ATL

ATL Conference 2008

Thursday 20 March - session six

Sixth session of conference

During the sixth session of Conference, there were addresses by Hilary Fisher, Director of End Child Poverty (see video), and Dr Mary Bousted, General Secretary of ATL.

Child poverty - CARRIED

61. INDIVIDUAL

THAT Conference:

(i) congratulates the Executive Committee on affiliating to the End Child Poverty coalition;

(ii) recognises the impact of child poverty on educational attainment, but stresses the potential of education and training to break the cycle of poverty;

(iii) welcomes the measured reduction in child poverty since 1999, but warns government that unless additional measures are taken their target of halving child poverty by 2010 will not be achieved.

Proposer: John Puckrin, Unattached member, Inner London; seconder: Ralph Surman, Cantrell Primary School, Nottingham.

Inclusion - CARRIED

62. CHESHIRE BRANCH

THAT Conference, whilst applauding the desire to include pupils of all abilities and backgrounds into mainstream education where possible, and deploring inclusion on the cheap, calls upon the Executive Committee to petition the Government to ensure it properly funds adequate and on - going training of all education staff in all state - funded schools and colleges.

Proposer: Molly O'Brien, Sir William Stanier Community School, Cheshire; seconder: Stuart Hart, Fallibroome High School, Cheshire.

Teaching English as an additional language - CARRIED

63. COMPOSITE from resolutions submitted by Coventry and Oxfordshire branches.

THAT Conference, urges the Executive Committee to:

(i) lobby for additional government funding to meet the extra educational demands on schools brought about by the recent influx of children of refugee and EU migrant families;

(ii) call upon the Government to provide adequate additional support to schools that accept disproportionately large numbers of pupils for whom English is an additional language and where class teachers are expected to teach groups in which pupils have a variety of mother tongues.

Proposer: Joy Barrett, EMAS Oxon Central Services, Oxfordshire; seconder: Stephen Holmes, Coundon Court School, Coventry.

European Union - CARRIED

64. WOLVERHAMPTON BRANCH

THAT Conference, noting the increasing influence of the EU over many aspects of British life, requests that the Executive Committee establishes an STG in order to draft an informed ATL policy on the EU and its attitude to education. Such a policy should consider the ramifications of the recently signed Treaty in respect of:

(a) the implication of the Constitution/Treaty on education in this country;

(b) the implication of the Government's opting out on workers' rights;

(c) the implications of the democratic deficit within the EU;

(d) the implications for public services and education of economic neo - liberalism.

Proposer: Sam Bechler, Executive Committee; Seconder: Keith Jordan, Parkfield High School, Wolverhampton.

SEN funding - CARRIED

65. HERTFORDSHIRE BRANCH

THAT Conference believing that:

(a) the Government's claim Every Child Matters has a hollow ring for some parents of children with SEN;

(b) some children with SEN do not receive the best support;

(c) some children and their schools lose out in current funding models;

urges the Executive Committee to:

(i) enter into discussions with bodies representing groups of parents of children with SEN to gauge the extent of the problem;

(ii) challenge the Government on these issues, with a view to ensuring there is adequate funding to facilitate the removal of barriers to learning for children with SEN.

Proposer: Jackie Harvey, Mill Mead School, Hertford; seconder: Karen Clout, St John's Infants and Nursery School, Radlett.

Excluded children - CARRIED

66. SURREY BRANCH

THAT Conference, believing that exclusion should be seen as a tool for dealing with dangerous and disruptive pupils and that LAs should be empowered to make adequate provision for ensuring the treatment and continuing education of excluded pupils, calls upon the Executive Committee to put pressure on the Government not to force schools to continue to contain these pupils by applying pressure to reduce exclusions.

Proposer: Tamsin Buckingham, St Andrews RC School, Surrey; seconder: Roger Wakeford, Ashcombe School, Surrey.

Adoption leave - CARRIED

67. KENT BRANCH

THAT Conference, regretting the inequalities in the amount of pay received by teachers on maternity and adoption leave, requests the Executive Committee to pursue a change to the Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales to equalise the contractual payments made during adoption and maternity leave.

Proposer: John Paul, Barming Primary School, Kent; seconder: Meryl Harries, Barnsole Junior School, Kent.