Tower Hamlets & the City

SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHERS’ PAY

Wednesday 13th October

5:30pm via Zoom register here

Pay and Workload

Pay and workload are two areas where the NEU wants to make a difference for members, through strong local and workplace organisation.

There are some key ways in which we can do this and we will make this a priority in the coming months, listening to members’ concerns and working with Reps to make a difference in schools.

We are always ready to attend a meeting in your school as part of this work.

1. PAY SURVEY AND BRIEFING

We want to get the largest possible response to the pay survey we sent to members at the weekend. From the responses received so far we have already collated some useful information about how decisions are affecting members, and their views on the pay freeze – the responses will help our continuing work on this.

Things you can do in your workplace:

• Please copy this link https://bit.ly/TH_pay_survey and encourage NEU colleagues in your school to complete the survey
• Attend our briefing on October 13th and encourage others to attend
• Call a meeting in your workplace and invite a local officer to attend

2. WORKLOAD

At our meeting last week we heard from an NEU Rep in a primary school where members had worked together to identify areas of concern and begin discussions with their headteacher to address these – the starting point for this was the NEU stress audit, which we can set up for members in your school.

We want to collect good examples where schools have taken initiatives to reduce workload in any way, so please do share anything from your school – this can be anonymous if you wish.

You can download NEU materials on workload here.

3. DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN HEADTEACHERS AND UNION REPS

Following discussions last year we have been working with headteachers to draft a “Memorandum of Understanding”, which sets out a framework for discussion between trade unions and school leaders – which I think will be useful in our work on pay policy and workload. Click on the link below for the latest draft which is going to the local Trade Union Forum and headteacher meetings in the next few weeks, and which we will discuss at our next meeting on Monday 18th October.

Please have a look at this and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

4. NEU TRAINING COURSES

I have also attached a booklet containing details of NEU online training courses, including Reps training, for the autumn term. Do check the dates for these and try to enrol – reps are entitled to time off to attend union training.

TEACHER PAY SCALES

Click here to see the pay scales for teachers for 2021/22 and their monthly equivalent – use this to check you are being paid on the correct scale.

ANNUAL PAY PROGRESSION

Click here for guidance on how decisions are made about teacher pay progression and how this might affect you.

Headline: After five years teaching you should expect to be on M6.

EXTRA RESPONSIBILITIES, TLRs AND THE UPPER PAY RANGE

Click here for guidance on being asked to take on extra responsibilities without additional payment.

Headline: You should not be expected to take on extra responsibilities as a condition for moving onto the Upper Pay Range.

LBTH PAY POLICY

Click here to see the full LBTH pay policy which your school should have adopted.

We hope this information is useful to you, and we are always here to help, so do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any concerns about implementation of pay policy  in your school.

Welcome back after the Summer holiday. We hope you managed to have a break and do the things you wanted to do. Here is an update on campaigns and issues for this term.

1. WORKLOAD AND DIRECTED TIME

This term we will continue to focus on workload for teachers and support staff and would like to hear reports from schools at our District meeting.All schools should have published the Directed Time breakdown and calendar for this academic year and this should have been discussed with staff and unions.

You can find more information here If you have any problems with this please let us know.

2. PAY PROGRESSION

Teachers below U3 on the pay scale are eligible for pay progression and decisions about this should be made before October 31st. In the light of the pandemic we expect this to be automatic this year, unless someone has been subject to capability procedures.

For more on Teachers pay click here.

Please discuss this with your head and make sure your school has the necessary arrangements in place.

3. TEACHERS PAY AWARD

This image shows the ‘updated’ pay scales for this year. Colleagues will notice that the scales are the same as last year – because the government has decided to freeze teachers’ pay for this year.

This is effectively a pay cut, it’s insulting after the work we have done, and it will create more problems in teacher recruitment.

The NEU is preparing a campaign on this and is in discussions with other public sector unions. We will bring more details when we can.

4. EARLY CAREER TEACHERS (ECTs)

Please look out for new staff in your school, particularly ECTS (what used to be NQTs!) and ask them to join the NEU.

Please send me the names of any ECTs in your school and we will write to them and send them an information pack.

5. EQUALITIES

We will continue to develop our important work on equalities this year – we have set up a working party which is coordinated by Kiri Tunks, our equalities officer. We are very keen to develop the curriculum area of our website, sharing resources that have been used in local schools.

If you have any resources to share please email kiri.tunks@neu.org.uk We are particularly interested in resources that can be used in Black History Month in October or for the upcoming Disability History Month in November/December.

6. CLIMATE EMERGENCY AND THE BIG GREEN WEEK

As part of the campaign on the Climate Emergency we are asking members in schools to support the Great Big Green Week between 18th-26th September – this includes a call for staff and pupils to wear green on Friday 25th September and to post pictures. We have circulated information to your headteacher so please do discuss this with them. Amy Fletcher will talk about this at our meeting next week.

