West Sussex Teachers Association Weblog

Join us on Facebook

2012-01-27T18:23:00.001Z

We have 136 members on facebook.
If you are interested paste the following link into your browser and
have a look.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/27771381752/

Gove the popular

2012-01-27T18:18:00.001Z

This will come as a bit of a shock to teachers, or indeed to anyone
who has seen or heard Michael Gove. Michael Gove is the most popular
government minister.

However the people he is popular with are people with money rather
than, for example. pensioners.

Education Minister Michael Gove has received more donations into his
private office since the election than any other cabinet minister
including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.

He has received £35,500 for his private office and £61,279 at
constituency level.

His constituency has received a staggering 284,416 pounds and 40p
since he became MP. We don't know who gave him the 40p. We do know
that former Lehman Brothers' banker Jeremy Isaacs donated £3,000 to
Gove's office. Isaacs has given £100,000 to the Central Party fund in
the past but this was the first time he is registered as funding an
MP's private office.

Money management firm Christofferson Robb & Company LLP gave £5,000.

Electoral Commission records show Gove started registering his private
office donations in 2009. Since then around three quarters of his
private office donations have come from individuals with business
interests in The City.
The biggest single donation to Gove's private office was £150,000
donated in 2009 by Martin Calderbank (what a name for a banker!) of
private equity firm Stirling Capital Partners.

So obviously Gove has friends in high places. You can't call this
perfectly legal activity "corruption". That would be like saying the
whole banking system is corrupt.

And we wouldn't want anybody to think that :)

Resignation dates

2012-01-26T07:50:00.000Z

The rule of thumb is resign by half term to leave at the end of term.

It is sometimes possible to circumvent these fixed dates but it does require the consent of the head. They will waive the notice period if it is in the best interests of the school but there is no automatic right. As ever there is an automatic right to ask :)

Notice	Start	End	Notice
Autumn	1 Sep	31 Dec	31 Oct
Spring	1 Jan	30 Apr	28 Feb
Summer	1 May	31 Aug	31 May

Teacher unions unite against OFSTED chicanery

2012-01-17T08:18:00.001Z

Ofsted wants to toughen the language of inspections in England -
changing the "satisfactory" rating to "requires improvement". Ofsted
are notorious for their violence towards the English language and
towards education in general.

By sleight of hand they change "satisfactory" to "unsatisfactory".
They label schools as "failing" in order to create a self-fulfilling
prophecy. Who would want to send their children to a "failing" school?
Or teach at one?

And the not-so-hidden agenda? Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary,
bluntly pointed out "The government's real agenda behind this change
is of course inventing yet another category of schools that it will
then seek to force into academy status."

In a welcome move another teacher union the NASUWT echoed the NUT's
concern: "The seemingly tough talk we have heard from the government
today, may have popular appeal but the reality is that it has nothing
to do with raising standards,"

"Instead, it is about ratcheting up pressure on schools, without
providing the support and resources they need to assist them in
securing further improvements.

"This announcement will encourage a culture of vicious management
practices within schools which will have a profoundly negative effect
on the workforce and children and young people alike."

Nothing illustrates Gove's hypocrisy more clearly than his dodgy "Free
School" project. For all his blather about raising standards, Free
Schools like the proposed one in Southwater, Horsham, are not required
to have qualified teachers.

So any Tom Dick or Harriet off the street can come and teach our
children on the cheap. The private
schools the millionaires in the government send their children are
staffed by professionals. If Gove gets his way they will be the only
schools that are!

West Sussex Executive Meetings - revised times

2012-01-11T10:30:00.000Z

*** All members are entitled to attend Exec meetings ***

Saturday 4 February 2012
Field Place
The Blvd
Worthing
West Sussex
BN13 1NP

Saturday 17 March 2012
Norfolk Arms
22 High Street
Arundel,
West Sussex
BN18 9AD

All Exec meetings begin at 10 am but members are welcome to come at any time between 10 and 1 pm to raise issues of concern.

You can easily google any of the venues or put the postcode into your SATNAV and hope for the best!

Update - Kevin Courtney to address WSTA

2012-01-10T07:45:00.001Z

Sat 3 March:

AGM and presidential lunch,

Norfolk Arms Hotel, Arundel.

GUEST SPEAKER - KEVIN COURTNEY

(Deputy General Secretary)

AGM: 10.00 to 12.00, followed by drinks reception, and the presidential lunch at 1pm.

Come to either or both; travel expenses paid for those attending AGM..

General Meeting 25 January Agenda

2012-01-06T13:51:00.000Z

The next general meeting of the West Sussex Teachers' Association will be on Wednesday, 25 th Jan, 2012 at 4.15pm at Steyning Grammar School, Shooting Field, Steyning BN44 3RX.

The meeting will focus on:

ACADEMIES - HOW THEY WILL AFFECT YOU

PENSIONS CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Discussion on this issue will be ended by 5.15pm at the latest.

Agenda

Apologies for Absence
Minutes of the Last General Meeting held on Wed 18^th Oct, 2011
Matters Arising from the Minutes
Main Item see above
Prioritisation of Original Motions to Annual Conference, 2012.
Nominations for delegates to Annual Conference, 2012. Note that we would expect nominated candidates to attend this meeting.
AOB

Oasis not top of the pops with teachers

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000Z

Horsham Churches together are proposing to work with the Oasis group to set up a controversial faith school in Southwater. Oasis, as you may know, celebrated Christmas by sacking teachers from their Salford academy. Oasis are not top of the pops with either the NASUWT or the NUT.

Story in the Salford Star

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1224

Anti Academies Alliance slams Oasis

2012-01-05T20:48:00.000Z

The views of the Anti Academies Alliance on the disgraceful behaviour of Oasis ought to give their supporters in Horsham pause for thought.

Students protest as 12 teachers sacked from OASIS mediacity academy Salford

`Save Our Teachers…Save Our Teachers’… This was the chant going up at the Oasis Academy MediaCityUK last Tuesday as pupils learned the amount of teachers being axed in cutbacks at one of Salford’s `flagship’ schools.
“It said in the paper that five teachers were being made redundant but then we found out that it was actually 13 and we weren’t happy with it – some of us tried to speak to the Head Teacher but he just wouldn’t listen to us…” one of the Oasis pupils told us.
“They always say that years 10 and 11 are dead important years for your GCSEs but the teachers that they’re getting rid of are the ones that teach them and they’re not being replaced” another added “They are half way through teaching A levels, and we don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s just ridiculous.”
As a peaceful protest, those affected made their feelings known at the school gates, while others went around the school with a petition…
“It wasn’t meant to be a big protest and it was only meant to be years ten and eleven but the whole school turned up and it got a bit out of control” another pupil added “All the teachers stood there saying `Go in, go in’ but everyone just barged past them going `Save Our Teachers’ and stuff like that.”
A group of pupils from the school gates were eventually persuaded to go and talk to the head teacher in his office but by this time, we understand, things were getting out of control…
“Everyone was still stood there and they were letting off bangers and stuff like that, and kids were throwing things” we were told “It was wild…It was like St Trinian’s. Eventually they threatened them with exclusions to get them back in school.”
Once back in school, there was a fire alarm practise but “then the alarm went off another four times which was the pupils just getting the teachers outside and they started chanting all this stuff again”…
According to the pupils, what happened last Tuesday at the Oasis Academy wasn’t just mindless trouble making – it was young people showing support for teachers and caring about their education which will be severely disrupted by the cuts.
“The teachers were really upset, and some were crying after the interviews they had when they learned they were being made redundant” a pupil said “The full school has been shook up, some these teachers have been there for years and they are some of the best ones.”
The response by the school, we understand, was to exclude ten pupils while others received detentions. The Salford Star has since had complaints from parents about the school’s draconian measures.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has responded to the redundancies by holding a strike ballot amongst its members…
“There are a number of redundancies at the school, and we are representing an NUT member who has been made redundant” says Avis Gilmore, regional secretary of the NUT North West.
“We are in the process of ballotting our members for strike action because we don’t believe it’s been a fair and proper and transparent process.”
The Oasis Trust, which took over the former Hope High School, has been at the centre of controversy ever since it moved into formal education. Three years ago there was a pupil riot at its Oasis Academy Mayfield over student conditions. That ended with the Head Teacher resigning.
Meanwhile, the Salford Star has constantly questioned both the `non-faith’ school’s Christian ethos (“we will end up with a church which is also a school…a school that is also a church…” Steve Chalke, head of Oasis Trust) and the new school building on Salford Quays which is forecast to be half empty when it opens next September (for more details see links below).
“The head teacher blamed everyone else but himself – he said the ones before had overspent and left him to deal with it, that there were too many teachers and not enough pupils” said Year 10 protesters “But the school’s spent money on all these ridiculous things like two whiteboards that cost five grand each and are never used.
“There’s also a radio station that cost around £8,000 that’s not used…There’s Apple laptops that have been there for three years and never been used – they’ve got all this high tech equipment and no teachers!” they added “And now they’re moving to a school that’s three times as big as this one and no pupils to go in it. It’s getting ridiculous.”
You could argue that it’s been allowed to get like this, with the school being a law unto itself, because Academies are outside local authority control. However, Salford Council has encouraged the growth of Oasis in the city through its constantly faltering Building School For The Future programme.
The information that the Salford Star has obtained on the disturbances from Oasis pupils cannot be verified because the no-one from the school would comment – which in itself is very strange because the Oasis Academy has major links with Salford’s Media City and prides itself on its media teaching.
However, we have found a job description for the Deputy Principal from March this year which stated that the successful candidate “will have the ability to excite and enthuse students and staff, empowering them to maximise their potential and share our deeply held belief that all students can succeed given the right opportunity and support…”
It seems that when students become `empowered’ they are excluded. And that the school’s `deeply held belief that all students can succeed given the right opportunity and support’ means sacking their teachers half way through GCSEs…

Write to the papers

2011-12-19T11:34:00.000Z

The local press coverage has been a lot better than the "shoot the striking scum" impartial coverage of the Express and Mail. Members should follow up by writing to the local newspapers about their view on the pensions issue and the strikes.

