NUT CONFERENCE 2016
Sarah Sheen: East Riding of Yorkshire President and Conference First Time Delegate
This was my first time at conference and I was proud to be part of the East Riding delegation of six. We maintained a constant presence between us throughout the five days of speeches and conference business.
We kicked off on a high with Jeremy Corbyn. He received a very warm welcome - we were all on our feet even before he spoke about his affection for the NUT; his mother was a member and a maths teacher. Corbyn is a proud trade unionist and will be till the day he dies! Watch his speech on the NUT website (and look closely towards the end when you will catch a glimpse of Catherine and Richard as the camera sweeps round!)
You will also see Christine Blower in a stylish hat - her Easter bonnet - which she changes each day.
The first time delegates briefing was very helpful. Conference is democratic and inclusive. There were plenty of first time speakers, several of them were also first time delegates. Again, have a look on the NUT website for a flavour of the speeches. We covered a lot of ground: workload; teacher shortage and funding; supply; bullying of staff; sixth form college funding; Prevent; testing in primary schools; Ofsted; equalities; young teachers; professional unity; fair pay and perhaps most urgently 'The White paper: The Wrong Priorities'. Each motion is proposed and seconded by delegates most of whom make a speech for 4 minutes (till the red light shows) and then amendments are debated in the same way.
It was sometimes moving, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny to hear the stories from delegates - young teachers, supply teachers, teachers struggling to live in London, disabled teachers, trans teachers, LGBT+ teachers.....each with their own experiences, sometimes familiar but sometimes very different from mine in rural East Yorkshire. It was an enriching experience.
Being in Brighton, on the seafront, was a treat, as was getting to know Richard and Cally better and spending time over dinner with my friends and colleagues from the East Riding delegation. So.....I move that the question be put! All those in favour? That is carried unanimously!
Now the really hard work begins.
This was my first time at conference and I was proud to be part of the East Riding delegation of six. We maintained a constant presence between us throughout the five days of speeches and conference business.
We kicked off on a high with Jeremy Corbyn. He received a very warm welcome - we were all on our feet even before he spoke about his affection for the NUT; his mother was a member and a maths teacher. Corbyn is a proud trade unionist and will be till the day he dies! Watch his speech on the NUT website (and look closely towards the end when you will catch a glimpse of Catherine and Richard as the camera sweeps round!)
You will also see Christine Blower in a stylish hat - her Easter bonnet - which she changes each day.
The first time delegates briefing was very helpful. Conference is democratic and inclusive. There were plenty of first time speakers, several of them were also first time delegates. Again, have a look on the NUT website for a flavour of the speeches. We covered a lot of ground: workload; teacher shortage and funding; supply; bullying of staff; sixth form college funding; Prevent; testing in primary schools; Ofsted; equalities; young teachers; professional unity; fair pay and perhaps most urgently 'The White paper: The Wrong Priorities'. Each motion is proposed and seconded by delegates most of whom make a speech for 4 minutes (till the red light shows) and then amendments are debated in the same way.
It was sometimes moving, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny to hear the stories from delegates - young teachers, supply teachers, teachers struggling to live in London, disabled teachers, trans teachers, LGBT+ teachers.....each with their own experiences, sometimes familiar but sometimes very different from mine in rural East Yorkshire. It was an enriching experience.
Being in Brighton, on the seafront, was a treat, as was getting to know Richard and Cally better and spending time over dinner with my friends and colleagues from the East Riding delegation. So.....I move that the question be put! All those in favour? That is carried unanimously!
Now the really hard work begins.
Cally Prichard: Young Teachers Officer and Conference First Time Delegate
The NUT annual conference and the powerful pink book!
When I volunteered myself to attend the NUT annual conference I had no clue what to expect. I had heard from other officers in our division that it was "tiring but worthwhile" and that it would be a great experience. Sign me up.
Our first session at conference was an eye opener. Hundreds of delegates took their seats and paid special attention to the speeches made by General Secretary Christine Blower and President Anne Swift, as well as a welcomed and refreshing speech made by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn spoke of the importance of trade unions and how damaging the current government had been for the education sector, especially since their announcement that all schools in the UK would become academies by 2020. The response to Corbyn's speech was enough to tell me that I was surrounded by impassioned, dedicated teachers who were determined to continue the fight for quality education in the UK.
This is where the fun began. Before we attended conference we were sent a delightfully pink book that included all of the sessions that we were going to attend and itemised motions that were to be discussed and voted on throughout each session. These motions ranged from the boycotting of baseline testing in primary schools to the creation of a working party to support young teachers, and quite literally everything in between!
Unaware of the procedures for voting at conference, three other first-time delegates from the East Riding and I took advice from our Divisional Secretary, Julie, about how to vote on motions. You were to raise your pink book to signal that you were for/against/abstaining from voting on a motion. Well well. As soon as this information was passed down to us we let rip. We raised our pink books, and we raised them good! We were able to have our say on changing the way that the NUT supports all of its members - an opportunity that I certainly didn't take lightly. It's a powerful thing, being able to vote. Some motions were genuinely difficult to consider, but being there with both first-time East Riding delegates and other delegates who had attended before meant that we engaged in discussions that helped us to reach conclusions. The best part about that was that we discussed whether we thought our East Riding members would support the decisions that we were making, we were voting in their behalf after all.
