Page 31


NEWS • VIEWS • INFORMATION • ADVICE


Minister lobbied on induction rule

The Secretary of State is being urged to offer more support to new teachers, as a result of the growing number who are unable to find permanent posts.

The Secretary of State is being urged to extend the time limit on how long new teachers have to begin induction, as a result of the growing number who are unable to find permanent posts.

The NASUWT has written to Michael Gove setting out its concerns over the rising number of new entrants to the profession who are being forced to seek short-term supply work due to cuts in teacher recruitment as a result of the Coalition Government’s spending cuts.

Current rules state that new teachers have 16 months to accept short-term supply work before they must find a teaching post that allows them to undertake induction.

However, the current shortage of such jobs means a growing number of new teachers are at risk of breaching the 16-month limit.

As a result, many new teachers are contemplating leaving the profession, a situation the NASUWT regards as unacceptable.

Action the NASUWT is taking

In addition to lobbying local authorities, the NASUWT is continuing to press the Department for Education (DfE) to monitor the availability of suitable induction posts and to instruct appropriate bodies to take a more helpful approach in circumstances where it is clear that new teachers are facing particular difficulties in finding such posts.

The Union is also pressing ahead with its campaign to bring arrangements for induction into line with those in place in Scotland where all new teachers are offered a guaranteed teaching post within which they can complete their induction.

The NASUWT has emphasised the impact that the Coalition Government’s programme of spending cuts and plans to allow unqualified teachers to teach in academies and free schools will have on new teachers’ ability to find work and complete their induction.

These plans, combined with proposals to give individual schools the power to decide how much support they provide to new teachers and what form this should take, further threatens the ability of new teachers to make a confident and effective start to their teaching careers.

The NASUWT is clear that a high-quality model of teacher induction that allows new teachers to develop their professional practice in the most effective and supportive way possible must be retained and enhanced to ensure the status and quality of the profession into the future.

It is a monumental waste of the skills and talents of new teachers, not to mention the taxpayers’ money used to train them, if they are not able to secure a teaching post to allow them to complete induction. The NASUWT will continue to press for improved provision for all new teachers.

What you can do

All new teachers who are struggling to secure a teaching post to undertake their induction have the right to apply to the appropriate body responsible for their induction (usually the local authority) for an extension to the 16-month limit.

Where these requests are refused unreasonably, the NASUWT is pressing the local authorities concerned to take a more positive approach to supporting new teachers who are unable to find posts within which induction can be undertaken.

Any member who has applied for an extension is encouraged to contact their NASUWT Regional Centre or Local Association for advice and support. Contact details are on the NASUWT website at www.nasuwt.org.uk


Annual Conference 2011 – motions

The following motions have been voted onto the agenda for debate at the NASUWT’s Annual Conference, which is being held from 22-25 April at the SECC in Glasgow:

academies
pensions
use of non-qualified teacher status staff
lesson observations
cuts to public spending
teachers’ mental health
facility time
national pay and conditions
sickness absence management and the impact on teachers
casework
two-year pay freeze
supply teachers
discipline in schools
school buildings
leadership pay
initial teacher training
dignity at work
General Teaching Council (England)
Ofsted framework

A copy of the final agenda will be provided to all delegates at Annual Conference and will also appear on the NASUWT website at www.nasuwt.org.uk.

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36