ATL

Conference calls for action

At ATL's Annual Conference in Torquay, delegates called for action on stress, OfSTED, health and safety and poor buildings

Teachers' stress

"Why are ATL courses on stress always oversubscribed?" asked Elizabeth Greed (Wiltshire), as she proposed the resolution to increase awareness of teacher stress.

She went on to list the causes of stress among the profession. Uppermost was the "overloaded, target-driven culture in schools" that causes stress-related absence.

Seconding, David Guiterman (Cornwall) spoke of doctors not recording stress as a cause of illness despite it being the root cause. As it is not recorded the problem is understated, he believes.

Another issue, he continued, was the difficulty in getting legal compensation for mental illness as a result of stress, compared to the success rate for compensation for physical ailments.

He highlighted the talent and enthusiasm, not to mention investment, that is wasted when teachers are absent or even leave the profession entirely through stress.

In response to the resolution, David Clout (Hertfordshire) spoke of the excellent practice in some schools. Proposer Elizabeth Greed returned to the stage to mention a "well-being school" where staff talk about their concerns in a supportive environment. This would be the ideal in all schools.

The resolution was carried.

Classroom observation

A heated debate was begun by Executive Committee member Eric Stroud, who proposed a resolution attacking unnecessary lesson observations by school managers and calling on the government to end the practice.

Current guidelines on observation were not mandatory, he pointed out, and are ignored by many schools and colleges.

Speaking in favour, Stephen Holmes (Coventry) asked: "How can different members of the same social partnership arrive at such different interpretations of a supposedly agreed strategy?"

Heads associations dismissed Rewards and Incentive Group guidance as "only guidance", he said. In too many schools, supportive performance management was no more than a "distant dream".

Observation of a different kind - through electronic monitoring - was also discussed by delegates. Proposing the motion that ATL should investigate the increasing use of CCTV cameras in schools, Executive member Peter Walker raised concerns about security and privacy whilst also acknowledging that many teachers support such monitoring.

"This resolution is not brought either to promote or condemn the use of cameras in schools or colleges," he said. "It is not a simple, straightforward issue."

Both resolutions were carried unanimously.

OfSTED overhaul

Complaining about OfSTED is as easy as "shooting fish in a barrel", according to Barry Williams (Cambridge) - yet it is still a frequent theme at Conference.

Many inspectors lack relevant experience of teaching in the kind of schools they inspect. "I'm a professional teacher. If I'm assessed, I want to be assessed by professional teachers," Mr Williams told delegates.

However, he said, it seemed the government had a fear of letting teachers assess themselves.

The motion - which called on the Executive Committee to investigate the possibility of replacing present OfSTED inspection teams with serving teachers with recent classroom experience - was seconded by Deana Corcoran (Cambridge).

"As soon as you are out of the classroom you lose the hunger," she said. "Practising teachers are best placed to understand and judge the changing classroom environment."

The resolution was carried with overwhelming support.

Here come the diplomas

With the 14-19 diploma looming on the horizon, Philip Smith (Devon) proposed a resolution asking for a mechanism to review its introduction. This would report back to Conference 2009. He also asked that ATL work with government to monitor assessment methods, funding and national recognition of the diploma status. "The introduction of diplomas is a massive problem," he claimed, adding: "The government has little idea of what is involved to bring this in this September."

Seconding Niamh Sweeney (Cambridge) spoke of confusion over qualifications that were initially a mix of vocational and academic education but were now supposedly neither academic nor vocational. "Diplomas are a solution in search of a problem," she surmised. "Young people aged between 14 and 19 don't need more choice of qualifications; they need recognisable, relevant and robust qualifications."

Zoe Fail (Kent) referred to her own experience of earning a BTEC advanced diploma only to find it was not recognised by her chosen industry. She stressed the necessity for the modern-day diploma to be recognised and accepted by all education establishments and employers.

The resolution was carried unanimously.

Health and safety at work

Manual handling causes injury and ill-health - not just back pain, but cuts, bruises, crushing injuries, strains and sprains.

According to Christine Tanquee (Birmingham), the consequences are pain and distress for teachers and support staff, lost lesson time for students, and a considerable financial burden on the NHS.

Proposing a resolution calling for new legislation to outlaw the use of staff untrained in heavy lifting techniques to move furniture or bulky items, she claimed current regulations did not properly cover teachers as "lifting and carrying" were not considered an inherent part of their job.

Supporting this, Executive Committee member Gill Stainthorpe called on teachers to stand up to employers: "We are teachers, we should not be lifting."

More than two thirds of ATL primary school members have experienced voice problems as a direct result of their job, according to a survey published at Conference. Yet teachers are offered almost no voice care support - little more than 1 in 10 of those surveyed by ATL had had voice care included in their teacher training.

Essex, Southend and Thurrock (EST) branch president Geoff Pye called for all providers of teacher training to incorporate voice care techniques into their QTS provision.

The resolution was backed by Mike Everett (EST) - who, in a bid to save his voice for the Easter holidays - said simply "I formally second the motion."

Both resolutions were unanimously carried.