But how do you contact the local press?

If you use email the following email addresses should be useful.

alex.morrison@essnmedia.co.uk

amanda.barrell@littlehamptontoday.co.uk

ct.news@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

eastbourne.herald@trbeckett.co.uk

editor@courier.co.uk

editor@theargus.co.uk

editorial@lifenewspapers.co.uk

farnham-herald@internet-today.co.uk

graeme.moir@thepost.co.uk

hello@spiritfm.net

Jan.Melrose@bbc.co.uk

kirk.ward@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

lesley.hixon@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

letters@worthingherald.co.uk

lucy.varney@thenews.co.uk

mark.acheson@thenews.co.uk

matthew@the-resident.co.uk

meridian@itvlocal.com

news@chiobserver.co.uk

news@southernfm.com

news@wave105.com

Ollie.McAteer@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

owen.brace@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

sarah.page@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

roger.green@littlehamptontoday.co.uk

southerncounties@bbc.co.uk

studio@deltaradio.co.uk

studio@splashfm.com

sussex.express@sussexnewspapers.co.uk

Pensions cuts by the government

2011-12-05T10:45:00.001Z

- The value of your teachers’ pension is being cut. The Government have switched the indexation method used to calculate the annual increase to your pension from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). This also applies to increases in public service pensions, State Second Pensions and some private occupational pension schemes. It is astonishing how few people know about this!
- The switch came into operation from April 2011 for teachers’ and other public sector pensions. The State Second Pension and also the Basic State Pension is increased by the higher of earnings, 2% or prices. From April 2012 the prices component will be switched to the CPI.
- The CPI index is consistently lower than the RPI under normal conditions due to the methodology used in calculating the index. The RPI has also been higher in recent years because it includes owner-occupier costs including mortgage interest payments, maintenance costs and council tax.
- Over the past ten years, the RPI has been on average 0.8 per cent a year higher than the CPI. Over the course of a 25-year retirement, a public service worker starting with a £10,000 pension would on that basis receive £35,000 less because of the switch from the RPI to the CPI.
- In April 2011 teachers’ pensions increased by 3.1%, compared to 4.6% if RPI indexation had been maintained. Teachers’ pensions are set to increase in 2012 by the CPI figure of 5.2%. The RPI figure would be 5.6%.
- Going into the election both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats promised to protect accrued pension rights and had no plans to change inflation indexation.
  - Support the campaign to reinstate the RPI. See the Public Service Pensioners’ Council (PSPC) website for more details www.publicservicepensioners.org.uk
  - Sign the e-petition opposing the switch to CPI indexation. This can be found at epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1535
  - Write to your MP and ask them to support the reinstatement of the RPI by signing Early Day Motion (EDM) 1032 or by speaking against the CPI method when the issue is debated in Parliament in early 2012.
  - Tell your friends and colleagues what the change will mean for them and ask them to support the campaign.

"Strikers should be shot?"

2011-12-03T15:37:00.001Z

Anyone is entitled to make fair comment on a matter of public concern. There is a feeling that Jeremy Clarkson may have shown less than sufficient care with his "shoot the lot of them" comment. There is also a feeling that complaining about it will just inflate the Big C's Ego. His self-importance is already beyond safe levels.

Inciting people to shoot strikers is not funny. Clarkson is like Anders Behring Breivik without the charm. If Clarkson needs an ambulance (perhaps after an overdose of Top Gear) I hope he realises shooting the driver wasn't a smart move.

He is of course a friend and neighbour of David Cameron. One wonders if he is just repeating something he heard from the other Big C?

However if you feel that it is worthwhile to complain about this overgrown kid the links are as follows:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/#anchor
https://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/specific-programme-epg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15977813

Executive Member's Report November 2011

2011-12-03T15:21:00.001Z

GS Report

The GS reported the recently announced result of the NAHT ballot – a 53% turnout with a 76% Yes vote.

The lobby on October 26^th was considered to have been a success with over 2,000 lobbyists and 419 out of 570 MPs seen on the day. Some MPs apparently thought that the valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme has been carried out, but it has not. The Government is now saying that the valuation will be undertaken once the restructuring of the scheme has been finalised.

A judgment is awaited from the Judicial Review on the change from RPI to CPI. Evidence was heard over 3 days during 1/2 term and the judges have said that they will try to report their judgment by November 30^th.

Danny Alexander has been saying that Teachers’ Pensions are costing the taxpayer £10 billion a year – this is a lie. This figure represents the total amount paid out in teachers’ pensions each year but takes no account of the contributions paid in.

Since the inception of the TPS in 1923, £46.4 billion more has been paid into the scheme than has been paid out (although admittedly in the last 10 years more has been paid out than paid in.) This piece of information (along with other arguments) will be communicated to member in a tabloid newspaper format which is in preparation. A number of copies will be sent to each school together with a high quality leaflet entitled “Fair Pensions for All” jointly badged PCS, Unite, UCU, NUT and NPC (National Pensioners Convention.) This leaflet notes that in Europe only Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia have worse state pension provision than the UK.

The DGS reported on the state of negotiations with the Government. There are signs of possible movement on the issue of raising the Normal Retirement Age to equal the State Retirement Age, but they say this must be within the current cost envelope (which is not feasible.) There are also some murmurings about possible “flexibility” regarding the actuarial reduction applied when a pension is taken early. The NUT has made clear that as far as the Union is concerned there is not a deal to be done within the current cost ceiling.

Veronica Peppiatt

AGM change of date

2011-12-03T10:16:00.001Z

Make a note

The AGM will now be on February 25th 2012

Venue TBA
The AGM will elect the Executive Committee of WSTA. **Any** member is entitled to stand for **any** post. Send nominations to the secretary secretary@west-sussex.nut.org.uk

"Damp Squib" in Horsham

2011-11-30T19:30:00.000Z

"Terrible disruption of everyone's life by selfish striking scum" or "It's all a damp squib" - the government cannot keep their story straight over the unprecedented strike action on November 30th

Over 300 marched in Horsham to put our questions to Francis Maude - the minister for cutting pensions - but Maude wouldn't come into the garden to talk to us.

Instead we heard from Phil Wood of UNISON who stressed the unfair treatment of women workers by this government with its two token females surrounded by male millionaires.;

Marian Darke brought the greetings of the American Teachers Union - "our action has caused ripples across the world."

Ben - a GMB ambulance driver - "We come out all hours to support people in emergencies - we want you to support us."

Derek Isaacs of North Sussex Trades Council was a surprise addition to the platform. "Instead of refusing to pay the pensioners - we could refuse to pay the millionaire fat cats who profited from PFI deals"

Veronica Peppiatt - National Executive member - pointed out that the government is targeting pensioners but has no interest in stopping the tax avoidance by which individuals grab 13 billion pounds and Corporations grab 12 billion pounds out of the public purse.

This is not the end. The determination of the pensioners and trade unionists in the first Horsham protest since the repeal of the corn laws is a small indication that this damp squib could blow up in the government's face :)

Derek McMillan

Derek Isaacs in Horsham

2011-11-30T19:14:00.001Z

Ben from GMB

2011-11-30T19:08:00.002Z

Marian Darke of the NUT

2011-11-30T19:07:00.001Z

Phil Wood of UNISON in Horsham

2011-11-30T19:06:00.001Z

N30 Horsham 4

2011-11-30T11:37:00.000Z

N30 Horsham 3

2011-11-30T11:36:00.000Z

Over 300 on march in Horsham

2011-11-30T11:34:00.000Z

A sign of the Times

2011-11-30T11:30:00.002Z

A home-made banner from Christs showing all three unions working together. Together the unions make us strong. And if millionaire Maude has problems with the words "honour" and "service" we can provide a dictionary :)

N30 Horsham 1

2011-11-30T11:28:00.001Z

Dominic Lawson joins the dark side

2011-11-29T13:45:00.000Z

Dominic Lawson's article in The Independent is a rehash of government
propaganda against the public sector.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-it-is-the-haves-going-on-strike-not-the-havenots-6269308.html

I wrote the following to d.lawson@independent.co.uk
You might like to give him your two penn'orth as well :)

I expected the Independent to go one better than the tabloid "gold
plated pensions" and "selfish striking scum". You are a disappointment.

As you very well know the government is attacking all pensions and
benefits - except of course the bonuses paid to deserving bankers, the
50 percent pay rises for top executives and Francis Maude's
astronomical pension!

You seem to think that a contract between an employer and an employee
can be torn up. Everybody in my profession agreed to accept less pay
in return for a good pension. Then forty years down the line people
like you can laugh at us and say "and you wont get the pension either
sucker!"

God Bless

Get our case into the public domain

2011-11-29T11:34:00.000Z

If you are on strike on 30th November, do not expect a fair and balanced coverage in the national media. That includes the newspapers who routinely refer to "gold-plated pensions" and "selfish striking scum"

You can contact the local press to put our case:

The County Times would like to hear from anyone whose day will be severely disrupted, or your reasons for taking part in the strikes. Email ollie.mcateer@sussexnewspapers.co.uk, follow us on Twitter @wscountytimes or voice your opinion on the Horsham News and Views Facebook page.

And you can facebook, blog or tweet your support to counter the ghastly distortions appearing elsewhere in the media.

