Officers Reports for the City of Leicester Teachers' Association Annual General Meeting, 1st March 2006

Jane Rolfe, Secretary

Officers/Committee/Meetings: Last year we had 11 Committee meetings (including social events) and 8 association meetings. After much soul-searching, the Association has agreed to lower our quorum from 20 to 12 which has meant that we have had quorate meetings and have been more able to make decisions, pass motions etc.

We did not fill all our officer posts last year and hope that we will do so next year. We are pleased to have Ian Leaver working in the NUT office regularly and hope he will extend his role over the coming year.

Our outside speakers this year have included Brian Carter (Regional Secretary), Christine Blower (Deputy General Secretary) and Graham Clayton (NUT Senior Solicitor).

Remodelling the Workforce: This government initiative has caused considerable work for officers this year. As Secretary, I attend the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group, which meets regularly. We have continuing concerns that people without Qualified Teacher Status are regularly covering classes. The introduction of Planning, Preparation and Assessment time, whilst freeing up teachers for 10% of the school week, has brought its own problems when it has not been covered by teachers.

The reorganisation of every school to remove Management Allowances and replace them with Teaching and Learning Responsibility allowances has meant that that every NUT school representative has been responsible for involvement in consultation and negotiations to support members. We held a successful NUT reps' training session to support reps and have given much advice and support to individuals and school groups. In order to ensure NUT heads were fully supported, we held two heads' meetings.

We acknowledge that we were not successful in positively influencing the outcome in every school we supported but were most successful where there was solidarity amongst NUT members. This whole process has left some very disillusioned teachers who face a considerable loss of salary and pension over the next few years in spite of our (and their) best efforts.

Children's Services: The move from an Education Department to two departments, the Children's and Young People's Department and the Adult and Community Services Department has been a complicated process involving numerous meeting to see which services should go into which Department and how the new Departments should function. After a shaky start, the trade unions have been involved in consultation and the NUT has made helpful contributions to the continuing process.

Some acronyms to get used to are:

LA
Local Authority (replaces LEA)
ISR
Integrated Service Review (deciding which service goes into which department)
CYPP
Children and Young People's Plan (the blueprint for children's services in the future Support for schools/services - We have supported many schools/services over the year on a variety of issues, when redundancies have been threatened, during proposed Change of Status (amalgamation), the move to becoming an Academy, during closure (Western Park and Cherryleas Assessment Centre) and matters to do with PPA and TLRs.

Teachers' Negotiation Committee Working Party: As Association Secretary I attend TNC WP. This year we have worked on a number of procedures (that are later agreed, or not, by full TNC) including: Temporary Contracts, Capability, Management of Sickness Absence and the Whole School Pay Policy.

Support for individuals: We pride ourselves in the level of support we are able to offer our members. Casework has included disciplinary and capability procedures, grievances, management of sickness absences, Therapeutic Return to Work, stress-related issues, appeals against UP3 decisions, violence against teachers, maternity, pay - the list goes on. In this work we are greatly supported by our colleagues in Regional Office, who provide us with a great deal of helpful information and back-up.

Campaigns: As always there is plenty to campaign for, or against! We were proud to send a sizeable delegation to the G8 summit in Edinburgh. We played an important role in the campaign to maintain pensions. Our commitment against the continuing privatisation of education continues particularly with regard to Building Schools for the Future, academies and most recently, and probably most dangerously, the Government's White Paper.

On a brighter front:

City of Leicester Teachers' Association continues to be a thriving, busy hard-working association. The officers and committee work very hard to represent our members in a number of forums. I would like to convey my personal thanks to all officers and committee members for their commitment and effort. Our members can be assured that we always do our best for them; we will always stand up for them and for what is right. I believe that the NUT is the most principled union for teachers and well deserves the respect it receives.

Peter Flack, Assistant Secretary

This has been another busy year. Major issues have included BSF, the overspend in Lifelong Learning, the integration of Children's Services, Pensions, TLRs, the Education White Paper and the introduction of PPA time. More recently we have also had to contend with major cuts in the city council budget. In no particular order I represent NUT at Leicester Social Forum, at TCC and TNC, on the Bethlehem Link Group and am a teacher representative on Education Scrutiny Committee. I also am responsible for SEN issues.