7. SUPPORTING REFUGEES

Tower Hamlets Council has published a statement making clear its commitment to supporting Afghan refugees to settle in the UK. The statement outlines what action Tower Hamlets Council is taking in partnership with other agencies, including the Mayor of London, and identifies ways in which we can assist in making these refugees welcome in our community.

• Visit our website to read the statement and download NEU resources to support refugee children in our schools.
• We are also supporting Care 4 Calais, a charity supporting migrants in Calais.

Judy Cox and Sam Baroot will speak about this at our meeting next week and will be recommending that we make a donation.

Please don’t forget to register for our meeting on Monday 20th September at 5:30pm – there is lots to discuss and it would be great to start the year with a strong turnout

Tower Hamlets Council today published this statement making clear its commitment to supporting Afghan refugees to settle in the UK. The statement outlines what action Tower Hamlets Council is taking in partnership with other agencies including the Mayor of London and identifies ways in which we can assist in making these refugees welcome in our community.

The statement is republished below. You can read the original here.

You can find NEU resources to support refugee children in our schools here.

Welcoming refugee children to your school: guidance

We will be discussing what support Tower Hamlets & the City NEU can give to this initiative at our next General Members Meeting on 20th September. The meeting will take place via zoom.

Support for Afghan Refugees

“The council is working closely with its partners to help refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, by giving them the support they need to re-build their lives in the UK.

Plans are continuing to be developed, and include an initial pledge from the council to rehouse up to five families. The council does recognise the additional housing challenge due to the shortage of larger family-sized properties in the borough.

Additional support will include helping families to settle into the local community, access benefits, employment and other local services like schools and doctors. 

Further updates will be provided as the range of support is further developed. This will include information on how local people and organisations can pledge their support to refugees.

The Government has promised to allow 20,000 people who have fled from the country since the Taliban took charge in August to settle in the UK over the next five years. The majority of those who have been flown out of the country are translators and their families, and others who worked alongside British forces and organisations in Afghanistan.

Many risked their lives in order to get into the airport in Kabul and onto flights out of the country, and efforts are continuing to allow for more people at risk to leave Afghanistan and reach safe countries, including the UK.

The Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs said:

“East London has a proud history of providing a safe haven for refugees of war and conflict. We have all been touched by the scenes of desperate refugees fleeing for their lives. London must play its part and Tower Hamlets will be at the forefront of London’s response.”

“There are Afghan families currently quarantining in hotels who need homes, care and support following the trauma they have faced. Our borough has a part to play, with support from the Government, in helping Afghan families find a home, access benefits, employment and local services like schools and doctors.”

“We are proud to be one of the London boroughs who have so far pledged to provide a range of help and support to Afghan refugee families and the council is in the process of working with charity groups and organisations across Tower Hamlets and London to do this.”  

How you can give your support

There are a number of ways you can support refugee families and we will continue to add to this page as opportunities develop in the future.

There is no immediate need for donations such as clothes, but do look out for specific requests for items that may be needed in the weeks and months ahead. Even very small financial contributions can make a huge difference, so do consider this if you are able to.

You can donate to the London Refugee Response set up with leadership from the Mayor of London, London Councils and charitable funders from across London so Londoners can provide much needed support to new arrivals from Afghanistan, (and potentially refugees and people seeking asylum from other countries living in London).

Sign up to the Volunteer Hub and volunteer your time with Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets to help Afghan or other refugees and asylum seekers. The team will be compiling a list of volunteers and will get in touch with those who have signed up once specific roles are developed. 

Please also consider supporting Praxis and Care4Calais in their work with refugees.”

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NEU DISTRICT MEETING

Monday 5th July 2021

5:30pm via Zoom

featuring Q&A with Cllr Asma Begum (lead member for education)

register here

Our final meeting of the year will feature an update on our workload campaign and a Q&A with Asma Begum who has just taken over as lead councillor for education in Tower Hamlets.

Please try to attend so we can end the year on a positive note.

COVID SAFETY

Covid cases are rising again in Tower Hamlets and we are aware that a number of classes and bubbles have been sent home to isolate. It is important that we maintain all the safety measures in schools and do everything we can to minimise the risk of infection. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch.

WORKLOAD CAMPAIGN • RESOURCES AND QUICK SURVEY

A reminder that you can find resources on workload and Directed Time here – please have a look and use them as the basis for discussion in your school.

Also, please spare a few minutes to complete our short survey letting us know what is happening in your school.

EXTRA BANK HOLIDAY IN 2022

We have received confirmation that schools will be required to open one day less for children next year – this is to allow for the extra bank holiday to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

This means that schools should be open 189 days plus 5 INSET days, making a total of 194 days.

The extra bank holiday falls in the May half-term so schools will be allowed to decide when to take the extra day.

Please make sure your head is aware of this and that the school calendar reflects this change.

For our next District meeting on July 5th we have invited Cllr Asma Begum, who has recently taken over as the LBTH lead member for education services, to talk about her priorities and answer your questions.
In a recent meeting with local officers Asma said she is keen to work with Unions, particularly on equalities issues so it should be a good discussion.

