The country’s largest teaching union will hold its annual conference later this week against a backdrop of increasing discontent within the profession and anticipation of political change, with a general election set to take place later this year.
Members of the NEU teaching union will meet in Bournemouth from Wednesday 3 April to Saturday 6 April amid its campaign on teacher pay and school funding.
The union will hold debates on motions regarding pay and conditions, wellbeing, support staff, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and curriculum and assessment.
In a year that the government and teachers are already drawing battle lines over next year’s pay levels following 2023’s classroom walkouts, we highlight the key issues set to dominate the agenda.
Strike action ballot over pay
The NEU is expected to announce the results of its indicative ballot of members over next year’s teacher pay award and reveal its next steps during the conference.
Journalists were told at a briefing this week that the union’s executive would meet at the event to discuss the ballot results and call an emergency motion to announce the outcome and next steps.
NEU members are also set to vote this week on a motion over the “failure to recruit and retain teachers”, amid a worsening supply crisis.
The conference motion comes after the government missed its target for recruitment of secondary teacher trainees by 50 per cent - an even greater shortfall than last year.
And the government’s plans to restrict future teacher strikes are also set to be debated by NEU members in Bournemouth later this week.
Under the government’s proposed plan for minimum service levels (MSLs) for schools, particular groups of pupils would have to be in school on strike days.
Concerns over the plans have already been raised across the schools sector, with the country’s largest multi-academy trust, United Learning, recently warning that it is “inconceivable” that any “rational” school employers would issue work notices compelling teachers not to strike.
The NEU conference will also debate a motion calling for an industrial action strategy to win a “national contract for education” that would apply to all employers amid concerns over workload.
As part of the teacher pay deal in July, the Department for Education established a workload reduction “task force”, which was commissioned to look at how to cut five hours from teachers’ working week. Gillian Keegan said last week the final recommendations would be published during the summer term.
Motions over working conditions in “adverse heat” and the valuing of early years will also be debated.
More support for teacher wellbeing
Motions on teacher wellbeing are also set to be debated at the NEU conference amid increasing concerns over staff mental health.
Teachers and leaders feel that their job takes a toll on their wellbeing, with 63 per cent saying that work negatively impacts their mental health, according to the Department for Education’s latest Working lives of teachers and leaders survey.
On workplace suicides, NEU members will vote on whether the union should campaign to persuade the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “to acknowledge the effects of work-related stress on health, safety and wellbeing”.
Members will also debate motions on anti-sexism and the rise of online misogyny. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, told the press this week that the problem “goes well beyond” the influencer Andrew Tate and the situation has “got worse since everyone’s invited”.
And members will debate a motion to lobby the government to fully fund mental health support for teachers, support staff and students, with a focus on the prevention of problems rather than the promotion of positive mental health.
SEND and AP plan rewrite?
NEU members will debate a number of motions on SEND provision, after the education secretary admitted the country’s system is not working well “for anybody”.
Ministers have previously been criticised for showing a lack of “urgency” on marginalised and vulnerable pupils.
Members will debate whether to call on the government to look again at the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan (SAPIP) “and act swiftly and realistically in consultation with those who work within the sector, as well as parents, to ensure a safe and secure future for our SEND pupils”.
Members will also vote on whether to campaign for “significantly increased funding for SEND, including Camhs, to reduce waiting times for assessments and diagnoses, and provide support for students”.
Vote on assessment shake-up
NEU members will debate motions on inclusive curriculums and once again debate the campaign against Sats.
On key stage 2 assessment, members will vote on whether the union should press a new government after the general election “for an urgent review of the assessment system”.
The abolition of key stage 2 Sats has been a hot topic for years, with many arguing that they narrow the curriculum and harm the wellbeing of pupils and staff.
An amendment has also been put forward for the union to ballot all primary school members to boycott statutory high-stakes testing in their schools for the school year 2024-25.
The NEU balloted members over the same issue in June 2019, but did not meet the turnout that would be required in a formal ballot.
NEU members will also debate a motion on headteachers being remunerated for teaching and learning responsibilities in primary schools.
National campaign for support staff pay and conditions
The NEU has said that support staff is its fastest-growing section of membership and it is set to debate whether to launch a national campaign for support staff pay and conditions.
Last week, Tes revealed that adverts for support staff vacancies have risen by almost 80 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels, amid concerns over a competitive labour market and the cost-of-living crisis.
Labour has said that it plans to restore the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) if elected, which was previously established under the last Labour government but was abolished by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition when it came into power in 2010.
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