"By a lie you throw away and, as it were, annihilate your dignity as a human being. .... Truth is the child of time; erelong she shall appear to vindicate thee."
(Immanuel Kant)

Stewards for the Horsham March

2011-11-26T18:13:00.001Z

We are asking NUT members to volunteer as stewards for the march in Horsham.

It is vital that we have stewards for the march to take place.

Anyone who wants to volunteer should arrive at the bandstand in
Horsham park about half an hour early.

We are also seeking high visibility jackets. Members who have motored
in France in recent years may well have them.

How much is my pension gonna pay me?

2011-11-26T12:07:00.001Z

Tune: How much is that doggy in the window?

How much is my pension gonna pay me,
When they've finished chipping it away?

The bankers have bu**ered up the system,
And now we're expected to pay.

How much is my pension gonna pay me?
How much is it gonna be worth?

The bankers are costing us a fortune,
And soon they will cost us the earth.

How much is my pension gonna pay me?
When I've worked myself into the floor.

And they want me to pay more for the privilege
Well it's time that we told them: "NO MORE"!!

A song for Wednesday

2011-11-26T12:04:00.001Z

Tune: John Brown's Body/Solidarity For Ever

We teach the nations' children
But we had to call a stop
To tell both Clegg and Cameron
We won't work till we drop
And if they just don't listen
Then it's they'll be for the chop
'Cos we want justice now.

They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
That's why we're striking now.

They've refused a valuation
Even though it's over due
They claim they can't afford it
But they're liars through and through
We're fighting for our pension rights
And for the future too
That's why we're striking now.

They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
That's why we're striking now.

They'll make us pay more every month
Retirement has to wait
They say the job's so easy
We can work to sixty-eight
'Tho we love teaching children
That is just too blooming late
That's why we're striking now.

They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
They are robbing all our pensions
That's why we're striking now.

Solidarity for ever x3
Our unions make us strong

With thanks to Richard Raftery, Leeds NUT, for initial ideas

Do you have to tell the head you are striking?

2011-11-24T09:30:00.002Z

Heads are entitled to "ask" anything they like. You need to inform your employer there is a strike. This has been done. And they need the number of NUT members in the school. I believe this has been done too.

As a matter of courtesy some members inform the head they are striking in advance of the day of the strike. Courteous heads are usually treated with courtesy. Of course the best guarantee of a courteous head is a strong union organisation....NUT heads are invariably courteous as well :)

If there is no rep at your school, this is an ideal time to acquire one!

Anyone who becomes a rep has the job of opening the mail and putting up notices which is an important but not arduous job. If they want to do more there are training courses available both locally and nationally and any expenses will be defrayed by the NUT. We are not MPs so don't expect your expenses to cover cleaning out the family moat or buying a duck house. Everyone who has been on these courses has found them fun and informative.

Time off for union duties

2011-11-21T15:26:00.000Z

You are entitled to time off for union duties if you are a school rep

You can read the ACAS code in full on
http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/l/q/CP03_1.pdf

In summary however, ACAS says:

"To operate effectively and democratically, trade unions need the
active participation of members. It can also be very much in
employers? interests that such participation is assured. An employee
who is a member of an independent trade union recognised by the
employer in respect of that description of employee is to be permitted
reasonable time off during working hours to take part in any trade
union activity. An employee who is a member of an independent and
recognised trade union is also permitted to take reasonable time off
during working hours for the purposes of accessing the services of a
Union Learning Representative"

The problem of course is the phrase "reasonable time off" but "none at
all" does not seem reasonable to me.

Re: Stuffing Maude's Mattress

2011-11-20T17:41:00.002Z

The government has over the years acquired 46.4 billion pounds of our money from the pension fund. Where did it all go? Stuffing Maude's mattress?

The following press release is from the NUT. We urge members to write to their local papers and MPs in the run up to November 30th to put facts like these into the public domain. You can also facebook, blog or tweet them to combat the lies in the media.
Teachers' pensions – £46.4 billion more paid in than paid out - press release
Friday 18 November
The NUT today provides further support for the argument that public sector pensions are affordable and fair.
The NUT research shows that, during the lifetime of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), £46.4bn more has been paid into the scheme than has been paid out.
The NUT has calculated the total payments into and from the TPS over the period 1923 to date, using its official valuation reports and accounts. Adjusting these figures in line with GDP growth shows that at least £46.4bn more in current prices has been paid into the TPS in contributions over the years than has been paid out in pensions.
This follows earlier reports by the National Audit Office and the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee which show that the long term costs of the TPS are already declining following earlier reforms. The long term picture contrasts sharply with the Government's arguments that the current imbalance between contributions and payments makes teachers' pensions unsustainable.
Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said:
"The NUT's research proves two points. First, funding public sector pensions is a complex area – we won't allow our opponents simply to ignore those parts of the story that don't suit them. Second, it is a long term issue – policies shouldn't be driven by short term considerations.
"There is no £46.4 billion to hand. The fact is, however, that the Government has accepted a long series of cheap loans from teachers' pension contributions before complaining about paying the pensions promised in return."

--
http://www.derekmcmillan.com

Hardship fund and school reps

2011-11-17T20:58:00.000Z

People will lose a day's pay by going on strike. It is estimated that you would have to be on strike for three years to lose the sort of money the government proposes to rob from your pension in terms of increased contributions, higher retirement age and reduced pension payments.

If people are suffering hardship due to special circumstances, the union proposes to set up a hardship fund.

To give money to the fund contact the treasurer as soon as possible.
To claim money from the fund contact the treasurer.

The treasurer's address is
20 Greystone Avenue
Worthing
West Sussex
BN13 1LR

Cheques should be made payable to "West Sussex Teachers' Association Hardship Fund"

Likewise if your school elects a rep in this period (and it is a very good time to do so) please inform Phil Dufty and Sian Drinkwater at regional office south.east@nut.org.uk Mark your email FAO Sian Drinkwater.

Anyone who becomes a rep has the job of opening the mail and putting up notices which is an important but not arduous job. If they want to do more there are training courses available both locally and nationally and any expenses will be defrayed by the NUT. We are not MPs so don't expect your expenses to cover cleaning out the family moat or buying a duck house. Everyone who has been on these courses has found them fun and informative.

Leaflet for the march in Horsham

2011-11-17T20:30:00.000Z

Members in Horsham who have provided us with email addresses should receive the text of this leaflet along with our questions to Francis Maude. Mysteriously none of those questions were answered in Francis Maude's reply to my letter! .

UK Disabled History Month

2011-11-17T16:56:00.004Z

UKDHM 22nd November to 22nd December 2011

You are invited to LAUNCH EVENT UKDHM 2011

TUESDAY 22nd November 2011,

Mander Hall, NUT, 1, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD

5.00 refreshments for 5.30 to 7.30 followed by Reception till 8.30 pm

Celebrating Our Struggle for Equality

Chair Nina Franklin, President NUT
Speakers :-
Ruth Bashell Stay Safe – Tackling Hate Crime
Tony Crosby Heritage Lottery Fund -Disability Heritage
Jaspal Dhani CEO UKDPC-Black disabled peoples’ experience
Ellen Goodey - Living an inclusive life
Barbara Lisicki - The history of the Direct Action Network in 1990’s
Maresa Mackeith-Author Taking the Time
Lucy Mason - HEYA The history of disabled young voices
Richard Rieser Coordinator UKDHM Disability Equality in Schools and colleges.
Rounded up by Laurence Clarke- a comic view of disability equality today.
To book a place RSVP to 0207 359 2855 or email rlrieser@gmail.com

Local Voice of West Sussex

2011-11-16T15:29:00.001Z

Local Voice is all about the lobby of parliament and the forthcoming action on November 30th. We are delighted to received the support of ATL, NAHT, UCU, UNISON UNITE and NASUWT colleagues.

Read Local Voice

Christine Blower

NUT General Secretary

“The Government has time and again refused to listen to the growing anger about proposed changes to public sector pensions. Despite there being no evidence to suggest that our pensions are unaffordable, the Government persists in stating that cuts need to be made.

“This is an unacceptable and shameful way of conducting negotiations. The NUT will be giving its full support to this TUC-led day of action on November 30. The Government has given us, and the other unions taking part, no other option.”

SERTUC organising conference TUC 12 November 2011

2011-11-12T18:49:00.000Z

The SERTUC organising conference endorsed the demonstrations in Worthing and Horsham organised by WSTA for November 30th (N30). There was a lot of discussion about proposed actions throughout the South East on the day and how to proceed afterwards.

They stressed that this was not a non-political protest but it was certainly a non party political protest.Since Labour peer Hutton was the author of the anti-pensioner proposals we would be on the march whichever group of politicians were in power.

There was a perception that the government would seek to divide the opposition to their plans; pitting private sector workers against public sector workers and seeking to convince those whose only pension is the state pension - which the government is cutting - that they would benefit from an attack on the "gold-plated" pensions of public sector workers.

What should emerge after N30 is
* a trade union organisation with more self-confidence,
* more active involvement of the members and therefore
* more democracy.
* links between different unions fostered by SERTUC
* A greater for trades councils such as the ones in Worthing (covering the coastal strip) and Crawley (covering the North of the county)

The SERTUC banner will lead the mass demonstration in London.

Martin Gould SERTUC president

Paul Nowak 'cuts are ideological not deficit-related. Else why millions for free schools and Nhs reforms?'

Glyn Hawker UNISON 'mutualisation - they are stealing our words as well as our money and

jobs...BMA and the Royal Colleges oppose NHS reforms'

Alex Kenny (NUT executive) congratulated NAHT on their overwhelming vote for strike

action ... The first ever.

Pete Kavanagh of UNITE stressed the importance of getting private sector workers on our

side. We divide, they rule. We unite we win.'

