ATL

TUC 2009: Tuesday

Highlights of the second day of the Trades Union Congress 2009 from ATL delegates Ralph Surman and Andy Brown

Motion on information, advice and guidance in education

Tuesday opened with the session on education, learning and skills. ATL seconded the first resolution of the day on information advice and guidance in education (IAG), proposed by the Association for College Management (ACM).

ATL past president Julia Neal stated that a lynchpin of educational success for young people is that they are placed on the right learning pathway in the first instance - the programme that suits their talents, aspirations and interests.

She said when the choice of programme does not suit the young person then their chances of success are dramatically reduced. In spite of this, standards of IAG have been poor for decades. The September guarantee, the diploma and the raising of the participation age are all policies that demand excellent information, advice and guidance for young people.

ACM called on the Government to lift standards of IAG practice by supporting and resourcing the development of: a culture of excellence, ambition and impartiality, best practice benchmarks and high quality training.

Education and the recession

On education and the recession, unions highlighted the economic devastation caused by the collapse of the global financial markets, leading to the second largest rise in unemployment since records began and a disproportionate impact on young people.

All the education unions rejected the continuing drive to privatise and marketise education, which drives down quality and increases casualisation.

ATL motion on bonus culture

ATL led the way on a motion on bonus culture with ATL branch secretary Hank Roberts recounting experiences at his school. He explained that ATL believes we should celebrate the values and commitment of staff in public services, which are overwhelmingly shared by leaders and managers of those services, and recognises the contrast with the private sector with its emphasis on short- term profits and personal gain.

He said ATL believes that importing market values into the public sector has bred a culture of bonus payments that has started to undermine the collaborative approach to public services. In the education sector, the incursion of the bonus culture has been highlighted by the cases of allegedly unlawful payments made to headteachers, and the loss of public control of schools, and particularly academies, which are public assets.

Fearing that these are not isolated examples, ATL called on the government to review financial accountability mechanisms for schools, including academies; replace the statutory provisions in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, permitting school leaders to receive unlimited additional pay above their normal maximum pay levels, with clearly defined limits, together with criteria for any additional payments; and ensure that all school governing bodies are aware of the new provisions and have adequate mechanisms for setting and monitoring pay levels in their schools.

Demand-led learning in FE

On demand-led learning in FE, ACM said the concept of demand-led learning is a sleight of hand. Demand for learning is not the same as need for learning, and for those who are disadvantaged and lack skills public subsidy is necessary to allow need to  become demand. ATL deputy general secretary Martin Johnson seconded the motion, stating that FE colleges are leaders of learning in their communities and are in the best position to understand and respond to the unique pattern of needs, both of individuals and of employers, in those communities.

Child protection

The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) raised the issue of child protection services and media coverage of 'baby Peter'. It stated that some of the media coverage of 'baby P' and other child protection cases has a destabilising effect on staff morale and crucially on the recruitment and retention of key front-line child protection practitioners.

it said potential recruits to the special educational needs (SEN) professions are less likely to enter them as they can see that the security of their future employment can be the subject of extreme media speculation and comment and services are experiencing vacancy levels exceeding 50 per cent and staff, leaving children who depend upon those services for protection are now less safe than they were.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy raised the issue of the Independent Safeguarding Authority with its role of vetting and registering all those wanting to work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults and barring all those deemed unsuitable.

The scheme will impact on over 11 million people and it said it is essential that careful consideration is given to ensure any measures introduced are fit for purpose, and that the new scheme provides an opportunity to ensure the fairest and safest system is put in place. The motion called for the government should make it mandatory for employers to pay for the registration fee for the scheme rather than the individual applicant and ensure the ISA process does not duplicate costs and registration for those already on a relevant professional register.

ATL's fringe event on bonus culture

ATL's fringe event Do Heads Deserve a Bonus Round? took place at lunchtime, chaired by ATL president Lesley Ward with a panel comprised of Rt Hon Ed Balls MP (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families), Vernon Coaker MP (Schools' Minister), ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted and ATL executive member Hank Roberts.

Mr Roberts said the growing culture of privatisation that undermines the 'public service' nature of education.

Mr Coaker restated the government's commitment to state education and to working in partnership with ATL – a partnership that should be mirrored at school level between staff and management. He said effective leadership of schools is vital, but accountability and governance must be in place to ensure leaders' schools can achieve their greatest potential.

Dr Bousted said ATL does not object to heads being paid a fair wage for a demanding and increasingly insecure job. But, she said, schools could now decide to pay their heads more than the statutory national pay scale for school leaders (£102,734 outside London), and there is evidence of some heads receiving bonuses as well.

Mr Balls spoke of getting the balance right between adequate pay and proper accountability. He said good school needs great teaching backed by great management, but effective leadership should be something which transcends the boundaries of the school gates. He finished by discussing the issue of succession planning in schools.

Prime Minister's speech to congress

Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke in the afternoon session. He said banks becoming speculators with others money and recession descending upon us has made this a very difficult time. He said it had to be the government that intervened. It made the decision to help business, home owners and produce a fiscal solution. It would not walk by on the other side: people have been helped to stay in their homes.

He said things are still fragile and the recovery needs to be nurtured. He said people's livelihoods and savings are still hanging in the balance and urged: "Don't put the recovery at risk". He announced 21,000 new apprentices and said we need to protect jobs. He said he would continue to raise the minimum wage every year and that statutory education for young people until 18 is a guarantee.

He said there would be a small increase in income tax said to continue to fund public services and stressed that tough choices in public spending need the support of the labour movement in protecting the front line first. He said Labour is the Party to protect public services.

Congress gave Gordon Brown a very warm round of applause with a few delegates standing. Questions followed and were well answered.