IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7October 2003
Members of the National Union of TeachersRadclyffe School, Oldham will continue to refuse to undertake work that wouldfacilitate the use of unqualified persons to take whole classes.
The schools headteacher, Mr H Hayler, isusing learning managers, among other duties, to cover for absent teachersdespite the fact that they are not qualified teachers. He also wants teachersat the school to prepare and plan lessons for the learning managers and tomark work and assess pupils taken by the learning managers.
Doug McAvoy, NUT General Secretary, metUnion members and later the headteacher at the school this afternoon (Tuesday 7October ) to discuss the issue. Afterthe meeting, Mr McAvoy said:
I have consistently warned that theagreement between the Government and the other teacher organizations allowsschools to use people not qualified as teachers to take whole classes,endangering the quality of education provided to pupils. There has never been any doubt that the NUTwould act to protect the professional status of teaching. That is what we aredoing.
Parents at the school cannot be happy toknow that their childrens education is in the hands of people who are notqualified teachers.
The NUT has no problem with learningmanagers on a personal level. Indeed we welcome their appointment to carry outthe rest of their roles in the school. But the Union cannot countenancechildrens education being put at risk by being placed in the hands of thosewho have no qualifications to teach.
Last week, David Miliband, the Ministerfor School Standards, criticized an NUTadvert which asked Who will teach your child today? In a letter to The Guardian, Mr Miliband and the othersignatories to the agreement, said that The answer is teachers supported bythe whole school team. That is not what is happening at Radclyffe School.
Ifthe Minister means what he said in that letter, then he will support the Unionsstand in defending the professional status of teachers and the education oftheir pupils.
EN D PR73/03
For further information contact: Olive Forsythe tel: 020 7380 4706 (office) 020 8313 1692 (weekdayevenings) or if all else fails 07879 480061.