Noel Glover NAHT praised the unity shown by the lobby of parliament involving all teachers'

organisations acting together. 'to watch an MP being given a talking to by a head teacher was

priceless. '

Martin Powell-Davies - NUT executive and SERTUC Public Services Committee Chairman

From left to right: Chris Lines NASUWT Jean Roberts ATL (standing) and Mark Campbell

UCU. the discussion was about escalating the action post N30 and to what extent

government would seek to 'divide and rule'

Derek McMillan WSTA Helpline co-ordinator

November 30th Newsletter

2011-11-09T09:23:00.001Z

Events proposed for November 30th

The newsletter is available here

Currently we propose two events.

A rally and march in Worthing at starting 10 am at St Paul's Centre
Click for details
This is endorsed by Worthing Trades Council and will involve other unions.
A rally and march in Horsham - constituency of Francis Maude.
We hope to attract the attention of local pensioners because of Maude's role in cutting pensions.
We will be seeking the co-operation of other public sector unions.

The rally and march will also be at 10 am starting from Horsham Park
Click for details
The bandstand is a good rallying point and the park is just opposite the station.
We have questions for Francis Maude.

More details on this blog as we get them.

Government change stance on pensions - NUT press release

2011-11-03T19:56:00.000Z

Commenting on the Government's new offer regarding public sector
pensions, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of
Teachers, said:

"The NUT welcomes the fact that the Government has finally, after
pressure from strike action in June, our lobby of Parliament last week
and proposed action in November, conceded some ground. This is
certainly a different stance from Danny Alexander's pronouncements in
the summer when he insisted there would be no further offers.

"What is not helpful is the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary
to the Treasury continuing to misrepresent the reality of teachers'
pensions. The average teachers' pension in payment is approximately
£10,000 and many, particularly women, will receive far less. The claim
that the Government?s proposals would make teachers better off is, I
am afraid, nonsense.

"The NUT Executive will now be considering the implications of the
Government's proposals. We will be in discussion with the TUC and
other teacher unions over the coming weeks. We will continue to seek a
negotiated settlement. However, preparation for strike action on
November 30 will still go ahead."

----- End forwarded message -----

NUT course on PUPIL BEHAVIOUR

2011-11-02T09:26:00.001Z

MID-CAREER (NORMALLY 6-20 YEARS EXPERIENCE)
PRIMARY/SECONDARY CLASSROOM TEACHERS WITHIN
1½ HOUR JOURNEY TO/FROM THE VENUE
ARE INVITED TO APPLY FOR THIS TWO-DAY CPD SEMINAR
‘MAKING EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN PUPIL
BEHAVIOUR IN CLASSROOMS’
“The first course I have attended where I have not once looked at the clock.”
TUTOR: ROB LONG, Education Works
TF/87R The Hickstead Hotel, Jobs Lane, Bolney,
Hickstead (nr Haywards Heath), West
Sussex, RH17 5NZ
Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 December 2011
TF/90R Birmingham (venue TBC) Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 March 2012
(9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on both days)
AIMS: To provide mid-career teachers within 1½ hour journey to/from venue with an opportunity
to review and update their practical approaches and strategies for managing troublesome
pupil behaviour in the classroom and their understanding and support for troubled
learners.
A range of models for understanding classroom behaviour will be explored. Participants
will get the opportunity to review and discuss with the tutor and other mid-career teachers
strategies for improving behaviour.
CERTIFICATION: All participants will receive a personalised NUT CPD participation certificate.
COST: £25 (NUT members); £175 (others) – includes VAT, lunches and refreshments.
OPTIONAL dinner and B&B (£50) at end of first day can be requested in advance. No
travel costs can be reclaimed.
THE NUT’s CPD PROGRAMME
MEETING TEACHERS’ LEARNING AND CAREER NEEDS

Gold-Plated Pensions indeed.

2011-10-29T00:10:00.001Z

Public sector pensions are gold-plated. You have only to read the Daily Mail or the Express to know that. A pity this image won't be appearing in your bank account any time soon. The average teacher's pension is 10000 pounds

However, there are exceptions to the rule of public sector pensions. Margaret Thatcher has received £535,000 for ex-PM duties from a little fund - well obviously a rather large fund - called the public duties
cost allowance. Major and Blair have also had very nice golden handshakes (Major 490K and Blair 169K) from this fund.

Remember that when some government minister tells you the nation cannot afford your pension.

National and Local Subs 2000-2011

2011-10-25T10:30:00.000Z

You can email wstalearn(at)yahoo.co.uk for a standard letter to reclaim tax.

Date National Local

2011 £164.00 £12.00
2010 £159.00 £10.00
2009 £149.00 £10.00
2008 £142.00 £10.00
2007 £135.00 £10.00
2006 £130.00 £10.00
2005 £125.00 £10.00
2004 £121.00 £9.00
2003 £115.00 £9.00
2002 £109.00 £9.00
2001 £105.00 £9.00
2000 £101.00 £9.00

My message to Frankie Maude

2011-10-24T18:12:00.000Z

I have asked for an appointment on 26 October but have not so far
received a reply. As a matter of courtesy, the questions to which I
would like an answer are these:

1) Can you explain what has happened to the cast iron guarantee that
"We will restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from
April 2011, with a ?triple guarantee? that pensions are raised by the
higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%."

2) What does the government plan to do to pensions in 2012? Will the
link to increases in the cost of living even exist or will pensioners
be made to pay for the bankers' crisis?

3) Is it likely that the current policy towards teachers' pensions
will lead to a problem of recruitment in state schools?

4) How will it impact the public schools to which government ministers
send their children?

NUT Young Teachers' Conference

2011-10-04T19:54:00.001Z

NUT young teachers' conference

Start: Friday, 24 February 2012 – 7:00pm
End: Sunday, 26 February 2012 – 1:00pm
Venue: Stoke Rochford Hall

The 2012 Young Teachers' Conference is being held at the Union's
National Training Centre, Stoke Rochford Hall, near Grantham in
Lincolnshire.

All in service teachers aged 35 or under are eligible to attend.

It is an enjoyable, motivating weekend with interesting speakers, a
wide range of topical workshops and task group sessions, as well as
time to relax and have fun.

To register your interest in attending the Conference, firstly please
contact your local association or division secretary to discuss your
attendance. Their contact details can be found on the reverse of your
membership credential card or by going to
www.teachers.org.uk/contactus

Then contact the NUT's Young Teachers' section by email at
youngteachers@nut.org.uk or by phone 020 7380 4822.

General Meeting 18 October 2011 - all members welcome

2011-10-04T18:42:00.000Z

The next general meeting of the West Sussex Teachers? Association will
be on Tuesday 18th October 2011 at 4.15pm at The Angmering School,
Angmering BN16 4HH.

The meeting will focus on:

Action on Pensions
(including Lobby of Parliament)

Discussion on this issue will be ended by 5.15pm at the latest.

Agenda

1. Apologies for Absence
2. Minutes of the Last General Meeting held on Wed 18th May 2011
3. Matters Arising from the Minutes
4. Written Reports
a. Secretary
b. Treasurer
c. Others
5. Main Item ? see above
6. Original Motions to Annual Conference 2012.
7. Nominations for National Executive elections 2012
8. Annual Conference 2012: provisional delegate list
9. Executive Member?s Report
10. Regional Office Report
11. AOB

Lobby MPs over pensions

2011-09-26T06:29:00.000Z

At their meeting on 25 September the West Sussex Teachers Association
Executive agreed to support the lobby of Parliament on Wednesday, 26
October. The lobby is to protest against ruthless pension cuts in the
education sector. The unprecedented action is part of a joint campaign
by seven leading education unions to draw attention to the myths
surrounding the debate on pensions and to the severity of the cuts
being proposed.

Teachers are concerned that pension changes could cause a recruitment
crisis. Teachers and lecturers who are entering the profession, or who
have recently
entered, will face the greatest difficultly in increased costs for
their pensions. New teachers and lecturers may have large student
loans, which could be over £30,000. Teaching is one of the top
graduate employment destinations; this could change if the proposals
are introduced.

The lobby is being held during the half-term holiday to avoid
interrupting school children?s education and causing disruption for
parents. However the seven unions have not ruled out further
industrial action if the government continues to erode pensions.

Organisers of the campaign issued this statement:

The fact that thousands of teachers and lecturers from around the
country are giving up a day of their half-term holiday to come to
London to lobby MPs shows just how high feelings are running. The
profession is absolutely united in condemning the scandalous way
pensions are being ransacked to pay off the national debt.

The public has a right to know that cuts could ultimately affect the
quality of education for young people as high calibre graduates
re-think their career choice. We will also be challenging the myths
about how public sector pensions impact on taxpayers.

Teachers and lecturers never take strike action lightly and for this
reason the lobby has been organised during half term, to ensure there
is no disruption to pupils or parents. However if the government
continues to erode pensions, which they know are both affordable and
sustainable, teachers will be left with no option but to take further
action, including strike action.

We urge the government to listen to the message that this lobby sends.
Teachers cannot stand by and see their pensions eroded for purely
political reasons. It is entirely possible to avoid further disruption
but for that to happen the government needs to negotiate fairly.?

Details are available on the website:
http://www.decentpensions.org.uk/2011lobby

!"£$%^&*()

Decent pensions

2011-09-25T10:24:00.001Z

Teachers and lecturers are concerned about proposals by the Coalition
Government to change their pensions for the following reasons.
Public sector pensions are affordable

The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) was already reformed in 2007 to cut its
long-term costs. The reforms led to measures to secure the health of the
Scheme, including an increase in retirement age to 65 for new entrants.
Evidence from the National Audit Office (NAO) and the House of Commons
Public Accounts Select Committee shows the reforms from 2007 have worked
well.

