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Teachers in Wales Tell of Cash Fury

Posted on: Thursday, 29 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By DANIEL DAVIES AND ALED BLAKE Western Mail

Teachers in Wales face losing substantial amounts of money through changes to the way they are paid for additional responsibilities in schools, a union has warned. NUT Cymru is holding indicative ballots on striking at some schools over the matter. It says the Westminster scheme to replace the current system of management allowances with Teaching and Learning Responsibility Payments will also damage morale. Union secretary Gethin Lewis said that half of Wales's 28,000 teachers claim a management allowance of up to pounds 10,000. Head teachers have until the end of March 2006 to draw up plans for the new payments with staff. The deadline in England was the end of this year.

Mr Lewis said, 'Unfortunately, in primary and secondary schools, there is not enough money to carry on paying teachers who currently have responsibility payments.

'As a result of this ill-thought-out, badly managed Westminster initiative, many teachers in Wales are going to be facing substantial pay cuts. 'Not only will their pockets be hit but teachers' morale and motivation will receive a severe blow. 'It cannot be good for education in Wales. NUT Cymru will not hesitate to arrange strike ballots in schools where members request it.' He stressed teachers' pay and conditions were set by the Department for Education and Skills, not Welsh Assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson. 'This is a very clear example of a decision made in England which affects us in Wales,' he added. 'It should never have happened.' Mr Lewis added, 'The move is part of a Westminster Government scheme reorganising the management structure in schools.

'As a result of this ill-thought-out, badly managed Westminster initiative, many teachers in Wales are going to be facing substantial pay cuts. 'Not only will their pockets be hit but teachers' morale and motivation will receive a severe blow. It cannot be good for education in Wales. 'NUT Cymru will not hesitate to arrange strike ballots in schools where members request it. 'Let's be clear about this. This is not the fault of Jane Davidson and the Welsh Assembly Government. Pay and conditions of service of teachers remain the responsibility of Westminster.

'This new scheme has been cobbled together in meetings in London attended by representatives of the Department for Education and Skills. The NUT and Ucac were not invited.'

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Assembly Government said, 'Teachers pay and conditions of service is not devolved to the National Assembly for Wales and decisions for both Wales and England are the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.' The argument emerged as a leading academic warned that an influx of foreign students will restrict UK places at top universities unless the Government acts.

The expansion of the European Union to 27 member states could lead to a decline in British admissions - including those studying for teaching - as under European laws, universities are forbidden from discriminating between EU candidates, the incoming chairman of the Russell Group of leading universities says. Malcolm Grant, who is also vice-chancellor of University College London, said finances would be strained by meeting the costs of educating Europeans.

He said, 'It's clear that the places for UK students in leading UK universities is starting to decline rather than increase. 'If the Government wants to maintain the number of British students attending Russell Group universities, they must look at the economics of doing that - because at the moment it's not going to happen.

'We will be asking for greater resources for institutions which are setting the gold standard for British university education,' he said, adding that he recognised an adjustment to the 'fixed pot' would affect other institutions. He suggested the Government should rethink its target of encouraging half of 18 to 30-year-olds into university education.: Blazing a traditional trail to improve school results:Traditional school uniforms are being reintroduced at some schools to improve pupils' behaviour and results. Two schools in Derby have already informed parents that the old-school shirt, tie and blazer combination will be back in force from September next year, replacing a more casual look that was adopted in recent years. The head teacher of one of the schools returning to tradition, Wendy Frater, of Derby Moor Community Sports College, championed the smart look in the hope that it would create a more business-like atmosphere - improving behaviour and results in one go. The school, which saw just 47% of pupils achieving five or more A-C grades at GCSE, replaced blazers with more modern sweatshirts and polo shirts several years ago. Mrs Frater said, 'I believe that having the uniform will help pupils to be professional and help them with their learning.' She also hopes that some aspects of bullying will drop as the uniform will bring a sense of community to the school. It is hoped that a banning of all designer logos will reduce peer pressure and, inevitably, bullying. Religious dress has also been incorporated into the uniform. Another school in the area, The Woodlands Community School, has also taken steps to bring back blazers.

Source: Western Mail

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