unions | Schools Week

Partygate making it harder to teach ‘honesty and integrity’ – union boss

NAHT’s Paul Whiteman criticises ‘absolute failure of political leadership’

Teachers ‘unsupported’ as Covid outbreaks continue to blight schools

Almost half of teachers report testing positive last term, according to union survey

NASUWT votes to ‘mobilise’ for industrial action over pay

Both main teachers’ unions have now put strikes on the table, after the NEU voted for an indicative ballot earlier this week

DfE cancels 19 academy orders after legal challenge

Ministers U-turn after signing off academy orders for Catholic Hallam diocese schools without governor approval

Union demands more ‘robust’ rules as sports event held amid Covid cases

Unions want stricter Covid curbs after one school with 33 cases sent pupils to a sports event while others with fewer cases limited events or sent year groups home

New chair appointed to teachers’ pay body as controversial pay freeze looms

A new chair will take over the School Teachers’ Review Body from September, amid controversy over the upcoming public sector pay freeze. The STRB advises the prime minister and education secretary on teachers’ pay and responsibilities in England, but unions have recently accused the government of undermining its independence. Dr Patricia Rice, a senior research […]

Unions demand ‘immediate’ release of Covid-19 variant school outbreaks data

Unions representing heads, teachers and support staff have demanded the “immediate” release of data on the number of Covid-19 variant cases linked to schools and colleges. A joint letter from the NAHT, ASCL, NEU, NASUWT, Unison, Unite and the GMB also calls on education secretary Gavin Williamson to come clean over when ministers were first […]

Williamson first education secretary to address NASUWT conference in five years

Gavin Williamson will address the annual conference of the NASUWT teaching union this weekend, five years after an education secretary last appeared at the event. The union announced today that Williamson has accepted an invitation to address the conference, which is being held virtually this year because of Covid-19. The union invites the education secretary […]

Coronavirus: Cabinet minister promises to ‘comfort’ unions as tensions grow over schools plan

A cabinet minister has said the government will work with unions to provide “as much comfort as we possibly can” over its plans to begin reopening schools next month. Tensions between the government and unions have been steadily growing since Boris Johnson announced it was the government’s aim for reception, year 1 and year 6 […]