NATIONAL REPS CALL • WEDNESDAY 23rd JUNE
Register here for the call on Wednesday at 5:00pm

WORKLOAD WORKING PARTY

Our workload working party met last week. We are going to conduct an NEU stress survey in a few individual schools and use these as the basis for discussion with headteachers about reducing workload and improving well-being.

If you would like your school to be involved, please let me know.

TWO DEMONSTRATIONS ON SATURDAY

The NEU is supporting two demonstrations in London on Saturday June 26th.

The first has been called by the People’s Assembly against the government’s handling of Covid – assemble outside the BBC (Portland Place from 12 noon).

The second is for Trans Pride – assemble at Marble Arch from 1:30pm

We advise anyone attending demonstrations under the current restrictions to take precautions to maximise your safety and that of others.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need any information, advice or support.

21st June 2021

Monday 14th June is the 4th anniversary of the Grenfell fire atrocity. 

To mark it, churches around London will ring their bells 72 times at 6pm. 

Local activists are organising a commemoration and have asked Tower Hamlets and the City NEU to publicise this local event:

“St John’s in Bethnal Green (right next to the tube station) will be taking part, with the support of Reverend Alan Green (cc’d).  We want as many local people as possible to get involved, to mark the day.

While remembering those who died and their families, we also want to highlight the underlying causes of the Grenfell fire, which are still with us.  We had a recent reminder of this in Tower Hamlets at New Providence Wharf and there are still hundreds of blocks, as well as schools and other public buildings, where people’s lives are at risk because of inadequate safety and the profit-driven culture of the development industry.  

So, as well as paying our respects, we want to reaffirm our commitment to justice for the Grenfell dead and survivors and to demand that all flammable cladding material is removed, as the government said it would be.  Beyond this, we need to refocus attention on the fundamental right to a good, truly affordable and safe home for all, particularly now, when the lifting of the COVID eviction ban means thousands are threatened with homelessness.  

Please come to St John’s from 5.30pm on Monday 14th June.  We will mark the ringing of the bells in silence and then discuss what we can do to stop another Grenfell.”

I’m contacting tenant groups, anti-racism campaigners and other friends.  Let me know if you’d like to know more or have ideas for other things we could do and of course, invite others who you think will be interested.  If you can help to organise this, please get in touch.

The NEU has updated its advice, Conflict in the Middle East: Issues for Schools, which aims to support members to deal with the reactions of pupils and the wider community to the conflict.

While some of the challenges staff face may require short-term measures to be taken following an escalation of violence in the Middle East, there are also longer-term issues around antiracism that can be addressed on an ongoing basis through the curriculum and by the promotion of a positive all-school environment and ethos.

The advice covers some of the challenges staff and schools/colleges may face; the importance of adopting a whole-school/college approach; the role of staff; support for staff and pupils; the benefits of teaching media literacy; guidelines for teaching controversial issues; and schools and colleges’ legal duties. There is also a useful resources and support section.

Background

The NEU believes that education can and does change lives.

The long-standing and many-sided conflict between Israel and Palestine generates a wide variety of deeply-held opinions. People supporting both sides of the conflict often hold strong and passionate views.

The life of a school or college is strongly influenced by outside factors and the conflict can pose difficult challenges for staff. Staff may find that they must deal with the sensitive task of responding to pupils’ reactions to violent events, particularly when there is a flare up in the conflict as in spring 2021. The NEU is confident that its members are skilled professionals who can meet the challenge of educating young people who can develop a firm understanding of human rights and can contribute to a more peaceful future.

This advice aims to support members to do so.

It is important that any discussions within schoolsandcolleges–boththoseformallyarranged as part of classroom teaching and those that may take place informally betweenstudentsandbetweenstaff–areconducted respectfully and calmly.

The advice contained in this document is relevant to all schools and colleges, though some of its content may be more appropriate to some sectors than others. While some of the challenges staff face may require short-term measures to be taken following an escalation of violence in the Middle East, there are also longer-term issues around antiracism that can be addressed on an ongoing basis through the curriculum and by the promotion of a positive all-school environment and ethos.

Download the resource here

NEU Member’s Lessons to Boost Worldwide Vaccine Take-Up Go Global

A London science teacher whose pupils were worried about the safety of vaccines has developed a lesson plan to tackle misconceptions and vaccine hesitancy which has gone global.

NEU member Ed Stubbs, a science teacher at Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, developed a series of lessons after hearing students talk about vaccine conspiracy theories.

His school serves the area of east London known as the “Covid triangle” which has seen some of the highest levels of coronavirus vaccine hesitancy in the country.

He worked with experts from Queen Mary University London on teaching resources which were picked up and developed by the Stephen Hawking Foundation and published on its website to form a new “vaccine initiative”.

Since Monday, more than 500 schools in countries including Brazil, China, Russia and the United States have downloaded the resources to help tackle vaccine hesitancy.”

Read the full article and download the resources.