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Low pay forcing teachers to share rooms, conference told Low pay forcing teachers to share rooms, conference told
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Young teachers are having to share bedrooms and struggle to afford mortgages because of low pay, the National Union of Teachers’ annual conference in Harrogate has heard. Young teachers are having to share bedrooms and struggle to afford mortgages because of low pay, the National Union of Teachers’ annual conference has heard.
Stefan Simms, a member from Ealing, in London, told the conference that he knew of teachers who live “in a house with eight other teachers and they share two to a room, and if it’s a big room it’s three to a room. Stefan Simms, a member from Ealing, in London, told the conference in Harrogate that he knew of teachers who live “in a house with eight other teachers and they share two to a room, and if it’s a big room it’s three to a room.
“I was shocked, but when I shared this with other young teachers, they were not,” Simms said. “I was shocked, but when I shared this with other young teachers, they were not.”
He told delegates that there were school staff who had to commute for three to four hours a day because of the lack of affordable housing near where they work.He told delegates that there were school staff who had to commute for three to four hours a day because of the lack of affordable housing near where they work.
The comments came during a debate on teachers’ pay and conditions. Delegates backed a motion calling for national pay scales to be restored, for an end to performance-related pay and for more affordable housing.The comments came during a debate on teachers’ pay and conditions. Delegates backed a motion calling for national pay scales to be restored, for an end to performance-related pay and for more affordable housing.
Ian Murch, an NUT member from Bradford, said teachers now regularly struggled to be approved for mortgages in part because the abolition of pay scales made it harder for teachers to prove that their income would rise as they progressed in the profession.Ian Murch, an NUT member from Bradford, said teachers now regularly struggled to be approved for mortgages in part because the abolition of pay scales made it harder for teachers to prove that their income would rise as they progressed in the profession.
“Young teachers used to be able to contact their bank or building society and say I earn £22,000 at the moment but it will go up to £37,000 eventually as I move up the scales, and the lender would take it into account. “Young teachers used to be able to contact their bank or building society and say I earn £22,000 at the moment but it will go up to £37,000 eventually as I move up the scales, and the lender would take it into account. Not now. You can’t show them those pay scales, not just because you’re less certain that you’ll progress up them but because officially there aren’t any.
“Not now. You can’t show them those pay scales, not just because you’re less certain that you’ll progress up them but because officially there aren’t any,” Murch said. “Children need good, well-motivated teachers and the trust that this needs is being destroyed. Teachers and other school staff cannot be expected to pay the price for the failure of others, year after year.”
“Children need good, well-motivated teachers and the trust that this needs is being destroyed. Teachers and other school staff cannot be expected to pay the price for the failure of others, year after year,” he said.
After the motion was passed, the union said: “Unless things change, yet more teachers will leave and fewer graduates will give the profession any consideration as a career choice. The NUT will be seeking to enter into new negotiations with whoever forms the next government.”After the motion was passed, the union said: “Unless things change, yet more teachers will leave and fewer graduates will give the profession any consideration as a career choice. The NUT will be seeking to enter into new negotiations with whoever forms the next government.”
Christine Blower, the NUT’s general secretary, told delegates in her closing address: “Whoever wins the general election, whatever the composition of the incoming government, there will be a clear need for the National Union of Teachers to continue to stand up for education.”Christine Blower, the NUT’s general secretary, told delegates in her closing address: “Whoever wins the general election, whatever the composition of the incoming government, there will be a clear need for the National Union of Teachers to continue to stand up for education.”
Blower’s closing address included a sustained attack on efforts to privatise education. “Michael Gove once called us the enemies of promise and, of course, those who disagreed with him were derided as the Blob. Well, we here are pleased to seek to stand in the way of education being taken over by edu-businesses,” she said. Blower’s closing address included a sustained attack on efforts to privatise education. “[Former education secretary] Michael Gove once called us the enemies of promise and, of course, those who disagreed with him were derided as the Blob. Well, we here are pleased to seek to stand in the way of education being taken over by edu-businesses,” she said.
“Profit has of course always been taken from the sale of educational materials. The new and, some of us would say, more sinister development is the level of control exerted by multinationals over the shape, content and assessment of the curriculum, and the amount of data they hold and who owns it,” Blower said. “Profit has of course always been taken from the sale of educational materials. The new and, some of us would say, more sinister development is the level of control exerted by multinationals over the shape, content and assessment of the curriculum, and the amount of data they hold and who owns it.”
She also criticised the government’s free schools programme, saying they “certainly do not perform better than other state-funded schools”, and the role of Ofsted’s school inspections.She also criticised the government’s free schools programme, saying they “certainly do not perform better than other state-funded schools”, and the role of Ofsted’s school inspections.
“Abolition of Ofsted and its replacement by a system of school self-evaluation, with light-touch external oversight, is the only secure way of achieving what we believe is both desirable and achievable,” Blower said.
“This is essentially about trusting teachers. There are some signs – and I wouldn’t mention this too loudly – that Tristram [Hunt] is moving in that direction,” she said, in reference to recent comments on reforming Ofsted by Labour’s education spokesman.“This is essentially about trusting teachers. There are some signs – and I wouldn’t mention this too loudly – that Tristram [Hunt] is moving in that direction,” she said, in reference to recent comments on reforming Ofsted by Labour’s education spokesman.