School and college buildings

Too many school and college buildings - even brand new ones - are not fit for purpose. That was the conclusion of a resolution calling for new standards to be introduced for refurbishment projects.

Proposing, Philip Smith (Devon) said Building Schools for the Future projects were going ahead with little involvement from the people who would be working in them. "It is my experience that staff are rarely involved in design.

"Authority architects and planners seem to rely on relatively secret plans discussed with heads and governors in outline, but with insufficient consideration for the actual activity needs and accommodation," he said.

Seconding, Kim Knappett (Inner London) described the poor working conditions in her school. Having catalogued a number of problems - faulty heating, lack of ventilation, bad drains - she revealed the school had opened just a few days before Conference.

"Many people in the survey have been commenting on the state of buildings that were built in the last century or even before that but I am talking about a state of the art, purpose-built school building, designed and built in this century," she said.

The resolution was carried unanimously.

Another serious concern raised by Conference was the continuing presence of asbestos in schools. Proposing, Hank Roberts (Brent) told delegates that over 13,000 schools are estimated to have asbestos in them - but that nobody knows the exact figure, or how significant a risk is posed.

The failure of government to survey all educational establishments and to remove all asbestos from them amounted to the "deliberate and negligent murder of our members and those in our care", he told delegates.

Executive member Ken Richardson raised concerns about part of the resolution which stated that buildings with the largest quantity of asbestos should be dealt with first. In fact, he said, buildings with even small amounts of damaged asbestos were dangerous, and exposed asbestos should be removed first.

With this amendment, the resolution was passed unanimously.

Malicious accusations and violence at work

Proposing a resolution to provide more support for those falsely accused of abuse or misconduct, and to set up a register of those who make false complaints, Brenda Walters (Wolverhampton) outlined the effects malicious accusations can have.

Accused members suffer "intolerable stress and anxiety", she told delegates, adding: "There are many cases where such situations induce severe clinical depression and serious thoughts of suicide."

A register of complaints, held by the local authority, could help protect staff, she said, by providing evidence for the police to prosecute a pupil or exonerate a teacher. The resolution was seconded by Martyne Ellard (Berkshire), who said a way must be found to protect teachers, in what was a very difficult and sensitive area.

Proposing a motion that legislation protecting staff from violence is ineffective and that employers who ignore it should be penalised, Ann Nash (Bradford) called on members to "stand up and be counted". All incidents of violence and aggression should be reported, she said, and pressure brought to bear on every education establishment to consistently enforce a robust policy on the issue.

John Collins (Warwickshire) related how an ATL member was assaulted by a student after confiscating her mobile phone. "The girl went ape - clawed at [the member's] throat, ripped her clothes, grabbed her and ripped her skin. She jumped on her, pushed her down and put her full weight on our member's throat."

The girl in question was known to the local authority as a violent student, Mr Collins told delegates, yet repeated requests for action had been ignored.

Both resolutions were carried.

Excluded pupils

"Any rudeness or aggression towards staff will not be tolerated, perpetrators will be escorted from the premises and denied re-admission." So read the sign in Tamsin Buckingham's (Surrey) friend's office and Tamsin thought: "How lucky they are. Maybe I should work here."

For Tamsin is very tired of the lack of firm action taken against disruptive and violent students. In response to a government push to reduce the number of exclusions, her resolution proposed putting pressure on government not to force schools to keep pupils that are causing excessive problems for staff and other students.

Seconder Roger Wakeford (Surrey) spoke of the disruption to the education of the majority. "If you rob others of their education why should you have the right to education?" Ruth Nettleship (Nottinghamshire) spoke out in support, citing the disproportionate amount of resources devoted to disruptive pupils.

"The excluded pupils of today will be excluded after school as well," argued John Collins (Warwickshire) against the resolution. "We as a society have got to be able to deal with these children. They should have special provision, but not exclusion."

Responding, Tamsin acknowledged the complexity of the issue and said there was no easy solution. "We just want to be able to educate our children," she finished. The resolution was overwhelmingly carried.

Teenage suicides

"Teachers and school communities are in a unique position to pick up on emotional distress in young people and must do everything to encourage them to seek support as soon as they show signs of not coping." This was the crux of John Harkin's (Northern Ireland) resolution to help prevent teenage suicides, given the 600-800 young people taking their lives every year and the recent high profile deaths in Bridgend. He believes young people have more to deal with than previous generations and suffer increased isolation and a loss of community.

To counteract this isolation he wants to see "a meaningful collaboration where people share responsibility for teenage suicide prevention". He called for training for teachers to be able to deal more effectively with the issues causing these feelings in young people, to be able to recognise warning signs, and to know when and where to call in other agencies to help.

Sandra Douglas (Northern Ireland), seconding, highlighted the complex behaviours and problems that can lead to suicide in young people, and called on the Executive to urge the government to take action, including evaluation of training programmes on suicide awareness, engagement with voluntary and community groups on strategies to help schools, and development of robust suicide intervention programmes.

In an emotional speech, student member Hilary Reid spoke about the suicide of her mother five years ago. She stressed the importance of "an environment of openness in our schools where no subject is taboo".

