After months of talks, requests for feedback and over 40,000 responses from teachers demonstrating the crushing impact of workload on the job, Nicky Morgan’s ‘big announcement’ amounted to next to nothing.
Teachers had a right to expect more. Workload in many schools is at an intolerable level. The DfE’s own figures show that teachers are leaving in record numbers. Almost 50,000 have left in a year. Yet the best that the Secretary of State could offer was that teachers will no longer be subjected to major changes in Ofsted inspections or government policy during the academic year, "except when absolutely necessary" of course!
Nicky Morgan has failed the workload challenge. She has completely ignored the NUT’s workload demands. So how do we respond? Can we afford to let her rejection go unchallenged and leave teachers drowning in workload? Our best answer would be a national strike.
NUT members were surveyed in the Autumn over continuing strike action to defend pensions, improve pay and reduce workload. The overwhelming majority (80%) said they would support up to two days further action before the general election. The NUT National Executive agreed to wait to see what talks with Nicky Morgan would bring before deciding on further plans for action. The Executive will meet again at the end of February.
LANAC is calling on the NUT to urgently draw up action plans to debate at that Executive - including plans for national action. Make sure to let your National Executive member know what your colleagues would support.
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