It was interesting to see how conference procedures operated as a whole too. It's all very official. Somebody makes a speech to "move" a motion, someone makes a speech to second that motion and then people can speak for or against the motion and its amendments to persuade people to vote in a particular direction. Some of these speeches were incredibly emotional because delegates were talking from a real place of pain or fear or elation. It enlightened me quite a bit with regard to struggle - as a profession we are feeling the pressures of relentless stress, workload, pay progression in relation to performance in a job where the goalposts are constantly being changed by the government, the list goes on. We are not alone in our struggles. I was sat in a room full of people who are fighting and want to continue fighting for fairness and, ultimately, a better education for our children. I felt strong in that room.
As a Young Teachers Officer I feel angry when I think about how difficult my job has become in the last few years. It was not like this 5 years ago when I first qualified. And the majority of this difficulty is unnecessary and imposed upon us all by the detached view that our current government has on education. I think it's time we took the reigns back a little. Action will be taken in the very near future. Strikes to oppose the academisation of all schools in the UK will be happening. Boycotting of baseline testing in primary schools will be happening. Meetings, rallies, marches will be happening and we need everyone to get involved. If you are a secondary school teacher, support your primary teacher colleagues in their fight. If you're a primary school teacher support your sixth form teacher colleagues in their fight too. The only way that we will regain any sort of control over the jobs that we love is to stand up together and do something.
Yes, conference was tiring but it was potentially one of the most worthwhile experiences that I have ever had. It taught me that a pink book is a powerful tool for making a difference. It also taught me that we're all powerful tools, instruments for change as long as we work together. There is so much good in this profession. We get to work with little personalities that amaze us and make us laugh everyday. We get to teach the subjects that we love and put smiles on kids' faces. We help to nurture and develop and strengthen the minds of the young people who will be future trailblazers. How cool are our jobs, seriously?
It's worth the fight.
The NUT annual conference and the powerful pink book!
When I volunteered myself to attend the NUT annual conference I had no clue what to expect. I had heard from other officers in our division that it was "tiring but worthwhile" and that it would be a great experience. Sign me up.
Our first session at conference was an eye opener. Hundreds of delegates took their seats and paid special attention to the speeches made by General Secretary Christine Blower and President Anne Swift, as well as a welcomed and refreshing speech made by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn spoke of the importance of trade unions and how damaging the current government had been for the education sector, especially since their announcement that all schools in the UK would become academies by 2020. The response to Corbyn's speech was enough to tell me that I was surrounded by impassioned, dedicated teachers who were determined to continue the fight for quality education in the UK.
This is where the fun began. Before we attended conference we were sent a delightfully pink book that included all of the sessions that we were going to attend and itemised motions that were to be discussed and voted on throughout each session. These motions ranged from the boycotting of baseline testing in primary schools to the creation of a working party to support young teachers, and quite literally everything in between!
Unaware of the procedures for voting at conference, three other first-time delegates from the East Riding and I took advice from our Divisional Secretary, Julie, about how to vote on motions. You were to raise your pink book to signal that you were for/against/abstaining from voting on a motion. Well well. As soon as this information was passed down to us we let rip. We raised our pink books, and we raised them good! We were able to have our say on changing the way that the NUT supports all of its members - an opportunity that I certainly didn't take lightly. It's a powerful thing, being able to vote. Some motions were genuinely difficult to consider, but being there with both first-time East Riding delegates and other delegates who had attended before meant that we engaged in discussions that helped us to reach conclusions. The best part about that was that we discussed whether we thought our East Riding members would support the decisions that we were making, we were voting in their behalf after all.
It was interesting to see how conference procedures operated as a whole too. It's all very official. Somebody makes a speech to "move" a motion, someone makes a speech to second that motion and then people can speak for or against the motion and its amendments to persuade people to vote in a particular direction. Some of these speeches were incredibly emotional because delegates were talking from a real place of pain or fear or elation. It enlightened me quite a bit with regard to struggle - as a profession we are feeling the pressures of relentless stress, workload, pay progression in relation to performance in a job where the goalposts are constantly being changed by the government, the list goes on. We are not alone in our struggles. I was sat in a room full of people who are fighting and want to continue fighting for fairness and, ultimately, a better education for our children. I felt strong in that room.
As a Young Teachers Officer I feel angry when I think about how difficult my job has become in the last few years. It was not like this 5 years ago when I first qualified. And the majority of this difficulty is unnecessary and imposed upon us all by the detached view that our current government has on education. I think it's time we took the reigns back a little. Action will be taken in the very near future. Strikes to oppose the academisation of all schools in the UK will be happening. Boycotting of baseline testing in primary schools will be happening. Meetings, rallies, marches will be happening and we need everyone to get involved. If you are a secondary school teacher, support your primary teacher colleagues in their fight. If you're a primary school teacher support your sixth form teacher colleagues in their fight too. The only way that we will regain any sort of control over the jobs that we love is to stand up together and do something.
