Headteachers have increasingly turned to unions for support during the Covid pandemic, figures show.
The NAHT school leaders’ union saw an increase in contributing members of almost 10 per cent between the end of 2019 and the end of 2020, according to figures from the Certification Officer.
And the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) reported an increase of almost 8 per cent in that time.
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NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “Leaders have turned to their union for support and guidance at a time when that has been in short supply from government.
“They have also appreciated the principled stance NAHT has taken on Covid, challenging the government’s approach where necessary and working hard to keep staff and pupil safety and wellbeing at the top of the agenda.
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“A recent NAHT survey found that the top words school leaders would use to describe their experiences over the last year are ‘challenging’, ‘exhausting’ and ‘stressful’.”
Certification Officer figures show the size of both union’s membership had already grown between 2018 and 2019: from 29,197 to 30,560 for the NAHT and from 18,970 to 19,204 for the ASCL.
But that increase for the NAHT more than doubled last year, bringing its total membership to 33,447.
Meanwhile, the increase in membership for the ASCL rose more than seven-fold last year, bringing the total membership to 20,704.
ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton said: “We are delighted that more members joined us last year. It reflects the very positive feedback we have received from school and college leaders about the support we have provided during the pandemic, and we are immensely proud to represent them.
“We remain totally focused on continuing to support our members in the vital work they are doing for children and young people at this critical time and beyond.”
As reported by Tes earlier this month, the NASUWT teaching union gained almost 19,000 new paying members in 2020, after losing more than 10,000 the year before.