Teachers' pensions are not gold-plated
The average teacher's pension is currently around 10,000 per annum, hardly
gold-plated. Furthermore, pensions for women teachers and lecturers are
considerably lower than for men because, on average, women earn less and
have breaks in service for family reasons. Women teachers and lecturers will
be even more likely to have to rely on benefits to survive in retirement.
Teachers agreed in 2007 to pay more if teachers? pensions became
unaffordable in the future

Teachers and lecturers agreed to pay more and take steps to protect the future
of the Scheme if a valuation showed it to be unhealthy. The Coalition
Government has refused to value the pension schemes.

The money from the proposed increases will not go towards pensions but
will just go to pay off the deficit
The money raised from increasing the contributions of teachers and lecturers
would go to plug the budget deficit and not towards the cost of teachers?
pensions. This represents a tax on teachers and lecturers to pay for a
financial crisis caused by city financiers and bankers. This could set a dangerous
precedent for the future. The proposals will not benefit the taxpayer
in the long run

Worsening teachers' and public sector pensions is not in the interests of the
taxpayer. In the long run, taxpayers would have to pay for shortfalls
in income through the benefits system. Cutting public sector pensions will not
help private sector workers; it will just make everyone poorer in retirement.
The cost of providing tax relief on pensions is greater than the cost of
public sector pensions overall.

The cost of providing tax relief on pension contributions each year is much
greater than the net cost of public sector pensions and it is skewed
to benefit the most well-off.

The TUC's calculations show that for every pound the Coalition Government
spends on public sector pensions, £2.50 is spent reducing the tax bill of the
top 1% of earners.

Teachers and lecturers are taxpayers too
Teachers and lecturers are taxpayers, contributing to public sector pensions,
and private sector pensions via tax relief, through their taxes.
Teachers and lecturers already pay significant contributions towards their
pensions
Members of the Teachers? Pension Scheme (TPS) currently pay 6.4% of their
monthly wage. The proposals would increase this by an additional 3.2% on
average, up to 9.6% by 2014, representing a 50% increase.
Pension changes could cause a recruitment crisis
Teachers and lecturers who are entering the profession, or who have recently
entered, will face the greatest difficultly in increased costs for
their pensions.
New teachers and lecturers may have large student loans, which could be over
30,000 pounds. Teaching is one of the top graduate employment destinations; this
could change if the proposals are introduced.

Strike Against the Cuts

2011-09-23T06:51:00.001Z

There will be co-ordinated strike action against the cuts in public
services and in public sector pensions. The NSSN lobbied for this at
the TUC. School Reps count as "Shop Stewards" in their book!

NSSN = National Shop Stewards Network. We have sent a delegate to
their last three conferences/

Wednesday 26 October 2011 - unite with other unions to oppose the pension robbery.

2011-09-07T10:21:00.001Z

The NUT alongside ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT, UCAC and UCU are taking the unprecedented step of organising both a joint national petition and joint lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 26 October 2011.

Join 25,000 voices in protesting against changes to your pension

We hope that every workplace will return a petition. We also hope that
at least one lobbyist from every school, college and university in
England and Wales will demonstrate to Parliament the unity and
determination of the entire profession in opposing cuts to our
pensions.

We appreciate that, for the majority of members 26 October is during half term. However, this date allows us to organise a large scale event, without disrupting pupils' education. This is an opportunity for the Government to see sense and change its position. If it does not further industrial action will be necessary.

If you are not on half term on 26 October we hope you will lobby your MP locally outside of school time.

General Meetings

2011-09-07T09:09:00.000Z

Wednesday 25 Jan 2012
Steyning Grammar School
Shooting Field
STEYNING,
West Sussex
BN44 3RX

All general meetings begin at 4.15 pm (Tea and coffee available from 4 pm)

Sat 3 March:
AGM and presidential lunch,
Norfolk Arms Hotel, Arundel.
GUEST SPEAKER - KEVIN COURTNEY, Deputy General Secretary.

AGM: 10.00 to 12.00, followed by drinks reception, and the presidential lunch at 1pm.
Come to either or both; travel expenses paid for those attending AGM..

Uniformity?

2011-07-20T13:56:00.002Z

School uniform is always a contentious issue. Even more contentious is the authoritarian manager who insists on staff wearing uniform. (He will have them saluting him next!)

Believe it or not we had a call from a school "somewhere in Sussex" where exactly this problem arose. Our reply was as follows:

It is clear that your employer is behaving unreasonably in insisting on staff wearing uniform. This is a change in your conditions of service and as such should have been negotiated with the union rep.

If there is not a union rep now would seem a good time to appoint one because employers can always use the lack of a rep as an excuse for railroading through any unreasonable policy without consultation.

Teaching resources from TES

2011-07-15T09:19:00.004Z

Click here for TES Teaching Resources
These resources are freely uploaded by teachers for use by teachers. They now have resources for all ages, stages and subjects. Teachers are obviously keen to share resources with each other.

You can also upload your own. It will save somebody else having to "reinvent the wheel".

In case you were worried, the Times Education Supplement is NOT owned by Hacker Murdoch.

Schoolteacher among bravery award winners

2011-07-06T17:37:00.001Z

A deputy headteacher has won a bravery award for confronting armed robbers who hid in her school.

Click here for the Argus story

St Wilf's team photo

2011-07-04T17:33:00.000Z

Strike Rally 30 June

2011-06-30T11:55:00.006Z

The shape of things to come - ATL and NUT together.

Our strike rally - unions united.

250 strikers from West Sussex rallied in Worthing on 30 June. Members of the NUT, ATL, UCU and PCS. Malcolm Peppiatt of the West Sussex Teachers' Association chaired a lively discussion of the government proposals to cut public sector pensions.

The fact that private sector pensions had been cut by ruthless employers was not seen as a good argument for cutting public sector pensions. One speaker from the floor said it was the equivalent of saying that because three houses in my street had been burgled, the only fair thing to do was to burgle the rest.

The government has not negotiated in good faith. Speaker after speaker queried why the government had failed to review public sector pensions so there was some basis for discussion rather than uninformed assertion.

157 pounds were raised for the hardship fund.
How much has your school raised?

And write to your MP and the local press. Individual letters are the most effective. We need to win the battle for hearts and minds. This is doubly so with the hearts and minds of other trade unionists whose pensions are under attack. Only together can we defeat the pensions robbery.

And support your local police - they are facing cuts to their pensions too!

Rally on 30th June

2011-06-29T12:32:00.000Z

For a map go here

David Cameron's "baseless argument"

2011-06-29T09:11:00.000Z

Commenting on David Cameron’s speech to the Local Government Association conference, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said;

“David Cameron insists on pressing ahead with the baseless argument that public sector pensions must be substantially cut.

“The Teachers’ Pension Scheme has already been reformed in 2007. The National Audit Office recognises that those changes, including increased contributions, a normal pension age of 65 and a cap on employer contributions, mean that costs are falling. The NUT believes that our scheme is viable and sustainable. However, our 2007 agreement also provided for regular re-valuations of the scheme and for teachers to pay more if costs are shown to have risen.

“This Government has refused to undertake this re-valuation and wants to impose further changes without any evidence they are needed. Furthermore, David Cameron said today ‘what you have already earned you will keep’. However, the RPI to CPI switch already imposed is an attack on accrued rights that will cost existing and future retirees thousands of pounds. It breaks coalition manifesto promises.

“Teachers are not burying their heads in the sand. We have already agreed to possible further changes, at a cost to ourselves, but we cannot negotiate an agreement when the Government is failing to bring forward any evidence to support its case.

“David Cameron is absolutely right to point out the gap between public and private sector pensions. The NUT also agrees that there is a problem. Two thirds of private sector workers don’t have access to any employer-sponsored pension scheme and face poverty in retirement. The NUT wants to see fair pensions for all workers. We want the Government to improve the basic pension and require all employers to contribute to decent occupational schemes.

“The Prime Minister seems to think equality means the whole country being reduced to poverty in old age. This is a betrayal of those public sector workers who are saving for their retirement and those private sector workers who are denied the chance to do so.

“The Government needs to be aware that more and more people are becoming extremely angry about this attack on pensions and will take action to defend them. The ‘we are all in this together’ rhetoric is sounding increasingly hollow with each passing day”

Who do you trust? 2010 figures

2011-06-27T13:07:00.003Z

When politicians start telling teachers they will lose credibility it is worth remembering that we have a very very long way to go to get down to their level!

Figures from GfK - based on extensive research.

Michael Gove's irresponsible suggestion

2011-06-27T08:18:00.002Z

Michael Gove's suggestion that parents should break the strike is
irresponsible. You will appreciate that most parents do not have the necessary Criminal
Records Bureau clearance to work with children and there are serious health and safety implications with unqualified people looking after large numbers of children.

It also shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the teaching profession. If the Minister of Education genuinely believes teaching is a job any unqualified person can do it does not bode well for the future of education.

Hardship fund

2011-06-23T08:33:00.004Z

Worthing Trades Council supports the NUT

2011-06-23T08:25:00.002Z

The newly-formed Worthing Trades Council supported the action of the NUT, ATL and PCS to stop the robbery of their pensions.

Teachers, lecturers and public servants had a contract with the government that they would receive pensions and the pensions would rise in line with the Retail Price Index. The government has unilaterally torn up that contact.

The unintended consequence of this has been that many trade unions are now united in opposing the government's policy.

Frequently Asked Questions about the strike

2011-06-22T08:57:00.002Z

There is an FAQ on the NUT website. I receive a lot of calls and emails asking questions which are answered by the FAQ.

One was

"Do I have to tell the head I am going on strike?"

