UPDATE FROM LEWISHAM: Significant progress made but key issues still to resolve:

The following motion was agreed unanimously at the Lewisham NUT General Meeting tonight: 

Lewisham NUT:

1) Congratulates members in the seven Lewisham schools where strike notice was served for supporting National Union policy and showing their continuing willingness to escalate to strike action, if required, to secure an acceptable pay policy.

2) Welcomes the fact that two of those school groups already felt sufficiently reassured to be able to defer action and agrees that, following progress made in talks with Headteachers this morning, specifically agreement that the words "as defined by Ofsted" should be removed from pay policies, Thursday's proposed strike action should be deferred in the remaining five schools (in the King Alfred and Prendergast Federations).

3) Notes with concern that regrettable tactics designed to undermine action have been employed, including criticising members for supporting Union policy and the sending of misleading letters to individual members of staff. However, far from weakening resolve, these tactics have only secured stronger support for Union action.

4) Notes that, while significant progress was achieved this morning, a number of other key issues remain under discussion and that Unions are expecting to receive, by Thursday 28, written proposals from Headteachers indicating further proposed amendments which they would be willing to make to the pay and appraisal policies, and

5) Further agrees that, as long as these proposals give sufficient reassurance that we now have a genuine framework for discussion in place, aimed at reaching agreement over these remaining concerns, then the action notified for next Tuesday and Wednesday (December 3rd and 4th) should also be deferred while negotiations continue.