TA "exploitation" condemned

Support staff are being exploited because of reforms designed to reduce the workload of teachers, a teachers' union conference has warned.

A motion passed at the ATL conference says the Workload Agreement improved teachers' work-life balance. But the conference "deplored" the resulting exploitation experienced by support staff.

The motion called on the union's leadership to lobby for the forthcoming school support staff negotiating body to make sure "all who are involved in the direct day-to-day teaching of children are treated fairly", and reward and develop the professionalism of support staff.

School staff "bullied by managers"

School staff are facing rising levels of bullying by senior managers, according to a teachers' union.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers - which also has teaching assistant members says bullying can be a serious problem for school employees as well as pupils.
ATL's annual conference voted for a resolution expressing alarm at the rise in bullying of staff, particularly from senior managers in schools.
The union will now carry out a survey of its members to ascertain the type and extent of bullying by other staff.
The conference also agreed that homework for primary school children was a waste of time for children and teachers, and called for all formal homework to be abolished.

Medical procedures survey

What's your school's policy on giving medicines to children, and undertaking medical procedures?
Trade union Unison is conducting a survey after receiving a growing number of enquiries from school staff with concerns about the administration of medicine and the undertaking of other medical procedures.
Schools should be making sure that children and young people with medical needs receive the best possible care and that staff are trained and able to deliver it, says Unison.
"UNISON would like to know if school policies are being deployed effectively or if support staff are being asked to administer medicines or perform medical procedures inappropriately, with risks to pupils and themselves."
The survey which can be completed anonymously will close on April 27.

MPs call for slimmer curriculum

Teachers have been de-skilled by the National Curriculum and National Strategies, say MPs.
The cross-party schools select committee wants a slimmed-down primary curriculum which leaves more room in the timetable for other learning.
The MPs cross questioned 32 expert witnesses including schools minister Jim Knight, and Sir Jim Rose who is writing a review of the primary curriculum for the government.
They also took written evidence from 42 organisations.
"At times schooling has appeared more of a franchise operation dependent on a recipe handed-down by Government, rather than the exercise of professional expertise by teachers," says the report.
The MPs say Sir Jim Rose's interim recommendations are unnecessarily complex, and they also oppose his proposal that children should move into reception at age 4. "Due to their low practitioner-to-child ratios these settings cannot cater for the needs of very young children."
The schools select committee is one of 19 select committees in the House of Commons with the job of scrutinising the work of government departments.
National Curriculum: Fourth report of session 2008-09
Children, Schools and Families Committee of the House of Commons

Two in five parents want SATS to stay

SATS tests still have strong support among parents, according to an opinion poll for the government.
44% want the tests to stay, compared to 36% who want them replaced with another system. The rest were "don't know"s.
Despite this result, most parents had not used SATS to see how their child was doing at school, to monitor their progress, or to identify areas where their child needed support, or did not intend to use them in that way.
One in three parents said SATS had been no use to them, or they didn't expect them to be of any use.
Of those who wanted SATS to be replaced, half favoured a combination of the teachers' judgement of a child's progress and assessments carried out by the child's teacher.
The poll was conducted by Ipsos MORI and the results are based on interviews with 936 parents of at least one child of school age.
National Curriculum Testing at Key Stage 2: Quantitative Topline Report