There will be urgency motions at ATL and NASUWT calling for an end to the admission of Support Staff { without QTS}  into these associations. Will the officers allow the debates to take place in public session ?

tonycallaghan:

There will be urgency motions at ATL and NASUWT calling for an end to the admission of Support Staff { without QTS}  into these associations. Will the officers allow the debates to take place in public session ?

What's the point in going?  The unions will put such concerns that affect many teachers as low down on their agenda as possible, while they sit around and discuss homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, and sexism like they always do.  We already know their views on these issues.  They send posters about them virtually every month to Staff Rooms up and down the country while the majority of their members are more worried about job cuts, redunduncies, Academies, the GTC, etc.

The unions have been very quiet about which politicians they are inviting to address their conferences........... why ?

mikeshaw:

Hi Tony - I'm going to be reporting from the NASUWT conference, while colleagues will be at NUT.

Incidentally, I passed on a question about cover supervisors at our pre-election debate last night. Not sure if you'll be satisfied by the answer, but all three seemed to make mutterings that it should be a qualified teacher in front of the class. If you missed it, visit www.tes.co.uk/election2010.

All the best,

Michael

michael.shaw@tes.co.uk

Morning Mike,  For me,the debate about Cover Supervisors is on hold until we know the outcome of the General Election. I will be lobbying a Tory administation, if elected, to phase out classroom helpers without QTS. The current situation with UNITE will be interesting. The Tories want to sideline the unions and although they have cuddled up to ATL and NASUWT pre 1997 i believe that now it is a fact that these so-called professional associations recruit non- teachers attitudes will change.

 The urgency motions at the conferences may be scuppered by the NECs but i know that rank and file members of both 'unions' are very unhappy, particularly that the recruitment of non qts people has not been given publicity, for obvious reasons. Ask around at the fringe meetings there is a lot of unhappiness amongst delegates.