Some local authorities are giving inaccurate advice on this. The NUT advice is as follows:

The NUT is required by law to give employers 7 days’ notice of the number of members it is calling upon to take action in each workplace. NUT headquarters sends this information to the employer (local authority or governing body) as required by law and also sends a copy to each head teacher or principal.

Individual NUT members do not have to tell their employer whether they personally intend to go on strike. If the head teacher approaches individual teachers, the NUT representative should advise the head teacher that information will be provided by the NUT nationally. If there is no NUT representative, this is an ideal time to consider electing one!

What is an FAQ? It consists of answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton Pride

2011-06-22T07:41:00.002Z

Worthing Rally

2011-06-18T16:00:00.002Z

The WSTA Executive met today to plan the rally in Worthing on the 30th June. We advise people to come to Worthing by train if possible.

The venue is yet to be finalised and we aim to have ATL colleagues with us on this important day. Details of the rally will appear here when finalised. We anticipate support from other trade unions.

We also urge members to write to their MPs. It is reported the government is already under pressure from backbench MPs to moderate their extreme stance.

Lifelong Learning Newsletter Summer 2011

2011-06-18T15:54:00.004Z

To save paper you can access the Lifelong Learning Newsletter by clicking here

Information about
* Disability
* ICT training
* NUT representative training
* Retirement
* Continuing Professional Development

Write to your MP

2011-06-16T10:54:00.002Z

Campaigners always advise writing to MPs in your own words. You can adapt the NUT message to your MP to your heart's content and it costs nothing to send:

I have written to my MP. This is the letter I have written. If you are unhappy about working longer, paying more and getting less pension you are all entitled to write to your MP whether you are involved in strike action or not.

To simplify matters you can go to a website to send a letter and type in your own text. http://teachers.org.uk/node/13357

I know that the General Secretary of my trade union, the National Union of Teachers, has written to inform you why the NUT and the Association for Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) are planning to take industrial action on pensions on 30 June.

You are aware that the ATL are traditionally moderate right-wing trade unionists. What has your government done to alienate them?

As one of your constituents, I wanted to let you know that I will support the action but very much hope that it will not be necessary. Educating my pupils is the most important aspect of my working life. If I stay away from school on 30 June this will not be a decision that I or any of my colleagues will take lightly.

Despite the best efforts of my union and others engaged in negotiations with Ministers, the Government is not taking the talks seriously. It is outrageous that it has not carried out the latest quadrennial valuation of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme required by law. In the absence of this valuation, the Government are putting forward proposals on an uninformed basis.

Furthermore, without any negotiation whatsoever, the Government has already implemented the change of pension indexation from RPI to CPI. It is not too late for the NUT and ATL to call off the action. Please would you contact the
Secretary of State for Education on my behalf and ask him to:

• Withdraw the RPI/CPI switch already imposed

• Withdraw its proposals to increase contributions and
pension ages
• Carry out the valuation of the Teachers’ Pension
Scheme
• Honour the 2006 agreement on public sector pensions and
use it to discuss and decide changes if any are needed.

I have paid into my pension in good faith and I think it is
only right and proper that the Government should start
taking the negotiations seriously. I sincerely hope that I
don’t need to take action on 30 June. In the meantime,
many thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Yours sincerely,

Derek McMillan

30th June - action in Brighton

2011-06-16T10:52:00.001Z

Many WSTA members live in Brighton, so what is going on in Brighton on strike day 30th June?

NUT Young Teacher representative Phil Clarke writes:

With NUT members voting 92% in favour of strike action and ATL 83%
co-ordinated public sector strike action took a step closer today. We
fully expect the PCS to follow suit with an announcement tomorrow, UCU
already have an active ballot. The battle to protect pensions, jobs
and pay is on!

Such strong votes show union members support but groups like Stop the
Cuts have a key role in helping get the message out beyond those
directly involved.

So come to the meeting on the 20th June 7:30pm at Friends Meeting
House and invite friends +colleagues using facebook
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135553419855931 and just by
talking to them!

Meet at the Level 10:30am on Thursday 30th June to take part in a
march across town in support of the strikes. Large numbers of schools
are expected to shut so get parents and children along!

Disability Conference

2011-05-28T19:33:00.002Z

Derek McMillan of WSTA attended the TUC Disability conference, pictured above.

The TUC is concerned that the cuts are disproportionately hitting disabled people. The conference was determined to oppose cuts whichever group of politicians bring them in.

There has also been a rise in hate crime against disabled people who are caricatured as scroungers in the popular press.

There will be a "disability history month" later in the year to draw attention to the way society treats people with disabilities.

Redundancy information from TSN

2011-05-18T10:41:00.002Z

Click here for facts about redundancy

Information from The Burgundy Book

Strike Action FAQs

TSN is the teacher support network. They have a 24 hour helpline you can contact. 08000 562 561

Pensions - how much will you lose

2011-05-16T08:36:00.000Z

General Meeting 18 May

2011-05-11T13:22:00.001Z

The next General Meeting of the West Sussex Teachers’ Association will be on Wednesday 18th May 2011 at 4.15pm at The Weald School, Billingshurst.

The meeting will focus on:
The Pensions Campaign
Academies

Discussion on these issues will be ended by 5.15pm at the latest.

Agenda

1.Apologies for Absence
2.Minutes of the Last General Meeting held on Wednesday 26th January, 2011
3.Matters Arising from the Minutes
4.Correspondence
5.Written Reports
a.Secretary
b.Treasurer
c.Others
6.Main Item – see above
7.Report back from Annual Conference 2011.
8.Nomination for national officers
9.Executive Member’s Report
10.Regional Office Report
11.AOB

Conference Blog 9

2011-05-02T13:57:00.000Z

Hazel Rees writes

The highlight of conference for me was hearing Mary Bousted from ATL speak.
It was a dramatic moment! It's great that ATL and NUT will be taking action
together. Now it is time to dig in - it's clear we have got a lot of work to
do over the next few weeks.

One of the more disappointing aspects of conference was the amount of stuff
on the agenda we didn't get to cover. I think conference needs to be
organised more efficiently - in fact this was discussed in one of the
motions we did get to cover (see below).

Overall, I was glad to have been part of the conference and cherish the way
democracy is at the heart of the NUT. It is still an exhausting exercise
which at times tests stamina and patience! Richard deserves a medal for
getting into the hall first - before the whole of the rest of conference!! -
about an hour early every morning to save us all seats. Hero! (Which reminds
me of a new term I learnt this weekend - "shero"!).

Below are the motions I was allocated to report on (that actually had debate
time! There were several more that were timed out).

*24th April 2011*

The second *Executive Priority Motion* was on Wales and the response to the
PISA results.

This was an interesting discussion and personally brought to light some
things which I had been unaware of.

Wales has recently had a poor set of PISA results which has led to a
knee-jerk reaction by the Welsh Education Minister. The proposals include a
return to standardised testing, particularly in reading, with the intention
of improving scores in the PISA tests. There are also plans to administer
strict numeracy and literacy tests on trainee teachers before they start
ITT.

Firstly, as with all standardised tests and league tables, the PISA tests
are a decontextualised measure which cannot accurately be used to judge true
learning. Worryingly, the Minister seems to be persistently ignoring the
fact that Welsh schools receive significantly less funding than English
schools - £604 per annumn per child, and instead is scapegoating teachers
for the poor results. Many rural schools are being closed, with implications
for post-16 choices in rural areas, leaving many young people forced to
travel long distances each day. The priority motion condemned these
developments and placed opposition to the new tests at the heart of NUT
policy.

*26th April

*Motion 62 - Conference. Jerry Glazier argued for sensible, effective
changes to conference. Due to increased participation in local associations,
this year there were 10 extra motions on the agenda - this is good but
because of the way conference is organised, there have been many not
discussed (12 motions not even started!). The system of moving and seconding
takes a long time, and seems wasteful when often the delegates are already
overwhelmingly in favour of a motion. Of equal concern is the time-lag
between deciding the agenda and the conference - this year the delay was 19
weeks, and therefore the executive had to bring a number of priority motions
at the last minute, thus impacting further on the agenda. There was a
working party a number of years ago which researched and wrote a memorandum
on re-organising conference, but due to a quirk of voting this was never
looked at properly. The suggestion is this work is re-visited. The motion
was carried. This was despite a number of speakers against (views were, 'it
aint broke, don't fix it - NUT conference is best in the world etc). I
personally disagree and think conference is too long, and our time is too
precious - there are lots of ways of speeding things up!!

Motion 63 - Inclusive Education and Special Educational Needs. This motion
condemns the green paper, which picks on the weakest in society by
privatising the SEN sector. John Lockwood (Warwickshire) likened PRUs to an
intensive care unit. He is angry that Ofsted's new framework now places the
same expectations as mainstream onto PRU's. This has happened in his PRU and
an Ofsted-selected management has been moved into his school - they
dismantled the existing behaviour management strategy and put the 1-1
children back on site full time - since September there have been 60 attacks
on staff, including hospitalisation. This motion and all amendments were
passed.

Christine Blower's address - I left part way through the closing address for
my train - so this is about half of what she said!
1. She praised the president for battling her health problems.
2. Praised the rout of the BNP in Barking and Dagenham and paid tribute to
Jason Hill (the first recipient of the Blair Peach award)
3. General election - no-one voted for this result and the cuts are
ideological.
4. March for the Alternative was great and the NUT came out in force.
5. "No cuts for kids" - a parents movement against sure start closures.

*Young Teachers
*Annoyingly, all of the motions about Young Teachers were timed out. The
motion positioning NUT against £9k tuition fees was carried, and a 15 year
old speaker called Joe Cotton did a brilliant job at addressing conference
on Monday, and has caused a fair amount of press coverage. I went to the
Young Teachers Reception which was unusually muted - Christine Blower called
on us all to get generally more noisy!

