IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8 July 2003
Speaking after the Governments workloadconference at the Victoria Plaza Hotel today, Tuesday 8 July, John Bangs, headof education at the NUT, said:
The NUT will not sign the agreementbecause it allows non-qualified people to take whole classes without thepresence of a qualified teacher. That is a matter of principle.
The Union did not exclude itself from thetalks. It never refuses to talk to Government. It was excluded by theGovernment. But the NUT is an independent, free trade union with the right toagree or disagree with proposals from Government in the interests of theteaching profession and the children in our schools.
The Governments desire to allownon-qualified people to take over whole class teaching is in the interests ofneither.
Classroom assistants and other supportstaff provide enormous help to teachers and pupils. Like teachers, however, inmany schools round the country their jobs are being wiped out or are underthreat because of the shortfall in funding this year. That shortfall puts injeopardy even those parts of the agreement which do not involve non-qualifiedpeople taking whole classes.
Unless the Treasury releases additional fundingto make up that shortfall, the problem will be exacerbated next year and infollowing years. Schools are already under severe strain and that position willnot improve unless the Treasury acts.
E N D PR51/03
NOTE: Please click here for a PDF giving details of the guidance sent to NUT members about implementation of the school workforce agreement.
For further information contact: Olive Forsythe tel: 020 7380 4706 (office) 020 8313 1692 (weekdayevenings) or if all else fails 07879 480061