Autumn Newsletter 2019

Hello! I hope you've had a great summer and had the opportunity to recharge your batteries.

There has been mixed news about education over the summer with the promise of extra funding for schools, a huge victory for our campaign over funding cuts over the last several years.

However, this extra funding won't be enough to make up for the losses caused over the last decade by funding cuts, not matching the increased pensions costs and above all the huge expense of creating and maintaining the academisation system, so we have a lot to do!

1. General Meeting 20th September

Our union is run by its members - we need your voices and your votes! Please join us at the next general meeting at our office near the Lidl on Normanton Road, DE23 6UQ. See below for detailed directions.

Please email kieran.picken@neu.org.uk with any agenda items for the District Meeting. Please email david.boulter@neu.org.uk with any agenda items for the Branch Meeting at least 24 hours before the meeting. If you have any motions please submit them by Friday 13th September to allow them to be circulated to members ahead of the meeting.

Here is our agenda:

Derby City NEU

Branch and District General Meetings open to all members

Friday 20^th September 2019

NEU Office, Normanton Road, Derby DE23 6UQ

4.30 – 5 pm

The Climate Strikes

Discussion – where is the student movement going and how are we supporting our students and educating about the climate crisis?

Branch Meeting Agenda:

5.00-5.20 pm Friday 20th September

1.       Election of Chair

2.      Reports - individual casework

3.      Reports - collective casework

4.      AOB

District Meeting Agenda:

5.20 - 6.30 pm Friday 20^th September

1.       Welcome and apologies

2.      Minutes of last meeting

3. Delegates for LGBT+ Conference
4. Delegates for Black Educators Conference
5. Nominations for Support Staff National Executive Seat
6. Activity reports
7. Campaign reports
8. Local merchandise request for funding
9. Request for support – Newham Spring & The Great Schools Robbery documentary
10. AOB

Directions to NEU office. Click for larger image.

2. Climate Emergency - Student Strike for Climate 20th September

On 20th September, students will begin the next round of strikes calling for more action to address the climate emergency. Despite talk of action nowhere near enough is being done to meet the deadline set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report.

Our union is fully supportive of the students both nationally and locally who are prepared to take action to stop further climate change before it is too late. Across the country schools are seeking to support students however they can. What will your school be doing?

Here are some ideas being shared by members so far, please let us know what you're planning!

• Include teaching about climate change in all lessons / assembly during the day
• Solidarity 'mass selfie' or protest photo opportunity for staff at lunchtime - ideally outside in the playground or any nearby green space! Ecologically sound placards optional
• Organise a student climate committee within school to campaign on climate issues.

Send us your pictures on the day! Tag @derbycityneu on Twitter, DerbyNEU on Facebook or email kieran.picken@neu.org.uk

3. Equalities Charter Working Group

At our recent Big Weekend event in July we had sessions on making our schools welcoming places for all, and the importance of good RSE education for all students and good dialogue with all our communities, particularly in the light of the recent problems around some schools in Birmingham.

Out of the discussion came the idea of working on an equalities charter that we could begin to develop and then hopefully collaborate with the local authority and academy chains to introduce in Derby schools. This could put us in a good position to avoid some of the mistakes and problems being faced in Birmingham and elsewhere, and maybe Derby could become an example to be followed by others!

This is a call out for members who would like to be involved in the preliminary development of an equalities charter. Please email kieran.picken@neu.org.uk if you are interested in taking part. We would like to get a first meeting off the ground before the end of September.

4. Regional Reps Training - Supporting Support Staff

Being a rep or an officer is a fantastic way to support your colleagues and take part in the campaigns to improve education - but training certainly helps us to navigate our way through. Many of us will not have much experience of representing support staff, who have different conditions of employment than teaching staff.

On 26th November our regional office in Nottingham has organised a one-day training event for reps, officers and caseworkers from across the East Midlands. If you perform any of these roles you are legally entitled to release for training and the course is free.

Contact kieran.picken@neu.org.uk or david.boulter@neu.org.uk if you are interested in attending.

This one day course will take an in-depth look at advising and representing support staff members working in the maintained sector and in academies.

The course will help you to:

• identify the issues faced by support staff 
• understand the framework that covers support staff terms and conditions and pay 
• feel more confident about representing support staff Topics covered: 
• The Green Book 
• Pay 
• Hours and Workload 
• HLTAs and Cover Supervisors 
• Support Staff and the NEU 

The course will be a mixture of small group activities and PowerPoint presentations with an opportunity to share experience/s and look at case studies and scenarios.

5. National Organising Forums and National Councils

Would you like to be more involved in a particular part of the union's work? The union is a reflection of society, we have members from all walks of life working in so many different parts of education, and we have within the union vehicles to help push forward with agendas around equalities, health & safety and different education sectors.

Members can put themselves forward to these organisations to help with the work of the union in these areas, whenever there is a vacancy. We currently have vacancies on the forums and councils below. If you would like to put yourself forward to join please get in touch - you can email kieran.picken@neu.org.uk

-> Would like to take part but not sure whether you can commit to it? Our equalities officer is in the LGBT+ Organising Forum and can help you to get a good idea of what is involved!

National Organising Forums (NOFs) Vacancies

• Disabled Members
• Health & Safety
• LGBT+
• Retired

National Councils Vacancies

• Independent
• Leadership
• New Professionals / Young Workers
• Post 16
• Support Staff

6. CPD for 2019-20

You may be thinking about CPD to support your performance management over the coming year. The NEU offers excellent CPD and for members the cost is so low no business manager could object! At £50 per course for teaching members and £30 for support staff and NQTs, value for money is a bit of an understatement! Check out details of courses on the website here: https://neu.org.uk/national-cpd

7. Report from Derby Pride 2019

This year's Pride was the biggest for many years and incredibly lively and positive! Our equalities officer Kelcie is putting together a report from members who attended which will be posted on the blog when it is ready. In the meantime, we have posted some pictures from the day on the blog - the report will join it soon! See the pictures and read the report here!