The Government Climbdown and the NUT Strike

Yesterday, the government announced a significant climbdown in relation to forced academisation. The white paper will no longer include proposals for legislation to force the conversion of every maintained school by 2022. This is a significant victory both because it withdraws one of the worst clauses of this paper and because it shows that, when teachers, parents and governors act together, we can win real concessions from government.

However, the government has replaced this legislation with sweeping powers for the Secretary of State to order the conversion of entire local authority areas in one go, and retains the aim of converting all schools by 2022. In addition, the other provisions of the white paper remain, including abolishing QTS, removing parent governors, and the threat to teachers pay and conditions.

Cakes, Balloons, Pay and Conditions!

Week #2 Meeting #3

This evening, I met with Bracknell Forest NUT activists to discuss building for the NUT strike ballot. It was a well-attended meeting with a lively discussion of the issues leading to the dispute, in particular the threat to teachers' terms and conditions posed by the combination of forced academisation and diminishing school funding.

Activist Meetings in District 18

OK. So the first two meetings (in Windsor & Maidenhead and West Berkshire) have now taken place but they have already been replaced by two additional meetings in Banbury and Thame (both Oxfordshire). This brings the current list up to ten again:

• 4th May - Bracknell Forest - 4.30pm - Peacock Farm RG12 8SS
• 9th May - Slough - 4.30pm - Chalvey Community Centre SL1 2SL
• 10th May - Buckinghamshire - 5pm - Beaconsfield School HP9 1SJ
• 10th May - Milton Keynes - 5.30pm - St Paul's Catholic School MK6 5EN
• 11th May - Reading / Wokingham - 4.30pm - Maiden Erlegh School RG6 7HS
• 12th May - Oxfordshire (Didcot) 5.30pm - St Birinus School OX11 8AZ
• 13th May - Oxfordshire (Witney) - 4pm - The Fleece OX28 4AZ
• 18th May - Slough / Windsor & Maidenhead - 5pm - SportsAble SL6 1BN
• 20th May - Oxfordshire (Banbury) - 4pm - Banbury Town Hall OX16 5JS
• 23rd May - Oxfordshire (Thame) - 7pm - Thame Town Hall OX9 3DP