26th April 2011.

Work Life balance

2011-04-29T12:00:00.002Z

Schools all talk about work-life balance. Some even have work-life balance policies. Most of these provoke hollow laughter from the staff. Thanks to the campaigning work of NUT members one school has actually adopted such a policy. Put it to your head and governors and see what they say.

Few will give in without a fight but members will probably think this is worth fighting for and the victory at Morningside is a psychological bridgehead from which other teachers can advance.

The policy document is here

The hours spreadsheet is here

Download them and see what the members in your school think.

No to Warden Park Academy

2011-04-27T10:30:00.000Z

New Facebook group

No-to-Warden-Park-Academy

Conference Blog 8

2011-04-26T09:08:00.000Z

Anti Academy Alliance
Dave Thomas writes;
The meeting was packed. We were told about the importance of holding joint union meetings and industrial action. Strike action should be considered even when success cannot be guaranteed. We need to pink the fight against academies with the defence of our pensions.

Let's be proactive, not just reactive on this vital issue.

Conference Blog 7

2011-04-26T08:08:00.002Z

Mark Sandell writes:

Anti Academies Alliance
www.antiacademies.org.uk

The meeting showed how fast a school can become an academy. Academies can do away with national pay and conditions. Already an academy in Northampton has unilaterally stopped an elected union rep's facility time. I spoke to a delegate from Nottingham who told me that there the academies were brought in over the end of the summer term and during the summer holidays. Everyone at the meeting agreed that the dangers of academies need to be explained alongside the pension strike campaign.

Photos from the big march

2011-04-25T17:23:00.004Z

En route to the march, representatives from Downlands school in Hassocks take a breather following a bit of banner waving in Parliament square - our banners attracted a lot of attention!'

Conference Blog 6

2011-04-25T16:54:00.004Z

Motion 60 - Extended Nursery Hours - More work but the same pay.

This was moved by Jenny Harper (Croydon).

Excellent speech by a teacher who said she did not work in a nursery setting but very ably set out the concerns re nursery colleagues working longer hours for no more money in order to ensure the 15 hours' entitlement to nursery education. As Jenny stated: a longer teaching day for nursery colleagues will have an impact on all sectors of education.

Marilyn Evans (Croydon) explained to conference how the longer working day impacts on the quality provision that young children receive. As any nursery teacher knows - the afternoon children do not have it as good as the morning children!

Andrew Summers of Warwickshire spoke in support of nursery teachers and nursery education. It was refreshing to listen to a secondary colleague able to speak so informatively about the work of his nursery colleagues in the association. He works in a PRU and said that he saluted the work done in the early years to ensure children get the best start to their education.

An amendment to the motion spoke about the damage being done to Childrens' Centres and nursery schools by the imposition of the single funding formula. Faith McGrath stated that all the Surestart Children's Centres in Lewisham would have a to close as a result.

The motion and amendment were carried by conference.

Conference Blog 5

2011-04-25T10:04:00.002Z

Angela Ahern writes:
Debate on teacher workload and school inspections

Thumbs up to Jane Walton from Wakefield for a rousing speech involving Executive members on the Platform wearing different hats e.g. Train driver,firefighter, police officer, Tigger (remaining bouncy) and a jester attempting to keep all the balls in the air. This was to illustrate ~ very effectively and humorously ~ all the jobs teachers are expected to do and the balls they are expected to keep in the air on a daily basis.
Teachers are not allowed to have 'off' days or even an 'off' 15 minutes but are expected to be 'bouncy' and excellent all he time. Jane encouraged conference to support an amendment to the main motion encouraging the union to campaign vigorously against the current negative model of school inspection in Ofsted. She received a standing ovation.

Conference Blog 4

2011-04-25T06:49:00.003Z

Derek McMillan writes:

Rupert Murdoch's balanced and unbiased comment on the conference:
"LEFTY TEACHERS vote for ballot for STRIKE ACTION in a clear attempt to WRECK UK's RECOVERY" (The somewhat manic BLOCK CAPITALS are in the original)

You will have gathered that ATL and NUT have now voted to ballot on industrial action to stop the pensions robbery. And as you can see The Sun will be giving us fair and honest coverage.

Conference Blog 3

2011-04-25T06:44:00.004Z

Chris Miles writes:

On Sunday 24th April, the much anticipated TSN Quiz was held. WSTA was ably represented by the Martlets team of Phil Dufty, Chris Miles Euan Hannington and Marcia De Cruz.

The team came in a very creditable third out of 40+ teams. They showed particular prowess in the areas of food and drink (about which much research had been undertaken during conference), bird recognition, although the great tit was not observed accurately, and herbs.

Sheffield United proved a bone of contention but overall the team showed great knowledge, accord and stamina.

Conference Blog 2

2011-04-24T07:19:00.003Z

Euan Hannington writes

Here are the top five quotes from conference which I've jotted down in green ink thus far:

5 This government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
4 In Cuba they have a saying 'Those who can, teach. Those who can't learn to read and write.'
3)The Con Dem's economic policy is Robin Hood in reverse: stealing from the poor to give to the rich.
2) Hugo Chavez. What a crook. Re-nationalised the oil industry and gave the profits back to the people, e.g. highest minimum wage in Latin America.
1) Cameron, Clegg and the right wing media may dismiss us trade unionists as dinosaurs. Well the dinosaurs ruled the earth for 160 million years. They were successful creatures, well adapted to their environment and it took a giant asteroid from outer space to wipe them out. Mr Cameron, you are not in the same league as a giant asteroid from outer space.

Food for thought.

Conference Blog 1

2011-04-22T17:45:00.004Z

Derek McMillan writes:

It is unheard of for the ATL to ballot for strike action. Small wonder then that there was a standing ovation for Mary Bousted of the ATL at the NUT conference who announced the unanimous backing of the ATL executive for the conference decision to ballot. She believed that "Reasoned argument is shrugged aside for an ideological experiment" and the teachers are being asked to pay for a crisis caused by the banking system. Now the bankers "are up to the same tricks" and action is the only way to get the government to see reason.

I repeat this is the ATL speaking. So we look forward to a similar response from the self-styled "largest teachers union" the NASUWT :)

Or not... since this was written the NASUWT has shied away from joining their colleagues on strike this coming term. They could be waiting for too long and end up missing the bus! Talk to your NASUWT colleagues about this. They can always join the NUT for free ....

ICT from the NUT for free

2011-03-31T12:53:00.001Z

Details of NUT ICT Skills for teachers courses during summer term 2011 are now
available at http://www.teachers.org.uk/ict-skills

Please view the locations, dates and course contents to see if any of these meet your needs and are within reasonable travelling distance for you.

There is a course at Chichester College, Chichester Campus, Westgate Fields,
Chichester, West Sussex, P019 1SB

An online application form is available and if you have any queries please address them to ict-skills@nut.org.uk

The big march on 26 March

2011-03-29T10:12:00.004Z

Members of WSTA took part in the massive peaceful protest against government policy on 26 March.

Estimates of the numbers on the march vary from a quarter to half a million but they certainly dwarf the violent protests which the media chose to focus on.

This is just the beginning as the government is disinclined to listen. While they are cutting schools, libraries, pensions and welfare....in short everything except bankers' bonuses and MPs expenses....this campaign will go on.

Warden Park teachers overwhelmingly oppose academy

2011-03-21T18:00:00.001Z

Staff at Warden Park have shown in two ballots that they are overwhelmingly against the proposal to make the school an academy.
Their reasons include:
* The school has been very successful with the support of West Sussex and see no reason to change a winning formula.
* There is no evidence that academies raise standards. In some cases the opposite has been the case.
* Heyworth staff and parents have little to gain and much to lose from a ‘take-over’ by a secondary school on the other side of the town.
* Parents will have much less say in how their children are educated if the two schools combine under one headteacher and one governing body.

Malcolm Peppiatt, President of West Sussex Teachers’ Association said that ‘It is not surprising that all the main professional associations are opposed to schools becoming academies. This particular proposal involves taking a huge risk with the future of a very successful school. It is understandable that the staff of the school are so opposed to it.”

A public meeting to discuss these proposals will be held at on Tuesday 5th April at Clair Hall Perrymount Rd Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3DN (5.30pm). We hope you will come to express your views.
West Sussex Teachers’ Association

Hutton proposals for Pensions - daylight robbery?

2011-03-10T11:18:00.001Z

Commenting on the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission final report, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said;

"Let's be clear - public sector pensions are not 'gold plated' and they are affordable. The National Audit Office has confirmed that public sector pension costs are falling as expected due to the reforms already in place which include higher contributions, raising the pension age to 65 for new entrants and capping employer contributions.

"The Government has already announced, without waiting for Hutton's final report, a 50% increase in pension contributions and changed the pensions link from RPI to CPI. This already stated desire to increase pension contributions by more than half will cost newly qualified teachers up to £61 a month and experienced classroom teachers up to £102 a month - an additional cost which will see many leaving the Teachers' Pensions Scheme.

"These measures will price many teachers and public sector workers out of pension schemes and lead to dependency on the state in old age. This is in no one's interests, as Hutton himself admits. What it also reveals is that the Government has already set its own disgraceful course.

"The real pension problem is in the private sector where two-thirds of employees are not in any employer-backed scheme. We need decent pensions for all."

"Hutton recommends a move away from final salary to career average pensions. The Government will try to use this proposal as another cost-cutting measure. They know that there are already good quality alternatives in place.

"Hutton recognises that any career average schemes should not be linked to CPI inflation because it would destroy their value. The Government cannot be trusted on these issues. Promises to protect accrued rights have already been broken.

"The NUT will be discussing the issue of defending teachers' pensions at our Annual Conference in April."

