School Reps' Handbook > Your Union
NUT Organisation and Structure
The members
The NUT organises teachers in England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey and in service children's schools throughout the world. Membership of the Union is open to all with qualified teacher status, including headteachers and deputy headteachers.
School Representatives
The school representative should be appointed annually by members in your school. This may mean an election, or just an offer to take on the role that is unanimously accepted! As NUT representative, you are the face of the Union in your school.
Local Associations
Membership of the Union is through local associations - in your case City of Leicester Teachers' Association. The officers and committee members of the associations are elected by the membership. Policies are determined at General Meetings which are subject to rules and standing orders approved by the National Executive. Associations submit motions and send representatives to Annual Conference.
Divisions
There is a division of the Union for each Local Education Authority. The officers of the division are the representatives of the Union who negotiate and consult with the LEA. Some divisions are formed from a number of associations but Leicester is a single -association division. The officers of the division are, therefore, the same as those of the association.
Annual Conference
The NUT's Annual Conference, held over the Easter weekend every year, is the supreme policy-making body of the Union. Policies are determined at Conference through debates on motions submitted for consideration by associations, divisions and the Executive.
National Executive
The affairs of the Union are managed by the National Executive. The Executive consists of the officers of the Union, i.e. The President, Senior Vice-President, Ex-President, Treasurer and Junior Vice-President who are elected nationally; and 37 members elected from 27 electoral districts.
The Union's paid officials
The Union has a number of full time, nationally appointed officials who work at NUT Headquarters in London and in the nine regional offices in England and the NUT Wales Office, NUT Cymru in Wales. The most senior of these are the General Secretary and the Deputy General who are elected by members. The regional office for Leicester is in Stafford.