The resolution was overwhelmingly carried.

Celebrity culture

Television and magazines are full of celebrities who have seemingly shot to fame overnight without any obvious achievements and are 'famous for being famous'. Young people see this and believe they can achieve success without education. It is this attitude that Hank Roberts was fighting against with his resolution to encourage promotion of "ordinary" people as positive role models.

Seconding, Azra Haque (Brent) spoke of the danger of pupils not realising these dreams of easy success and not having realistic ideas of the work actually involved.

Delegates queued up to respond. Richard Cecil (Essex) saw a contradiction in promoting ordinary people into celebrities to avoid celebrity culture. John Collins (Warwickshire) said the problem was not with the celebrities but with the media "trying to control what people think. We need to learn to handle the media and not let it handle us." Niamh Sweeney (Cambridge) asked delegates to credit children with more intelligence and told how her students want to be social workers, carers and even teachers.

Hank Roberts returned to passionately defend his position but in vain as the majority of delegates voted against.

Raising standards for support staff

"If you want to be paid as a teaching assistant but work as a teacher then become an HLTA," said Janice Walsha (Berkshire), proposing the resolution on the national agreement on raising standards and tackling workload.

Janice spoke of the widespread inappropriate use of teaching assistants and higher level teaching assistants by headteachers to cover for teacher absence. The obvious consequence of this is that the TA is not spending time with individuals as the role demands. Secondly, the class being taught by the TA may suffer from the stand-in's lack of experience, while the TA is taking on more responsibility and pressure.

Supporting the resolution, Stephen Holmes (Coventry), explained that while TAs, HLTAs and cover supervisors are all known as teaching assistants, confusion exists over their responsibilities. He called for nationally recognised definitions of job titles, roles and pay levels.

Both resolutions were passed.

Lowering the school age to 14

Passions ran high in the debate over lowering the school age, proposed by Stuart Herdson (Bradford). He claimed that many of the 206,000 so called NEETs (those not in education, employment or training) would not be in that position had they been allowed to leave school at 14 to begin work. "Schools try to keep as many as possible in school, but is it in the young person's interest?" asked Stuart.

Several speakers followed Stuart to the lectern, with contrasting views. Janet Walch (Wigan) pointed out that some 14 year olds may be mature enough to make the decision to leave or stay but many are not and other options should be considered to help those disaffected by school. This was echoed by Jean Roberts (Brent) who said the answer was to get rid of tests and make the curriculum more relevant by bringing in more vocational courses. Marion Letts (Walsall) feared that some Asian families would pull female students out of school at 14 while keeping male students in.

Speaking in favour, Andrea Gaskell (Wigan) said the option of leaving school at 14 would benefit engineering industries such as the sheet metal industry, which struggles to recruit younger workers. Brian Crook (Wigan) added that those who know what job they want to do at 14 should be given the opportunity to pursue it.

Senior vice president Andy Ballard was last to speak, saying this would be a throwback to "grammar schools for clever kids and a second class education for poorer kids. I cannot support this resolution at all."

After all the debate and a spirited right of reply from Stuart Herdson, the delegates voted and the resolution was defeated.

FE fair pay

"Do teachers and lecturers living in the same area have different needs? Do they access different services? Do lecturers pay 6% less for their homes, fuel and food? I think not!" So said Andy Brown (Northern Ireland), summing up the 6% discrepancy between teacher and lecturer pay, while also highlighting some geographical inequities. The resolution called for a campaign to achieve pay parity in FE and sixth form sectors, to challenge any STRB recommendations for pay cuts for members in schools, and parity across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in pay and terms and conditions.

Concluding, he said: "I do the same job as you. I educate those in my care to the best of my ability. And yet I get paid less than most of you who are teachers and I get paid more than most of you who are lecturers. How can we allow this? The answer is, we can't!"

Seconder Niamh Sweeney (Cambridge) asked for targeted action against those colleges that refuse to implement existing pay agreements, and asked that ATL continue its campaign to ensure the government acknowledge that it is unacceptable to pay FE staff below the level of their colleagues in schools. "This is essential," she went on, "to stop the haemorrhaging of staff back to industry and business."

The resolution was overwhelmingly carried.

'Fitness' test for private school owners

Executive member Malcolm St John-Smith kicked off his speech proposing that any individual or company seeking to run an educational establishment should be subject to a standard "fit and proper person" test.

To rapturous applause, Mr Smith put the story of St Elphin's independent school - recently in the news after its owner flew in by helicopter to close it down without notice - to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'I am the very model of a modern major general'.

However, the ditty had a serious message: not only that such a closure could be allowed to happen, but that similar closures could easily be carried out again.

Regulations on trust school ownership excluded those involved in gambling and pornography - but even those restrictions would not apply to someone seeking to set up an independent school, Mr Smith said.

A suitable "fit and proper person" test might include a clean bill of financial health, a proven background in education, and a commitment to fair terms and conditions and good trade union relations.

The motion was overwhelmingly carried.

Images by Brendan Kelly