IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3September 2003
The National Union of Teachers today warnedthe Education Secretary and local authorities that there can be no delay inimplementation of changes this term to reduce teacher workload.
Industrial action could result if there isdelay or if any teacher is threatened with disciplinary action for refusing toaccept an increased or changed workload, the Unions General Secretary, DougMcAvoy, said.
The national agreement is inadequate.Changes in the Teachers Pay and Conditions Document are limited and theinadequacies are compounded by the funding crisis. Stage by stage teachers have been led to expect there would be asignificant attempt to address excessive workload this September. Withoutlimits to teaching hours and overall working hours, there can be no significantimpact. For many schools the transfer of administrative and clerical tasks, nowa requirement, must impact on other areas of essential spending. Schools areshuffling money from one budget head to another and risking worsened overallprovision.
Some schools may be replacing teacherswith unqualified persons putting at risk the education of pupils. They may beadding to teachers workload by expecting them to do the planning and markingfor lessons taken by such unqualified personnel.
Schools may attempt to require teachers tocarry on doing administrative tasks which should be carried out by otherstaff. They may increase class sizesthereby adding to the workload of teachers when they should be reducing it.
The message from Government is explicit.Headteachers have no constraints on whom they can employ to teach. They simplyhave to be satisfied that the individuals can carry out such work and aresubject to a system of management.
The NUTs attitude to the use ofunqualified persons is clear. Members should refuse to undertake work tofacilitate the use of unqualified persons to undertake teaching work.
NUT guidance will continue to focus onimplementing in full those changes to the School Teachers Pay and ConditionsDocument in ways which remove excessive workload and protect teachersprofessionalism. It is teachers who must be in control of ensuring the removalof excessive workload. Current guidancehas covered the changes applicable from 1 September 2003: administrative andclerical burdens, work/life balance, and leadership and management time.
The NUT willoffer members support through industrial action on a division basis or on aschool by school basis. Such actionwill seek to ensure:
the transfer of administrative andclerical tasks;
the provision of a realistic work/lifebalance;
protection from additional work tofacilitate the employment of unqualified persons to undertake teaching work;
protection from additional workresulting from teacher redundancy or the non replacement of teachers.
The Governmentpromised teachers a reduced workload. They promised parents ever improvingprovision of education. At the moment there must be serious doubts that eithergroup will be satisfied with what the Government, with the other teacherorganisations, is doing.
On the otherhand, the NUT representing more that a quarter of a million teachers will actboth to protect its members from excessive workload and pupils from beingtaught by unqualified persons.
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For further information contact: Olive Forsythe tel: 020 7380 4706 (office) 020 8313 1692 (weekdayevenings) or if all else fails, 07879 480061.