This election will be the most hotly contested of recent times and the outcome will have important consequences for all of us working in education. Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly interested in politics, or are completely fed up with politicians in general, the NUT is urging you to make your mark during this election.

The NUT is not affiliated to any political party but our newly established political fund means it is the first general election in which we can campaign specifically against the racist and fascist policies of the BNP.

To help you make an informed choice at election time see the election pack below.

Dear Colleague,

I am urging everyone to make their mark in the forthcoming general election.

This election will be the most hotly contested of recent times and the outcome will have consequences for all teachers and the schools they work in. Any new government will be faced with tough spending decisions because of the difficult economic climate. The parties, however, have significantly different visions of how they would spend and allocate funds for the education service. The NUT will continue to stand up for education and make the case that expenditure on education should be the number one priority.

While the Welsh Assembly Government and other devolved governments have assumed responsibility for many aspects of education, the agenda and policy direction is still set in Westminster and decisions made there by MPs and Ministers impact on teachers in all parts of the UK.

Although the NUT is not affiliated to any political party, during this election campaign the Union will be making sure that its members are aware of the education policies of the main political parties in England and Wales. We hope that this briefing pack will help teachers make an informed choice at the election – and will persuade them to use their vote.

This is the first general election at which the Union has a political fund and can explicitly campaign against the British National Party (BNP). At these elections there is a real danger that the BNP could take control of at least one local council and win their first parliamentary seat. For that reason we are using members’ contributions to the political fund to help support the work of HOPE not hate, Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism in combating the BNP threat.

As well as campaigning against racism and fascism, the Union is campaigning positively on behalf of the teaching profession and the education system as a whole. This pack includes the following:

• Advice on how to get involved and Make your Mark in the election
• Suggested questions to raise with candidates
• A model letter/email to candidates
• A table showing the policy differences between the main parties
• Wales – a look ahead to the election and referendum
• List of MPs standing down
• Sources of further information.

I hope you find it helpful.

With best wishes,

Christine Blower
General Secretary

Advice
Suggested questions
Wales
Make your mark - Against the BNP
Differences in Party Policy
NUT Stoke
Further information

Make your mark - for teachers, children parents and schools

Advice to NUT members - what you can do in the run–up to the General and Local Elections

Decisions made in Westminster by MPs and Ministers have a profound effect on the working lives of teachers throughout the UK.

The NUT believes that education should be viewed by all the main political parties as being at the heart of everything we value as a society and that accordingly, therefore, the voices of teachers and head teachers should be properly listened to.

It is also important that, before casting their vote, teachers are clear about the policies of the main parties with regard to education and particularly those issues which impact directly on them as teachers.

Following its success in the European Elections there is a very real danger that the BNP could win overall control of Barking and Dagenham Council during this year’s local elections. The implications for children, teachers and schools of having racist and fascist councillors with responsibility for education and other public services are terrible. If not halted the BNP may increase its influence in other areas of the country at this election. Every teacher should use their vote at both the general and local elections in order to stop the BNP or any other racist and fascist party.

Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly interested in politics or are completely fed up with politicians in general the NUT would urge you to make your mark during this election. Some ways in which you can do this are identified below.

One-to-one conversations with friends and colleagues are a good way to make sure that teachers’ concerns are at the front of people’s minds as they consider how they might vote.

Promote our policies for teachers and the education service – you would have received a copy of the NUT’s Charter for Teachers in the March edition of The Teacher. You can order additional copies of this Charter, for use in schools and at meetings/events, from your local NUT association or division. These are not available for download.

The NUT has also produced a Charter for Education for use in activities with parents, governors and the general public. Again copies of this Charter can be ordered from your local NUT association or division.

Attend hustings or meetings where local candidates are invited. These are often arranged by local community groups and trade unions, including the NUT.

Engage with candidates and party workers during canvassing, however tempting it may be to tell them to, politely (or not), go away. Candidates and party volunteers do take very seriously what is said to them on the doorsteps and elsewhere.

Take opportunities to participate in local and national phone-ins or internet and telephone surveys. As the election approaches the main parties pay even more attention to measures of public opinion.

