Bullying Over Branded Goods

Nearly half (46 per cent) of teachers have seen schoolchildren bullied or excluded by their peers for not owning clothes or goods that are branded, a new poll has revealed.

Conducted by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the survey of 380 support staff, teachers and lecturers found that 85 per cent believe possessing fashionable clothes and branded goods is important to their pupils.

General secretary of ATL Dr Mary Bousted said there is huge pressure on youngsters to ‘fit in’.

“Schools and colleges should be places where all children feel equal, but it is virtually impossible for schools to protect their pupils from the harsher aspects of these commercial influences,”she remarked.

As more schools look towards commercial sponsors to provide much needed equipment, Dr Bousted added that this pressure could “intensify”. (Taken from the ATL website).

Academics and Employers To Develop Diplomas

Partnerships including Oxford academics, British Airways, other leading educational experts and industry leaders will come together to develop the next three Diplomas, in science, languages and humanities, the Government has announced.

The new ‘Phase 4’ Diplomas, to be taught from 2011, will follow the same structure, principles and design as their predecessors. Whereas Diplomas so far have been themed around employment sectors, the latest three lines will be subject based: Science, Languages and Humanities.

The aim is to ensure young people also have a strong grounding in the skills they will need for future employment – English, maths and ICT, as well as personal learning and thinking skills. Students will be required to do 10 days work experience as well as other work related learning, in line with the current Diploma programme.

Denham Plans Attack On Red Tape

So called red tape will be slashed to make it easier for employers to take on more apprentices, Skills Secretary John Denham announced today.

He said that unnecessary bureaucracy such as demands to store paperwork for up to six years, multiple inspection visits and monthly reporting requirements will be ditched at the earliest possible opportunity.

Proposals include:

• Removing excess paperwork through use of electronic audit and storage, tackling employers’ concerns about keeping paper records for up to six years;
• Simplifying registration and certification processes, including faster confirmation that apprentices have successfully completed their programmes. Employers will no longer have to wait several months for a paper certificate to arrive;
• Streamlining payment systems, for example by enabling payments to be made in two lump sums rather than on a monthly basis if employer requests this; and
• Scrapping monthly reporting requirements.

It is also proposed that health and safety requirements for apprentices will be based more closely on businesses’ existing in-house systems. This should cause no problems at workplaces with a good safety record and proper union representation, but it may lead to more accidents where health and safety is not seen as a priority.

Mr Denham said, “Employers tell us that if we are to meet our ambitious aims to expand the number of apprenticeships, we need to cut the red tape around the programme. “There is no reason why firms should have to deal with multiple copies of time-consuming paperwork, provide the same information to several different agencies, be expected to invoice government more often than is necessary, or have to undergo complex inspection requirements when they already have perfectly adequate systems of their own.

“The practical measures we have agreed will enable more employers to meet their present and future skills needs, unimpeded by time-consuming administration. The challenge from some of Britain’s leading employers, based on their own actions to get rid of red tape and bureaucracy is the perfect base on which we will build.”

Employers have urged swift action to streamline the current system. The bureaucracy-busting plan will be published over the summer and will map out a timetable for implementation while seeking further input from employers and awarding bodies.

Raising Expectations – Government Response

Plans to give local authorities more say over the education of young people and to streamline the adult skills system have received broad support according to government ministers.

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families have recently published two documents. The first, Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver – Summary of the Events and Written Responses summarises the responses to the 12-week consultation on the proposed Machinery of Government reforms.

The second, Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver – Update and Next Steps lays out the next steps following the consultation and answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the proposed new arrangements, including how the new Skills Funding Agency and Young People’s Learning Agency will work together.

The responses to the consultation, which was launched in March, will continue to be taken into account throughout the reform process. These reforms will require legislation, which will be included in the Education and Skills Bill (session four) due to be published in draft later this year.

Bill Rammell, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, said:

“We want everyone to have the opportunity to improve their skills, whether that is to get a job or get on at work. The proposals we published in March will mean that the system is better set up to meet the demands of both students and employers and will build on the success of the Learning and Skills Council who are currently taking forward the skills agenda. I am pleased that our proposals have been supported by the sector.”

Welcoming the responses to the Machinery of Government consultation, Schools Minister Jim Knight said:

“By giving funding directly to local authorities we are ensuring that all young people will get the education or training they need to get a good job and make the most of their talents. But it is vital that this is done right, so that money gets to where it is needed and local authorities are equipped to respond to the needs of young people. That is why the responses to our consultation will be an invaluable part of the process of making these changes work.

“By 2010 every 16- and 17-year-old will have a vibrant and exciting menu of options from Apprenticeships, to Diplomas, A Levels and GCSEs. We are ensuring that young people can access the right qualifications and courses to fulfil their potential.”

After careful consideration of the options for the location of the new agencies, which included an assessment of value for money, ministers have decided that the national offices of both the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People’s Learning Agency will be based in Coventry.

LSC Reports FE Success

As some of you may have seen in the specialist press, the LSC’s annual report is reporting record success rates for further education.

The Annual Report catalogues success stories in engaging young people, adults and employers in raising their ambitions, developing their skills and improving their careers and life opportunities. Highlights include:

• More than 350,000 adults (a 16 per cent increase on the previous year) have taken part in a Skills for Life programme during the academic year 2006/07;
• From the roll out of Train to Gain in April 2006 to the end of March 2008, the service engaged with 88,000 employers and 420,000 learners;
• Completion rates for Apprenticeships have increased to 63%, up from 53% in 2005/06; Almost 2.3 million people have achieved the first qualification in literacy, language or numeracy; and
• More than 1.5 million young people are in education and training.

