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ATL Conference 2008
Monday 17 March 2008 - session one
First session of Conference
During the first session of this years' Conference, Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, gave a welcome speech.
1. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
2. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS
3. REPORT OF ELECTIONS TO NATIONAL OFFICE
4. APPOINTMENT OF APPEALS COMMITTEE
THAT the following be appointed to the Appeals Committee: Felicity Bunker, Coventry, Geoff Coggins, Lewisham, Diana Manville, Bromley, Richard Martin, Leeds, Jean Roberts, Hammersmith and Fulham, Val Ross, Cambridgeshire, Pam Smith, Hillingdon.
Proposer: Shelagh Hirst, Honorary Secretary; Seconder: Chris Wilson, Honorary Secretary.
5. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Presented by Stuart Herdson, Immediate Past President.
6. ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS
Presented by Martin Lawes, Honorary Treasurer.
7. DATE AND LOCATION OF THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE
Monday 6 - Thursday 9 April, Liverpool.
8. RESOLUTIONS
1 Extending ATL's membership amongst early years professionals - carried
HERTFORDSHIRE BRANCH
THAT Conference, asks the Executive Committee to investigate the feasibility of recruiting the full range of professionals working with children aged three to five, who may not currently be eligible for membership and, if necessary, bring to the 2009 Conference a resolution to bring about any rule changes.
Proposer: Karen Clout, St John's Infant and Nursery School, Radlett
Seconder: Joyce Field, Prae Wood School, St Albans
2 Utilise the experience of retired members - carried
BERKSHIRE
THAT Conference asks the Executive Committee to explore ways of enabling branches to utilise fully the talents and experience of retired members in supporting standard members and enriching the life of the branch.
Proposer: Maureen Meatcher, Unattached member, Berkshire
Seconder: Teresa Dawes, Park House School, Newbury
3 Leadership - carried
INDIVIDUAL
THAT Conference, building on the STG report on leadership, calls upon the Executive Committee to review the support given to members on the leadership scale and plan a strategic approach in order to retain and recruit
more members in this category.
Proposer: Liz Coston, Torridon Junior School, London
Seconder: Iain Freeland, Launceston College, Cornwall
4 FE recruitment - carried
WILTSHIRE BRANCH
THAT Conference, congratulating the Executive Committee for raising the profile of the Post-compulsory sector within ATL, calls upon it to develop and implement a rigorous recruitment campaign to show all who work in the Post-16 sector that ATL is the Education Union for them.
Proposer: Stella Jales, Wiltshire College Devizes, Wiltshire
Seconder: John Hawkins, Unattached member, Wiltshire
5 Raising ATL's profile - carried
COVENTRY BRANCH
THAT Conference, while celebrating the exceptional advances made in the recruitment of trainee and newly qualifi ed teachers and the increased exposure through the national news media, is concerned by ATL's low profile in many school staffrooms. Conference therefore calls upon the Executive Committee to formulate a strategy to ensure that ATL's views, once again, dominate the discussions in our staffrooms.
Proposer: Stephen Holmes, Coundon Court School, Coventry
Seconder: David Kinnen, President Kennedy School, Coventry
6 Exit survey of ATL members - carried in all parts
AVON BRANCH
THAT Conference, believing that the profession feels increasingly disillusioned and isolated and that its contribution is no longer trusted or valued, calls upon the Executive Committee to:
(i) put in place a system for surveying all ATL members who leave the profession in order to ascertain their reason(s) for leaving;
(ii) seek the help of the GTC and other teaching unions to promote and actively support this strategy.
Proposer: Carolyn Dutton, Kingsfield School, Avon
Seconder: Jennifer Caola, Greenfield Primary School, Avon
7 Lifelong learning networks - carried
INDIVIDUAL
THAT Conference, noting the success of informal lifelong learning networks developed by the London branches, urges the Executive Committee to enable all branches across the UK to facilitate local learning networks of trained ULRs and other interested members and to develop an ATL members' skills bank.
Proposer: Diana Manville, Unattached member
Seconder: Bobbie Churchley, Dorothy Stringer School, East Sussex
8 Use of IT to enable greater participation at Conference - not taken
LANCASHIRE AND ISLE OF MAN BRANCHES
THAT Conference requests the Executive Committee to seek to amend the current rules for branch members, formally nominated by their branch as representatives to Conference who wish to propose or second a resolution, to be allowed to do so using modern communication techniques rather than having to attend in person.
Proposer: Alice Robinson, School of our Lady's Catholic College, Lancaster
Seconder: Andrew Shipley, St Ninian's High School, Isle of Man
9 ATL democracy - not taken
WARWICKSHIRE BRANCH
THAT Conference, whilst acknowledging that it is not always an efficient way to conduct business, urges the Executive Committee to ensure that ATL maintains its traditions of genuine democracy at all levels.
Proposer: John Collins, George Eliot Community School, Warwickshire
Seconder: Maureen Boneham, Queen Elizabeth School, Warwickshire
10 The name of the Association
DORSET BRANCH
THAT Conference, in the light of the current diversification of membership of ATL, calls on the Executive Committee to consider fully whether the name Association of Teachers and Lecturers is fit for purpose and to react accordingly.
Proposer: Andrew Rowden, Shaftesbury School and Sports College, Dorset
Seconder: Phil Jacques, Shaftesbury School and Sports College, Dorset