The NUT has strongly condemned the government’s plans, contained within the new education white paper, for teachers to be re-licensed every 5 years from September 2010. We will be pursuing the matter with Government with a view to changing the proposals as they stand.

As the union representing the majority of primary school teachers the NUT is well aware from The Sutton Trust and National Education Trust report Teach Primary findings that there is an abysmal lack of pay and career progression in primary schools. This is a problem that has worsened in recent years.

The NUT has warned that the pay agreements between the Government and other teacher organisations have led to fewer and lower-value responsibility payments in primary schools and far less pay progression than was promised.

If you're already an NUT member, you'll know that it pays to be part of the largest professional network of teachers in Europe. If there are colleagues in your school who are not yet members of the NUT, we're asking you to ask them to join us.

Together we'll all be stronger on the issues that matter in the workplace.

Recruit a colleague by 30 November 2009 and you'll both be entered into a prize draw, sponsored by Teachers Building Society, to win a gift card of up to £500 for Comet.

Simply ensure your friend has your forename, surname and home postcode OR your membership number, before applying online here. Alternatively they can join by calling the NUT hotlines 0845 300 1669 or 020 7380 6369.

Assessment reform: End SATS and give us time to teach

We are campaigning to make 2009 the last year of SATs because:

• teachers should be allowed to teach and children should be allowed to learn.
• campaigning to end SATs is the right and professionally responsible thing to do.
  

 
The Steve Sinnott Award for Commonwealth Teachers was presented in recognition of the contribution of the late Steve Sinnott to the work of Education in the Commonwealth. It coincided with the culmination of the adjudication process of the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards which took place immediately prior to the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 14th - 18th June 2009. The Award was won by the DFID Global School Partnerships.

 
Launch of joint partnership agreement between the National Union of Teachers and the University and College Union In a move to ensure a stronger voice in debates that will affect all those in education, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the University and College Union (UCU) are today (Thursday) joining together in an historic joint partnership agreement.

 
Commenting on Ed Balls’ statement to the House of Commons, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;

 
Commenting on Gordon Brown's announcement of Labour's draft legislative programme, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union said;

It takes years to prepare for GCSE, AS and A2. It takes hours to mark each examination paper.

But it could take just a few minutes of your time to influence future papers by telling standing joint committees what you think!”

Commenting on the Sutton Trust report Teach Primary, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;

 
Teachers from the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union, have suspended strike action planned for Tuesday 30th June at five Tamworth schools. This follows approaches by the union to the new administration of Staffordshire County Council, and an agreement to talks on Wednesday 1st July.

Commenting on the Government's decision to abandon national strategies in literacy and numeracy from 2011, Christine Blower, General Secretary, National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teachers' union said;

Commenting on the report by Ofsted calling on primary schools to avoid suspending young pupils, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union, said;.

Commenting on today's STRB consultation outcomes and the launch of the statutory consultation on the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2009, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union, said;

Ahead of the G8 summit in Italy in July, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP - of which the global trade union movement is a constituent) has launched an interactive page and online petition calling for action on development. To add pressure by pressing on the G8 leader or leaders of your choice and/or signing a petition click here . The amount of pressure added and the total number of signatures will be used to lobby the G8 during their upcoming meeting.

Margaret Morrissey OBE, of the campaign group Parents Outloud, has written an open letter which explains why she believes that SATs should be abolished. She has given the NUT and NAHT permission to use her letter in its campaign work. This may be a useful resource for working with parents as part of local campaigns.

Commenting on the conclusions of Sir Jim Rose's report, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union, said;

Philip Atkins, as leader of the Council, has announced that they will carry out a review of their position on BSF. It is essential that the review is carried out without delay in order to avoid any further industrial action in Tamworth’s schools.

The NUT/NAHT’s campaign to end SATs and introduce meaningful, child-centred assessment. As you’ll know, the NUT and NAHT’s campaign to end SATs continues. Elsewhere on this website, under assessment reform, you’ll find materials to help you make the argument to teachers and parents about why these tests have to go.

We are campaigning nationally against SATs because they are bad for children, bad for teachers, bad for education and bad for communities. We are keen for there to be a public debate, involving all political parties, about how we rid primary schools of this high stakes testing regime that distorts the curriculum and damages our children’s education.