Colleges To Be Licensed?

New proposals from the government will mean that in the future colleges must acquire a licence from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) if they want to sponsor overseas students. This news story is reported on the ATL website, and in detail at eGov monitor.

Unions’ Model Agreement For Academies

The TUC, along with the six teaching and school support unions in England, has launched a model agreement to help secure pay and conditions for academy staff that are at least as favourable as those enjoyed by staff in all other state schools.

The agreement aims to give unions greater recognition in academies, improve their negotiating position and allow reps the right to have time off for union duties.

The agreement has been signed by the teaching unions (ATL, NASUWT and NUT) and the unions representing support and other professional school staff (GMB, UNISON and Unite).

The agreement follows a key recommendation from last year’s TUC report on academies – A New Direction – which called on the Government to require academies to recognise unions on the same basis as other schools. It also urged Ministers to offer pay and conditions to academy staff that are at least as favourable as the national frameworks for staff in maintained schools.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The attitude of academies towards unions so far has been mixed, with some showing scant regard for the role of unions in representing the workforce. All academies need to engage with all the school workforce unions and today’s agreement is an important step towards achieving this.

‘Ultimately the Government must change the regulations so that academies are no longer exempt from the national rules that all other schools follow regarding pay, conditions and union recognition. Otherwise, we could end up with a two-tier workforce in our schools, which would be a disaster for teachers and support staff, schools and, most importantly, our children.”

Congress Preliminary Agenda Published

The removal of statutory limits for calculating redundancy pay, and effective and transparent machinery of government for post 16 education and training are the two issues ACM will be taking to the 140th annual Trades Union Congress.

Asylum seekers and employment, improvements in maternity pay, a fair tax system, better pay for public sector workers and increased funding for the nation’s film archives are some of the other issues contained in the preliminary agenda for this year’s Congress published this week.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham MP and Minister for Women and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman MP are among the speakers addressing delegates at Congress (which takes place between Monday 8 and Thursday 11 September 2008). Congress starts at 10am on the Monday with an address from TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

Boost For Equality Rep Training

A TUC co-ordinated training programme, announced at the recent equalities reps conference, has been set up to further boost the growing network of union equality reps in workplaces across the UK.

The new training programme, which takes place between September and December at venues across the UK, will train new and potential equality reps on how to handle key workplace issues, such as flexible working, equal pay, bullying, harassment and discrimination. The TUC is aiming to train up to 400 equality reps in the first three months of the project.

The expansion of equality reps was a key recommendation of the Women and Work Commission, which recognised the importance the importance of equality reps in delivering equality in workplaces. The TUC training programme has been funded by the Government Equalities Office.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘Workforces dominated by white able-bodied males are increasingly becoming a relic of the past so diversity today is as much a business need as a social goal. But many employers could do with the help of more equality reps to help change workplace culture.

‘From help with flexible working requests, to tackling discrimination and harassment, equality reps are playing a vital role in delivering equality where it matters most – on the shop floor.

‘We want as many reps as possible to sign up for our equality rep training courses and together we will help to create a better workplace environment for all workers.’

Castle College To Close Nurseries

In a shock announcement at the end of term, Castle College has told its Nursery Staff and parents at all three of its Nurseries that they will not re-open in September. The three Nurseries – at Maid Marion Way, Carlton Road and Stapleford – provide care for over 75 children and employ 15 staff, who will all face redundancy and have turned to their Trade Union, UNISON, for help.

ACM and the other college trade union, UCU, are backing Unison in their campaign to save their members’ jobs.

Mike Scott (Notts UNISON Branch Organiser) said, “This was totally unexpected and everyone is gobsmacked. The College is seeking to make £1.5 million cuts to balance the books in the lead up to merging with New College and South Nottingham College, but closing the Nurseries will only save £80,000 at most.

“This will hit black people and single-parent families most and these are the very people the Government wants to encourage back into education.

“Our view is that no decisions on Nursery provision should be made until after the merger – the other Colleges have no plans of their own to close Nurseries.”

Severe Blow In Allen Case

The Court of Appeal has overturned the previous EAT ruling in the case of Allen v GMB. This is likely to have serious consequences for the GMB and Unison, and will no doubt have implications for other trade unions including ACM.

The case centres around the GMB’s decision to recommend members accept an equal pay deal to settle claims on behalf of its members, even though it undervalued the women’s claims. The union was subsequently taken to a tribunal by some of its affected members alleging direct and indirect sex discrimination. The claim of direct discrimination was rejected because the tribunal was convinced that the union had made “an attempt to keep the peace and to appear to as many people as possible to have done a good job as a union in representing the interests of all members.” However, the tribunal upheld the complaint of indirect sex discrimination.

The union appealed and the EAT found for the GMB, saying that settling the claims was a legitimate aim and the means adopted were proportionate.

But now the Court of Appeal has said that the means of securing the deal were not proportionate, restoring the original tribunal finding of indirect sex discrimination.

Public Sector Workers Strike Action

With local government workers and civil servants on strike today (Wednesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“Hundreds of thousands of low paid people working in local government and the civil service are reluctantly on strike this week because they are refusing to accept pay offers way below the cost of living. With the cost of essentials like bread, milk and petrol more expensive than ever before, it’s unsurprising that public sector employees are worried about how their pay is going to stretch.

‘Paying public sector workers a fair and decent wage that takes account of the recent hike in the cost of living would not be inflationary and would help the many local government workers and civil servants struggling to make ends meet.”