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Upfront

Women’s union

NUT members in the Midlands marked International Women’s Day with a conference in Birmingham.

Executive member Max Hyde encouraged participants to get active to ensure that women are heard at every level of the Union.

The conference agreed to set up a Midlands network for women members. If you are interested in joining, email your contact details to midlands@nut.org.uk

No privatisation

A strong turnout of Northern Region NUT young teachers joined 1,500 protestors in a rally organised by the Northern TUC. They assembled to tell the Liberal Democrats at their March spring conference what they thought of their policies on education.

Their message was that academies and free schools represent the privatisation of education, and will make planning for universal education provision impossible in the future.

Paul Noble, from Newcastle, drew links with proposals on the NHS. “The delegates to this conference need to be aware that far from reining in the worst excesses of the Tories, as they suggest, it is their votes that are propping up this most right wing of governments.”

Hands off summer holidays!

Over 100 teachers joined a rally in March in protest at Nottingham City Council’s proposal to shorten their summer holiday by implementing a five-term year from 2013. NUT members voted to take three days of strike action. Two further strike days took place on 17 and 25 April.

NUT Deputy General Secretary Kevin Courtney told the rally he’d said to council leaders: “We want to talk to you about how many people oppose your plans – not just the NUT, but the ATL, NASUWT, NAHT, ASCL, voluntary aided schools, academy schools, and Nottinghamshire Council.”

Teachers from academies and faith schools who did not go on strike came along after school to give their support at a rally in the city centre.

Thumbs up on Tyneside

Fifty four young teachers attended the regional early career teachers’ conference (RECT 2012) in January at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead Hotel.

NUT Northern Regional Secretary Mike McDonald said: “It was pleasing to see so many young teachers leading and presenting workshops and plenary sessions – we look forward to their continued involvement in our Union.”

Enterprise afoot

NUT member and former professional rugby player Junior Paul always had to share his brothers’ football boots. Now a PE teacher in Redcar, he wanted to help pupils have the right gear at a reasonable price – so he invented Scorpeun, a sole with spikes or studs which can be strapped to trainers. He hopes to have them on the market for less than £15 a pair this summer.

We need space

A petition with over 4,000 signatures was handed to the Mayor of Waltham Forest, London, at the Town Hall on 12 March by children from Thorpe Hall Primary School asking for a new hall for school dinners and community use.

NUT member Vanessa Clyne has a child at the school. She is producing a documentary with her A level students and year 6 children at the school. View it, and read the blog, at www.haleendhall.com