Page 4

Upfront

Across the country the message is clear: no academy status here!

NUT school groups across England are passing the Union's resolution against academy status.

Recent developments show the Government is acutely aware that its key education policy has failed to attract the widespread support it had hoped for. Just 80 outstanding schools had become academies by the end of the autumn term 2010 - well short of the 1,000+ hoped for by the Government.

Lord Hill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, has written to governors of 'outstanding schools', urging them to consider becoming an academy. And Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced a fast track route for academy conversion for schools rated by Ofsted as 'good with some outstanding features'.

The lack of enthusiasm shown by schools for academy status is in large part due to the hard work of NUT division/association secretaries and school reps. They are ensuring that NUT school groups, as well as many governing bodies, are passing resolutions rejecting conversion to academy status.

In Tower Hamlets, for example, 20 school groups have already passed the NUT's model resolution. Two secondary schools in the borough which had 'expressed an interest' in academy status are no longer pursuing this.

The NUT has produced an 'academies toolkit', with advice and resources to defend your school against academy status. Download it from www.teachers.org.uk/academies.

Raise awareness by holding a meeting of NUT members in your school - in some schools this is being done jointly with other education unions. Ask members to pass the Union's model resolution against academy conversion and sign the model letter to governors asking them to do the same - all available in the toolkit.

Download the model resolution and read about the campaign against academies at www.teachers.org.uk/academies. And tell us what's happening in your school - email academies@nut.org.uk.

College teachers 

reject pay offer 

A meagre 0.75 per cent pay rise for sixth form college teachers, offered by the Sixth Form Colleges' Forum (SFCF), has been rejected in an NUT ballot, by a margin of four to one. The deal - backdated to September 2010 - would have broken the longstanding comparability between sixth form college and school teachers.

Musical youth

Nine schools won the NUT's competition offering an all-expenses-paid trip to the Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in November and a visit from a Music For Youth (MFY) mentor to help develop music-making in their schools.

The competition, sponsored by Aviva and Countdown, marked 40 years of Music for Youth and 140 years of the NUT. Teachers had to describe musical activities in their school, ideas for developing these, and how they would use a visit from a mentor.

John Dixon, NUT Assistant Secretary, said: "The NUT is proud to be a sponsor of MFY. Given the success of the event we will be running it again later this year."

Helen Patmore from Witham St Hugh's Primary School, Lincoln, said: "The children loved it and were particularly intrigued by the Taiko drumming!"

www.mfy.org.uk