No further academisation in Derby! Stop school cuts! Stop Baseline! General Meeting 18th May

At the end of this week we were made aware that there is a proposal to convert 7 primary schools in the city to academy status. There will be a consultation meeting about this on May 23^rd at Derby University. We have had to move quickly on this, so the agenda and posters for the general meeting reflect the focus that we must have if we are to have any kind of effective intervention in this process as a union.

I will be emailing this to all members in the affected schools and I have already made contact with Wendy Hardy, ATL section officer, and Sheila Rollinson, NASUWT section officer. I think if we act quickly we can have an impact and if members in schools are willing to do so we can prevent this happening. Last year a successful intervention stopped Littleover’s proposed conversion, and there have been several successful campaigns already in 2018 that have stopped academisation in its tracks.

AGENDA

General Meeting

Friday 18^th May 2018

NEU (NUT Section) Office, Southgate Business Centre, Normanton Road, Derby DE23 6UQ

1.    Introductions & apologies

2.    Reports

a.    Annual Conference

b.    LGBT+ Conference

c.     Regional Young Teachers Conference

3.    The threat of further academisation – Asterdale, Beaufort, Borrow Wood, Cherry Tree, Oakwood Junior, Portway Junior and Springfield. Why the union opposes further academisation and what we can do about it.

4.    Stop school cuts!

5.    Stop Baseline!

6.    Nominations for national elections:

a.    Treasurer

b.    Disability Executive Seat

c.     National Executive Seat

d.    Membership and Equality Officer

7.    Proposed International Solidarity event in Nottingham

8.    Stand Up To Racism motion:

a.    To support Midlands TUC / Stand Up To Racism conference in Birmingham, 2^nd June

b.    To support counter demonstration against Football Lads Alliance in Manchester, 19^th May (for motion see below)

9.    Proposal to support Derby Silk Mill Festival 23^rd June

10.  Upcoming Events and Conferences

1. Counter-demonstration against the Football Lads Alliance, Manchester, 19^th May. Anti-racists urged to attend! Can we get an NUT delegation?
2. Academisation consultation meeting, 23^rd May, Derby University. Members urged to attend.
3. The Big 1, Chaddesden Park, 3^rd June – campaign stall. Volunteers needed, can you spare half an hour or more?
4. Winning in Schools Conference, London, 9^th June. Got a good news story, or need inspiration to get a win in your school? Come to this conference!
5. Reps Foundation Training Course 18^th – 20^th June, Buxton
6. Refugee Week, 18-23^rd June. Joint NEU NUT Section / Stand Up To Racism showing of documentary Calais Children: A Case To Answer, with Q&A with the director, Wednesday 20^th June at QUAD time TBC
7. Young Teachers Conference 22 – 24^th June. For more details or to be delegated, email our Young Teachers Officer james.naughton@neu.org.uk
8. The Silk Mill Festival, Derby, 23^rd June. Derby’s biggest trades union event, commemorating the world’s first industrial strike and celebrating the work of the trades unions. A great day out for all the family! Volunteers needed to help carry the NUT banner on the march and help out with the NUT stall during the day!
9. Reps Advanced Training Course 9 – 11^th July, Leeds
10. Big NUTty Weekend, Derby, 13-14^th July. A weekend including a general meeting, CPD, social and reps training – free to Derby NUT members! Further details TBC. To express an interest in attending, email kieran.picken@neu.org.uk

11.  AOB

Stand Up To Racism Motion – see item 7 above

On Saturday 2 June TUC in the Midlands and Stand Up To Racism are organising a major regional anti-racist conference “Confronting the rise of racism”. This follows a very successful regional event last year.

Recent weeks have seen the governments disgusting treatment of the Windrush generation expose the racism at the heart of their immigration policies. The Tory government have spent years scapegoating migrants, refugees and the Muslim community and playing with the future of EU nationals in Brexit negotiations. 

BAME people face institutional racism in housing, employment, education and the justice system. The issue of black deaths in custody tragically proves to many that black lives don’t matter.  

We are also living in the era of Donald Trump’s racism and the growth of support for the far right across Europe. In Britain while UKIP’s support has crumbled and the far right have been marginalised the rise of the Football Lads Alliance (FLA) raises the spectre of a racist, Islamophobic street movement developing. 

The FLA and the breakaway DFLA have been in exposed by the national media for racism and threats against leading figures in the labour movement including Diane Abbott and Sadiq Khan. The Premier League has put out a warning about the FLA as an extremist organisation.

In these circumstances we need to build the biggest possible broad based anti-racist movement across Britain. That means building the movement’s roots in every town and city. The event will be held in Birmingham but will be calling  for involvement and support from organisations across the entirety of the Midlands.

This branch/committee/campaign resolves to sponsor the event, send our banner, pay for…delegates and make a donation of…towards the costs of the event. 

This branch supports the Stand Up To Racism counter protest against the Football Lads Alliance in Manchester on Saturday 19 May.