Using your vote Obviously, the most important activity in which you can engage in these elections is to use your vote on 6 May 2010. In areas where they take place it is important that you vote in the local elections too – especially in areas where the BNP poses a particular threat.

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Suggested questions you may wish to ask local candidates >back to top

The General Election gives you the chance to put questions to local prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) about issues of importance to teachers.

The NUT’s charters for teachers and on education may provide you with some ideas of the points to raise. In addition, the questions below can be used.

1. Are you committed to maintaining the present framework of national pay and conditions for teachers?
2. If elected will you work to safeguard teachers’ physical and mental health?
3. Do you believe teachers’ pensions benefits should be protected?
4. Do you agree that there should be an independent review of the National Curriculum and Assessment System in England as there has been in Wales?
5. Would you seek to reform the current arbitrary school inspection system and instead campaign for a system which supports, rather than punishes, school communities?
6. What will you and your party do to ensure that the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 is met?
7. What measures do you believe should be taken to ensure that schools have support in tackling pupil indiscipline?
8. Will you campaign for smaller classes and to ensure children have improved access to personal learning opportunities?
9. How will your party tackle the issues of discrimination and inequality within education for pupils and for teachers?
10. Do you think a minimum funded annual entitlement for teacher’s professional development should be introduced?
11. What do you think should be done to ensure that teachers are protected from the effects of a false allegation being made against them?
12. Many newly-built schools, in particular academies, are extremely energy-inefficient and uncomfortable to teach and learn in.  What would you do about this?  
13. Do you think parents should have a right to send their children to good local schools that are publicly provided, not run by private sponsors?
14. What are your views on the current social partnership arrangements and do you believe the next government should work constructively with all the teacher trade unions?

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Looking ahead to the election and referendum in Wales >back to top

Apart from the general election, other elections are creeping closer in Wales. There will be National Assembly elections in May 2011. Before that, there may be a referendum in the autumn on increasing the Assembly’s legislative powers so it can more easily introduce primary legislation in matters that are already devolved.
Education is one such matter, with the exception of school teachers’ terms and conditions of service. That issue is not devolved and would not be affected by a referendum.

This chimes with the NUT’s view: we have welcomed many of the developments in education in Wales but believe school teachers’ terms and conditions should remain centrally determined, covering both England and Wales.

School inspections in England and Wales are different, however, and new Estyn inspection arrangements will be introduced from September 2010. Huw Thomas, NUT joint division secretary for Ynys Môn and head teacher of Ysgol Niwbwrch in Anglesey, took part in the first pilot for the new arrangements last autumn. It was generally positive, he reports, with a shorter inspection process concentrating on verifying the school’s self-evaluation procedures and conclusions.

We look forward, too, to other changes in this area, especially the commitment to phase out privatised inspection teams and to spend less on inspections and more on disseminating the findings so as to share good practice across Wales and feed into WAG policies.

The new inspection framework will work in tandem with the new School Effectiveness Framework, which will also roll out across Wales this September. The aim is to use scarce resources better. We agree with that – let’s see more money being spent in our schools. They do not receive enough. That is the downside of differences in Wales.

The NUT has campaigned hard to improve funding levels in schools in Wales, which fall well below those in schools in England. The lobby of Assembly Members in December has had a result. The new Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, announced on 18 January that there would be a review of all education funding. He said recommendations for making savings and opportunities to move resources from bureaucracy to frontline services would be made by the end of March.

New figures show that the funding gap increased in 2009, so we shall contribute to the review while continuing to campaign on this important issue. We encourage members to become involved – find out more from your local NUT
division or association.

Our campaigning over a year ago led to considerable additional funding being made available for the popular Foundation Phase, based on learning through play and first-hand experience for children aged three to seven. That is now developing well, as noted in the recent Estyn annual report.

We still have high levels of poverty in Wales. The most effective way to eradicate it is to give all our children the best education we can. They are getting an excellent start in the Foundation Phase, but we are less satisfied with what is happening for 14 to 19 year olds. The principles of the Learning Pathways are excellent: greater ease of access to a variety of courses to suit needs, talents and aspirations for young people of that age. That is laudable.