Pensions: We encouraged members to support the campaign prior to the election last year. In all over 35,000 postcards were sent to MPs demanding the government back down. When the government was threatening to continue the attack on our pension rights after the election we joined with Unison, GMB, NASUWT etc to hold a couple of public meetings on Pensions hosted by Leicester Social Forum. At the second Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of PCS, was the main speaker. The meetings also produced alternative funding proposals for pensions. Together with the other unions we are holding a Pensions Rally under the auspices of Leicester Social Forum on March 11th the day of the TUC Pensions Day of Action.

White Paper: This campaign is ongoing. I produced a pack to go into schools including model letters, information sheet, petition etc. I have written two articles for the Mercury on the White Paper. I also co-ordinated a Public meeting hosted by Leicester Social Forum on 21st Feb on the White Paper with Sir Peter Soulsby as lead speaker. There will be a second meeting on 21st March.

Lifelong Learning Overspend: I wrote to politicians and officers opposing any cuts in spending for schools due to the overspend and in particular to stop the proposal to cut Primary KS2 funding. We were successful in this. As you know the final outcome was that the Director of Education was replaced.

PPA/TLRs: Along with other officers I provided advice re the use of PPA time and staffing of the PPA release. I also advised on TLRs, in particular to resist the moves to put increasing numbers of teachers on Leadership Spine, thereby losing the protection of 1265 hrs and 195 days. We were largely successful in this.

Children's Services: I undertook NUT led training on Multi Agency Working. This led to the development of a proposed Protocol on MAW. I was also actively involved in the negotiations and consultations re the shaping of the new Children's Services Department. This has involved increased liaison with Unison and the non-teaching unions and we have proposed a revised set of consultative arrangements for issues beyond the remit of TCC on Children's Services.

Academies: We have continued to oppose the introduction of Academies. One is scheduled to open at Mary Linwood in 2007. The Cathedral was leafleted by the Social Forum opposing the Bishop's involvement in privatisation. Satish Kapur and I also appeared on BBC Television opposing the growing role of Faith schools e.g. the Islamic Academy and the Samworth Brothers Enterprise Academy which is jointly sponsored by the Church.

Budget Cuts: We have been actively opposing cuts in school and school related funding in budgets for 2006-8. As yet this is not resolved. Jane and I contributed to the Scrutiny Committee debate, have met with the leader of the council and material has been produced for the press.

Casework: The usual issues continued to take officers time, particularly issues of capability, grievances and long term sickness. New College also continued to cause serious concern and a Collective Dispute was declared in February 2005. The departure of the former Head in November has led to improved stability and issues now seem to be being addressed.

Significant casework had to be undertaken at Leicester Children's Hospital school following serious expressions of concern from staff. Although very sensitive as an issue and involving all unions, we were able to support staff through a difficult period. A social get together for the staff was held on February 3rd.

Bethlehem Links: This group has undertaken a variety of activities notably a visit by the Hakaya Dance Troupe in July and a Bethlehem Christmas Fayre in December. Two schools are already twinned and others are in the pipe line. A number of members have expressed an interest in visiting Bethlehem at some point in the future.

SEN Issues: We have continued to be concerned at the slow progress of the SEN Review. This has been conveyed to politicians and to the new Director of Children's Services. We sent in responses to two consultations on SEN and are in the process of responding to a third on Autism provision. In addition we responded to the Behaviour Support Plan and proposals re PSPs. IN May we supported a declaration on Inclusion which appeared in the Times Educational Supplement.

Sally Morrison, Assistant Secretary

I currently sit on a number of working parties and various bodies. These include:

All of these have an influence on the quality of education our students and pupils receive and directly or indirectly the working conditions of our members in schools.

Primary Learning Strategy has been through some form of consultation process with all 'interested parties' and is now on the point of being expanded to meet the extended services programme and 'Every Child Matters'. It is continuing to meet.

Property Buy-Back Board oversees all matters concerning the fabric of school buildings and the Health and Safety factors inherent with these issues. It continues to meet regularly and is one of the most successful and efficient buy back boards currently in operation.

S.E.N Delegated Finance Group did meet regularly for a couple of years prior to the devolution to schools of all S.E.N monies apart from some centrally funded services. Last year we reorganized the formula used to distribute funding to schools and has hopefully utilized a more fair formula based on individual school need. It is able to identify good practice and has set up a method of evaluating school use of funding.