Prize Giving Ceremony at Villa Park for winners of 2009 Schools Competition England

Winners from 22 different schools all around England came to the Holte Suite to receive their prizes.

Commenting on Ed Balls' remarks about National Challenge schools, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union, said;

Commenting on Shadow Schools Secretary Michael Gove's proposals to reform SATs tests Christine Blower General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union, said;

Teachers belonging to the National Union of Teachers are preparing to lobby the first full meeting of the newly formed Conservative-led Council on Thursday 18th June.

Commenting on the revised framework for the inspection of maintained schools in England, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;

Commenting on the Bill being introduced to Parliament to enshrine the eradication of child poverty by 2020 in law, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers; Europe's largest teaching union said;

Photo's and leaflet from the NUT strike by Tamworth's High Schools as part of the continuing dispute over the proposed reorganisation of secondary schools and sixth form provision within the area.

"It is important to remember that the appalling condition of many of our school buildings prior to 1997 made a major school rebuilding programme a necessity.

Commenting on the Nuffield Review, 'Education for All - the Future of Education and Training for 14-19 year-olds', Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers said;

The Employment Tribunal in Cardiff has ruled that a local authority acted unfairly and infringed the basic employment rights of a teacher employed upon a succession of fixed term contracts when they terminated her employment by refusing to renew those contracts.

Teachers belonging to the National Union of Teachers are to take further strike action in all of Tamworth’s High Schools in a continuing dispute over the proposed reorganisation of secondary schools and sixth form provision within the area.

Commenting on the Government's support package to persuade teachers to work in challenging schools, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union said;

Commenting on the decision to keep Ed Balls on as Secretary of State for DCSF, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe's largest teaching union said;

The anti racist educational charity Show Racism the Red Card has recently been the subject of a documentary on the channel Teachers TV.

The specially commissioned programme ‘KS2 Anti-Racism with Man Utd’ follows a group of Year 6 pupils before, during and after their trip to Old Trafford for the Show Racism the Red Card educational event with Rio Ferdinand and Manchester United legends such as Bryan Robson and Andrew Cole.

The NUT – working for you

As a result of Union pressure, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has agreed to produce a briefing note for schools on preventing excessive and unnecessary workload arising from Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP).

I would like to thank all of you for the support I have had throughout my period as Acting General Secretary and for the good wishes I have received since becoming your General Secretary. It's a genuine privilege to work on behalf of teachers in Europe's largest teachers' union.

The NUT is continuing to lobby on the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill.

Since the last update your Union has had several meetings with the Government’s Bill Team, backbench MPs and opposition spokespeople.

The National Union of Teachers is proud to work with Show Racism the Red Card to address the growing issue of Islamophobia in society.

Division Secretaries Briefing DSB/09

Stop Press!! The 2009 annual Division Secretaries Briefing, takes place on Wednesday 14 – Friday 16 October 2009, at Stoke Rochford Hall, Nr Grantham, Lincolnshire.

New Secretaries of Associations and Divisions NWS/09

This years New Secretaries of Associations and Divisions course will be held on Monday 12 - Wednesday 14 October 2009, at the NUT's national training centre, Stoke Rochford Hall, Nr Grantham, Lincolnshire.

This year’s Disabled Teachers Conference will be held on Saturday 13 June at Hamilton House from 11am – 3pm.

This years LGBT teachers conference will be held on Saturday 10th October 2009 at the NUT headquarters in Euston, London.

The 2009 Black Teachers' Conference takes place from Friday 6 - Sunday 8 November 2009 at Stoke Rochford Hall, Nr Grantham, Lincolnshire. There will be a range of speakers and workshops at the conference. This years theme is Every Teacher Matters. Download an application form and flyer here.

The National Education Conference 2009 will be held at Stoke Rochford Hall, the Union's training centre, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, over the weekend of Saturday, 11 July and Sunday, 12 July. The Conference fee includes overnight accommodation for the evenings of Friday, 10 July and Saturday, 11 July.

Available here to download, print and circulate, Martin and Erica's Journey, the testimony of two Dutch children who survived the Holocaust. The booklet is produced by the NUT in association with the Holocaust Educational Trust. In addition to the booklet, you can download Teachers' Notes here.

The NUT is again supporting the Send My Friend to School campaign in 2009. At the turn of the century world leaders promised to get all children into school by 2015 yet today there are still 75 million children who miss out on education.