congratulates the Executive Committee for its work, including joint union work, to prevent the privatisation of the management of state education and commits itself to developing further work with the other unions on this issue. Further, conference asks the Executive Committee to lobby the Westminster government to change its direction.

Proposer: Hank Roberts, Copland Community School, Brent
Seconder: Stuart Herdson, unattached member, Bradford

04 Supporting members in academies - carried

COMPOSITE - from resolutions submitted by Avon, Bedfordshire, Inner London and Wiltshire branches

THAT conference requests the Executive Committee to examine ways to ensure that it is best placed to represent staff in academies, including by means of legal advice and employment rights information through specific targeted publications. Further, conference urges the Executive Committee to adopt a more pragmatic and positive attitude towards those schools that wish to become an academy provided that the following procedures are followed:
(i) school staff are given a final and binding vote as to whether the school becomes an academy and that this is preceded by a period of consultation which lasts for at least four weeks;
(ii) the academy has a founding 'Charter and Constitution' or similar document, which will be published at the beginning of the period of consultation and lays down the values and ethos of the new academy;
(iii) the Charter or Constitution covers issues such as admissions and specific commitments to pupils, parents and staff including the provision of the national curriculum and religious studies in parity with maintained schools;
(iv) staff are protected by an 'employment' chapter in the Charter or Constitution stating that national teachers' pay and conditions and pension arrangements would be adhered to for existing and new staff;
(v) union recognition and formal negotiations based on the TUC model agreement which includes the establishment of a school joint consultative and negotiation committee and appropriate facilities time for the school representatives or a contribution to the LA facilities budget;
(vi) the Charter should be protected by a Constitution, which would ensure it could only be altered through the approval of the majority of staff in the academy.
Conference requests the Executive Committee to lobby for adequate study and social space within the design of new academies and free schools.

Proposer: Philip Whalley, Hardenhuish School, Wiltshire
Seconder: Jennifer Caola, St Bede's Catholic School, Bristol

4A Supporting members in academies - AMENDMENT - carried

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

After "That Conference requests" delete the rest of the paragraph and delete the second paragraph up to and including the word "academy" and replace with "where it has not been possible to persuade a school from seeking to become an academy the ATL's negotiating position should be"

The amendment would then read as:

"That Conference requests where it has not been possible to persuade a school from seeking to become an academy the ATL's negotiating position should be that the following procedures are followed:"

Proposer: Jean Roberts, Old Oak Primary School, Hammersmith
Seconder: Hank Roberts, Copland Community School, Brent

05 Exclusion of girls - carried in all parts

DERBYSHIRE BRANCH

THAT conference expresses concern at the increasing number of girls being excluded from secondary school. Conference asks the Executive Committee to:
(i) investigate this issue and to survey members to identify actions that they would wish taken;
(ii) call upon the Ministers responsible for exclusions in the UK to coordinate work in order to develop robust programmes to support pupils, schools and staff.

Proposer: Wendy Hardy, Kingsmead School, Derby
Seconder: Ian Robinson, Tupton Hall School, Chesterfield

06 Changing support structures - carried

SCOTLAND BRANCH

THAT conference is concerned by the mergers and re-organisation between the major agencies involved in Scottish education. Conference asks the Executive Committee to lobby the Scottish government in line with the vision in the ATL 2011 Scottish Parliamentary Election Manifesto to ensure there will be no adverse impact on the necessary support for teachers at a time of massive change in Scottish education.

Proposer: Paul Campbell, University of Strathclyde, Scotland
Seconder: Alastair MacPherson, Edinburgh Academy, Edinburgh

07 Child poverty - carried

INNER LONDON BRANCH

THAT conference calls on the government to publish detailed plans for how it intends to meet its commitment to abolish child poverty by 2020.

Proposer: John Puckrin, Grange Primary School, Southwark
Seconder: Abdul Choudhury, Mulberry School for Girls, Tower Hamlets

7A1 Child poverty - AMENDMENT 1 - carried

West Glamorgan branch

Substitute "UK government and regional assemblies" for "government", "they" for "it" and "their" for "its".

Proposer: tbc
Seconder: tbc

7A2 Child poverty - AMENDMENT 2 - carried

INNER LONDON BRANCH

Delete all after "That Conference".

Insert "believes that the published "strategy" designed to reduce the rate of Child Poverty to 10% by 2020 is inadequate, especially when considered alongside the regressive nature of other government policies."

Proposer: Caroline Kolek, Somerset
Seconder: Ralph Surman, Nottingham

08 Healthy food and young people - carried

INDIVIDUAL

THAT conference notes the continued rise in obesity, diabetes and rickets among young people and children. Conference condemns the lack of action by central government on the extension of free school meals, nutritional standards, food labelling, controls on advertising, the need for sustainability, and the well-being of British farming.
Conference urges the Executive Committee to continue campaigning on these issues in conjunction with other organisations.

Proposer: John Puckrin, Grange Primary School, Southwark
Seconder: Alison Sherratt, Riddlesden St Mary's C of E Primary School, Keighley

09 Public examinations - carried

COMPOSITE - from resolutions submitted by Brent and Essex, Southend & Thurrock branches

THAT conference notes that:
(i) public examinations are now a competitive business;
(ii) the fees charged by the awarding bodies have escalated unprecedentedly in recent years.
Conference calls for:
(a) an immediate investigation by the government into the level of examination entry fees;
(b) an end to for-profit practices such as the marketing (by some awarding bodies) of course-specific texts that have very limited shelf-life;
(c) a separation of duties that precludes senior examiners from not only selling teaching materials but also preparing classes for papers they have compiled;
(d) the development of a sustainable, ethical and affordable national framework of examination fees;
(e) the examination system to be run on a not-for-profit basis under the profession's input and guidance.

Proposer: Jeff Fair, Brentwood County High School, Essex
Seconder: Hank Roberts, Copland Community School, Brent

10 Public examination marking - carried

INNER LONDON BRANCH

THAT conference asks the Executive Committee to investigate whether or not the level of marking by teachers in public examinations has gone too far and is being exploited by examination boards which continue to increase charges but pay nothing.

Proposer: Jim Taylor, Lady Margaret School, Fulham
Seconder: Jovan Trkulja, Lady Margaret School, Fulham

Kevin Brennan

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