National Education Conference

2011-03-10T09:03:00.002Z

The National Education Conference is held at Stoke Rochford Hall on the weekend of 9th and 10th July.

The NEC is the major education event of the year with leading experts in education talking and answering questions from teachers.

Anyone who wants to attend should contact the secretary Dave Thomas
secretary@west-sussex.nut.org.uk

WSTA Helpline and Learning Rep Report 2011

2011-03-01T12:42:00.002Z

Email wstalearn@yahoo.co.uk
Phone 01403 258222

The helpline continues to be a vital means by which members can get in touch with the union.

Increasingly members find email useful as they can use wsgfl accounts in school. It is unfortunate that HQ put the secretary’s email instead of mine on the cards as this makes it difficult for me to perform “triage” on the members seeking help so more caseworkers get a chance to assist.

We have continued to use the social networking site “Facebook” to contact members. We have 132 “friends” on Facebook. This enables us to contact directly those members to whom Facebook is second nature.

I have also maintained the blog and the website.

For those less au fait with the electronic age I have produced newsletters and posters.

Derek McMillan (Helpline Co-ordinator and Union Learning Rep)

Police in the same boat as teachers?

2011-02-11T10:36:00.003Z

I think the police face the same problem as has arisen in the health service and education - unqualified and underpaid staff replacing qualified officers as a way of cutting costs.
Community Support Officers bringing in policing on the cheap.

At the same time there have been concerns expressed about the use of the police against legitimate protests - the so-called "kettling" controversy. Hugh Orde of ACPO has freely confessed that "kettling" may be a violation of human rights - including the right to use toilet facilities! - but shrugged off the problem It's "for the greater good, and that's the really complex part of policing."

If you have any comments on policing contact
Paul.Price@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Disabled Teachers' Conference

2011-02-10T14:38:00.002Z

HAMILTON HOUSE, MABLEDON PLACE, LONDON
SATURDAY, 18TH JUNE 2011
Members of the NUT who identify as disabled will have the
opportunity to meet other members, receive updates about Union
campaigns and discover ways to get involved in their Union.
Application forms are available from the Education, Equality and
Professional Development Department
Please contact the Disability Conference Team at NUT, Hamilton House,
Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD
Tel: 020 7380 4861 Email: dtc@nut.org.uk
COST
• NUT members representing divisions or associations in the Midlands, South East and
Eastern regions – £65
However WSTA will consider applications from members who wish to attend both for the conference fee and for travelling expenses. Nobody should be prevented from attending because of cost.

LGBT History Month

2011-02-01T18:05:00.002Z

West Sussex Libraries will be celebrating Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) History Month with some free events.
The Library Service has been working with West Sussex County Council’s LGBT Staff Group (GLO-WEST) to host a series of talks by authors and performers.
Arcadia Books, which has a strong focus on LGBT related writing, will present two evenings at Worthing Library. They are:
Friday February 4 – an evening with authors Francis King and Maureen Duffy. Francis, who came out as a homosexual in the 1970s, lived for many years in Brighton. He will be discussing his 50th novel, ‘Cold Snap’. Maureen Duffy, said to have been ‘Britain’s first lesbian to come out in public’, will return to her hometown to discuss her work, including her lesbian themed novel, ‘The Microcosm’. "They are joined by Michael Arditti, author of six acclaimed novels including ‘The Enemy of the Good’.

Friday February 11 – Stonewall Writer of the Year 2010, Rupert Smith, and author of the Gay Times Book of Disturbing Stories, Peter Burton, will be joined by contributors from Arcadia’s new anthology of international writing, ‘What Love Is’ to discuss the anthology and other books. Stonewall is a national campaign to promote LGBT equality.

Author Helena Whitbread visits Shoreham Library on Wednesday February 9, to discuss her book, ‘The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister’. This selection of diaries of a 19th century landowner has been described as ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history’.
An accompanying exhibition will be at Shoreham Library from Tuesday February 1 to Friday February 11, and at Worthing Library from Tuesday February 15 to Monday February 28.
Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Libraries, said: “West Sussex Libraries is pleased to help mark this national celebration recognising the LGBT community in West Sussex with a host of events.
“The Library service holds a diverse range of events throughout the year including visiting poets, artists, authors and live music.

“Everyone is welcome to the events, you do not have to be a library member or be from the LGBT community. The events are free, but places are limited, so book a ticket today.”

Tickets for the talks are available through Worthing Library, call 01903 704809 or Shoreham Library on 01273 454438. Visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/libraries for more information

Protest against the cuts 11 February Chichester County Hall

2011-02-01T09:18:00.004Z

Graham McKnight Writes:

Good news! Worthing Solidarity Network (which is supported by West Sussex NUT) are staging a small protest on Friday 11th February outside the council building in Chichester at 10:30am. This is the day upon which the council sneaks out their announcement on job cuts.

WSN activists will now almost certainly be there again on Saturday 19th February to strengthen our presence and disseminate anti-cuts literature.

A stall may be set up nearby that we can use to collect signatures for petitions against the Free School and cuts to public services.

Given this, I ask for the largest possible number of concerned teachers and parents to be there with us to help out!

TUC National Demonstration: Saturday 26th March 2011

2011-01-28T11:22:00.001Z

TUC National Demonstration: Saturday 26th March 2011
Join the TUC and other affiliated unions in the fight against unfair and unnecessary spending cuts.

Date: Saturday 26th March 2011

Time: Assemble at 11am

Venue: Victoria Embankment between Temple Place and Blackfriars. March to Hyde Park for rally

The challenge is to counter the government's lies about

* the economy has never been in such a state
* spending on public service are the cause of this
* deep cuts to public services are essential
* these are difficult decisions - but they are fair

Support the alternative:

* A Robin Hood tax on the banks
* Closing tax loopholes
* Policies for jobs and green growth

AGM 5th March 2011 Agenda

2011-01-27T10:28:00.001Z

The Annual General Meeting of the West Sussex Teachers' Association will be held from 10am to 12pm on Saturday March 5th at
Mannings Heath Golf Club, Hammerpond Road, Mannings Heath, Horsham, West Sussex. RH13 6PG

Coffee will be available from 9.30am

AGENDA

1.Apologies for Absence

2.Minutes of the last AGM – 2010

3.Written Reports

4.Treasurer’s Report and Statement of Accounts

5.Installation of the President for 2011/12: Mr Malcolm Peppiatt

6.Rule Changes

7.Adoption of Rules and Standing Orders

8.Declaration of the result of the election of the officers of the Executive Committee.

9.President’s Address

10.Discussion of Matters declared Urgent by the Meeting

AGM 5 March 2011 - How to get there

2011-01-27T10:25:00.000Z

Directions to the AGM March 5th 2011 to be held at

Mannings Heath Golf Club, Hammerpond Road,
Mannings Heath, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 6PG

From Horsham
Take the A281 Brighton road out of Horsham for two miles. Approaching Mannings Heath take the left turn at the Dun Horse public house, and follow the road to the T-Junction. Turn left and follow the road, passing through the village green. After the T-Junction turn right and immediately right again into the Golf Course entrance.

From Brighton
Take the A23 and then A281 through the villages of Bolney, Cowfold, Lower Beeding and Monks Gate. Approximately half a mile out of Monks Gate, when you see Mannings Heath village sign on the left, take the next right into Church Road. Follow this road pass the village green to the T-Junction at the end. Turn right and immediately right again into the Golf Club entrance.

From the M23, Junction 11
At the end of the slip road, take the first sharp left turning. At the mini-roundabout, turn right through the village of Pease Pottage, passing the James King public house and the Golf Driving Range on the right. Take the next turn left (a concealed country road), Grouse Road which is opposite the entrance to Cottesmore School. Follow Grouse Road for 4 miles, turn right at the T-Junction at the end and the Golf Club entrance is situated on the left on the brow of the hill.

Free ICT courses

2011-01-12T17:25:00.003Z

Financial Advice on retirement

2011-01-08T15:14:00.003Z

We don't offer financial advice....

Fortunately we know someone who does!

Click here

"Driving Teachers" to distraction!

2010-12-10T17:10:00.001Z

A teacher at a school "somewhere in Sussex" was given a performance target of "driving" not cattle or the school minibus but other teachers!

They are clearly unaware of the traditional Sussex ballad:

Some folks as comes to Sussex,
They rackons as they knows
A darn sight better what to do
Then silly folks like me and you
Could possibly suppose.
But them as comes to Sussex,
They mustn't push and shove'
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv.

All folks as comes to Sussex
Must follow Sussex ways,
And when they've larned to know us well
There's no place else they'd wish to dwell
In all their blessed days.
There ant no place like Sussex
Until you goos above,
But Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be dru

Save Our School Sports Partnerships

2010-11-26T19:35:00.001Z

Sign the petition Click here

Save Our School Sports Partnerships

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is encouraging teachers, head teachers and members of the public to add their names to a national petition against cuts to school sports.

The Government is planning to cut the £162 million that has helped to support the work of the 450 School Sport Partnerships that have done so much to provide an infrastructure for school sport. These cuts also threaten the jobs of specialist advisers for school sports.

The Government should be building on the opportunity provided by the 2012 Olympics, and England's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018, rather than cutting direct funding for school sports.
The NUT opposes all cuts to front line education services, including school sports, music and specialist services such as those to support the achievement of children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Sign the petition

Young Ambassadors representing the School Sports Partnerships hope to deliver over a million signatures to the Secretary of State for Education on 7th December. The NUT urges all those who support an entitlement for all children and young people to have high quality opportunities in PE and school sports to support this campaign.

Please sign the petition here by Monday 29th November 2010. It would also be really helpful if you could forward this email to your friends and colleagues and ask for their support