Collaborating 2 Succeed is a DFES funded initiative managed by the self selected groups of Primary schools and overseen by the L.E.A. It attracts funding which could be used for continuing Professional Development for all teachers.

SDSA Board is hard to define as it started out as a DFES 'watch-dog' on the L.E.A, but has evolved into something quite different. One of its functions is to provide CPD for all teachers within our L.E.A and could provide a valuable aid to the L.E.A in the Traded Services programme.

Traded Services Review is currently meeting to decide which central services could be reduced or reorganized as a buy-back or pay-as-you-go. A reduced service to schools will have a direct impact on our members in some of these teams and could potentially affect the working conditions of all our members. I am currently the only Headteacher on this group.

Schools Forum is soon to undergo a complete change of remit as it moves towards an advisory body to one that will make decisions on all matters concerning finance to schools. This will make the forum extremely important and it is crucial that the N.U.T continues to have a voice.

Nic Gavin, Treasurer

Treasurer's Report for the City of Leicester Teachers' Association (1103) for the year ending 31st December 2005

This year we have had an unprecedented increase in spending. This is though, a once in a lifetime commitment. At last we have a newly equipped office that allows our officers to get on with the job without having to work in overcrowded and dingy conditions. We have used the move to comprehensively update and upgrade all of our IT equipment as well as having an up to date communication system. We have replaced the old, borrowed and second/third hand school furniture with up to date business quality office furniture as well as installing a filtered, chilled water machine. We can now hold our meetings in-house and the location enables us to reduce our parking bills as well as saving time on the eternal visits to Marlborough House.

To achieve all of this we have had to take a sum of £15,000 from our reserve. This leaves us with a healthy enough balance of approximately £2,500 which I fully expect to improve by the end of 2006. All the equipment and furniture is covered by three year warranties so apart from consumables I cannot see any financial problems looming.

Another unforeseeable expenditure this year was the National call to demonstrate in support of Make Poverty History. Due to its precipitative nature we could not plan well ahead and so shop around for the most cost effective way of sending a delegation. Along with the donation of £500 that we sent the whole cost of the initiative was in the region of £ 3000.

I am producing a new set of spending regulations for our local officers and these will be based on the national recommended ones.

A copy of the accounts will be available at the AGM.

Ian Leaver, Communications Officer

We have attempted make City Teacher a regular monthly bulletin and the feedback we have received has been quite positive. Any suggestions for improvements are always very welcome. Thanks to my assistant editor Kath and to anybody who has contributed an article. City Teacher is put on the website promptly by John Bown. Many thanks to John for all he does in maintaining the website. I would like to propose a payment of £250 to John to thank him for his continued work for Leicester NUT, despite living in Huddersfield and being an NAS/UWT member when he was teacher!

Steve Boyce, Learning Representative

I continue to track CPD for teachers. I urge colleagues to enrol upon the excellent NUT courses that are frequently advertised in 'The Teacher'.

Ruth Byrne, Teacher Support Network Secretary

This past year has seen an increase in the number of teachers who have benefited from the services provided by the Teacher Support Network both locally and nationally.

As many teachers are aware the TSN is a small charity funded largely by teachers for teachers. For more than 125 years it has supported teachers and their families through difficult and challenging times. The TSN has made a variety of changes to the service it is able to offer and hopes in this way to meet the needs of teachers in the 21st century.

Teacher Support Line - 0800 562 561
Offers free information, support and counselling to find solutions to problems in school and out.
Teacher Support Services
Whether a teacher is facing a family crisis due to illness or bereavement, or struggling with long-term money problems - financial assistance, money and benefits advice and a listening ear can be provided.
Retirement Services
In addition to Teacher Support Services there is a Home finder service which can help retired teachers find residential or nursing care that suits their needs. A Befriending scheme is being developed which hopes to be useful for retired teachers living alone.
Teacher Support Online
This service was launched in February 2005 and is being piloted during 2005. Visit www.teachersupport.info

Finally, since TSN relies on the generosity of teachers to keep its work going and carry out new developments, it needs funds. Donations may be made in lots of ways both as an individual or as a school group. If you would like further information about this, details can be supplied by contacting me through the local NUT office, or directly to Teacher Support Network.