Unfortunately, the practicalities have not been fully recognised. Despite being part of a Transformation Agenda, we fear there will be insufficient funding to ensure equitable access to courses. Equality does not come cheap – but at a time of shrinking resources it would be an expensive mistake not to pump every available penny into educating our children.

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NUT Stoke > back to top

NUT members took to the streets of Stoke on Sunday 25 April in a joint action with Unite Against Fascism, and NorSCARF (the North Staffordshire Campaign Against Racism & Fascism) leafleting various wards to warn people of the dangerous inflammatory politics of the BNP.

The city currently has seven BNP councillors and BNP candidates in all of its parliamentary constituencies. NUT deputy general secretary Kevin Courtney addressed the leafleters before they set off.

Stoke-on-Trent div sec Ivan Hickman told The Teacher: "April 25th was a fantastic day. Over 70 members of NorSCARF, UAF and the NUT were able to leaflet two whole wards in Stoke Central Constituency. I would like to thank NUT members from Stoke, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lancaster and Midlands region office.

"Special thanks must go to Stoke NUT president and NorSCARF secretary Jason Hill for organising us all and it was great to see Kevin there."

Make your mark - Against the BNP >back to top

Introduction

The BNP is likely to contest over 200 parliamentary seats in the general election. Although many of them will be little more than paper candidates, the party will be looking to save its deposit in the majority by securing at least 5% of the vote. In a few seats the BNP will hope to do better – particularly in Barking where Nick Griffin (BNP party leader) is standing against Margaret Hodge the incumbent Labour MP.

The BNP will be hoping to be even more successful at the local elections. The organisation Searchlight has identified 100 wards where the BNP poses some form of threat and is expecting the BNP to contest a record number of council seats – around 1000 seats.

The BNP threat is concentrated in a handful of local authority areas. The 100 risk wards fall in 30 local authority areas. However, 51 of them are in just 10 local authority areas – Barking & Dagenham, Stoke-on-Trent; Nuneaton & Bedworth; Rotherham; Amber Valley; Leeds; Burnley; Thurrock; Three Rivers; Epping Forest. The biggest threat is in Barking & Dagenham where the BNP has a chance of taking overall control of the council. In Stoke-on-Trent too the BNP has a chance of becoming the largest party represented on the council.

Stop the BNP

The implications for children, teachers and schools of having racist and fascist councillors or MPs with responsibility for education and other public services are terrible. If not halted the BNP may increase its influence in other areas of the country at this and in future elections. Every teacher should use their vote at both the general and local elections in order to stop the BNP or any other racist and fascist party.

The NUT is campaigning alongside HOPE not hate and Unite Against Fascism against the BNP. For more information about how you can support this campaign please go to www.teachers.org.uk

We have produced posters and leaflets to support our campaign. These are not available for download. For copies please contact your local NUT association or division

Further Information > back to top

For any further information or guidance about the NUT’s campaign in the run up to the General Election please contact the Union at generalelection@nut.org.uk

To register to vote and for information about the voting process go to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

To find the name and contact details of your MP go to the UK Parliament website: www.parliament.uk

Contact details for all parties contesting seats in the General Election can be found on the Electoral Commission website:
www.electoralcommission.gov.uk

Once the General Election is announced the BBC politics website should include useful information about the education policies of the main political parties and background information about constituencies and candidates: www.bbc.co.uk/politics

The epolitix website includes clear, straightforward and up-to-date information on the key manifesto positions of the main parties: www.epolitix.com

The politics.co.uk website also includes election information and will shortly host an NUT Election Manifesto Video - www.politics.co.uk

The HOPE not hate website has information and suggestions of how to get involved in campaigning against the BNP www.hopenothate.org.uk

There is similar information about working together to stop the BNP at the Unite against Fascism website www.uaf.org.uk

Additional pack documents to download;

• A model letter/email to candidates
• List of MPs standing down

>back to top