Yes, conference was tiring but it was potentially one of the most worthwhile experiences that I have ever had. It taught me that a pink book is a powerful tool for making a difference. It also taught me that we're all powerful tools, instruments for change as long as we work together. There is so much good in this profession. We get to work with little personalities that amaze us and make us laugh everyday. We get to teach the subjects that we love and put smiles on kids' faces. We help to nurture and develop and strengthen the minds of the young people who will be future trailblazers. How cool are our jobs, seriously?
It's worth the fight.
Catherine Scarlett-Equality Officer
This was my first ever NUT national conference. Despite having been to two Disabled Teachers conferences and one TUC Disabled Workers conference, this was much bigger and slightly more nerve-wracking.
It was a fantastic experience and it was wonderful to go with such a brilliant set of people; I feel that our division consists of a great mix of teachers who gel together extremely well.
There were a great many highlights of the conference and there is a sense of common purpose. There is a great determination to fight for change in government policy and to claim back the education system for the benefit of our children. Nearly every speaker described their frustration that their energies are being taken up with pointless justification tasks at the expense of being able to fully educate their classes. One of the really emotional moments for me was listening to a speech by Science teacher Katie Quick where she described how she had been pushed into a situation where she had to tell a student who had worked her socks off for a B grade that she was underachieving. Katie was obviously holding back the tears as she vowed that she would never, ever destroy the confidence of another child even if it meant that she never moved up the payscale. This was echoed by so many other speakers.
There are huge concerns for the mental health of children and teachers who are working in the current climate of pressure and fear, both in and out of school. There is the fear that children who are living in insecure housing, without heating, decent food or sufficient clothing are now being pressured at school and that we are no longer a safe haven for those vulnerable young people. Children are going missing from schools as they are moved without notice, sometimes many miles away. Children with SEND are being excluded from suitable education or even any education as the academisation of schools means that fewer places are being offered for children with high support needs.
There were flashes of hope at the conference:
Jeremy Corbyn showed great empathy for the plight of children and teachers in schools and agreement with the views of the union. He has promised that he will back us whilst he is in opposition and will work with us to build an education system fit for our children if he gets elected to government.
The union voted to ballot for action on the White Paper, giving us hope that we can work to effect a change in government policy.
The Disabled Teachers conference motion about promoting the social model of disability was voted in unanimously, meaning that the union will promote and educate members about this (please see the Equality Page for further information). This is vital for disabled children and adults alike.
I did however have one concern and that was the mass exodus from the hall for the Equality section and the Welsh section (I am very pround that we in the East Riding delegation stayed for all the debates).
We are a union; we stand in solidarity with each other; the concerns of each minority within the union should be the concern of everyone.
Overall, it is a tiring but enormously exhilarating experience. I felt fired up by it and ready to work for the changes that we and our children need. After several days rest anyway.
This was my first ever NUT national conference. Despite having been to two Disabled Teachers conferences and one TUC Disabled Workers conference, this was much bigger and slightly more nerve-wracking.
It was a fantastic experience and it was wonderful to go with such a brilliant set of people; I feel that our division consists of a great mix of teachers who gel together extremely well.
There were a great many highlights of the conference and there is a sense of common purpose. There is a great determination to fight for change in government policy and to claim back the education system for the benefit of our children. Nearly every speaker described their frustration that their energies are being taken up with pointless justification tasks at the expense of being able to fully educate their classes. One of the really emotional moments for me was listening to a speech by Science teacher Katie Quick where she described how she had been pushed into a situation where she had to tell a student who had worked her socks off for a B grade that she was underachieving. Katie was obviously holding back the tears as she vowed that she would never, ever destroy the confidence of another child even if it meant that she never moved up the payscale. This was echoed by so many other speakers.
There are huge concerns for the mental health of children and teachers who are working in the current climate of pressure and fear, both in and out of school. There is the fear that children who are living in insecure housing, without heating, decent food or sufficient clothing are now being pressured at school and that we are no longer a safe haven for those vulnerable young people. Children are going missing from schools as they are moved without notice, sometimes many miles away. Children with SEND are being excluded from suitable education or even any education as the academisation of schools means that fewer places are being offered for children with high support needs.
There were flashes of hope at the conference:
Jeremy Corbyn showed great empathy for the plight of children and teachers in schools and agreement with the views of the union. He has promised that he will back us whilst he is in opposition and will work with us to build an education system fit for our children if he gets elected to government.
The union voted to ballot for action on the White Paper, giving us hope that we can work to effect a change in government policy.
The Disabled Teachers conference motion about promoting the social model of disability was voted in unanimously, meaning that the union will promote and educate members about this (please see the Equality Page for further information). This is vital for disabled children and adults alike.
I did however have one concern and that was the mass exodus from the hall for the Equality section and the Welsh section (I am very pround that we in the East Riding delegation stayed for all the debates).
We are a union; we stand in solidarity with each other; the concerns of each minority within the union should be the concern of everyone.
Overall, it is a tiring but enormously exhilarating experience. I felt fired up by it and ready to work for the changes that we and our children need. After several days rest anyway.
