Posted by Thank you to all members who attended our recent AGM.120 plus is a record! Welcome to Carmen Peruga (Chair), Pam Tatlow (Deputy Gen Sec), and Josh Harcup (Youth Officer), all new officers plus 12 new NEC members.
Equalities and Diversity Officer Vacancy
We received a late nomination for this position. The AGM decided to reopen nominations. You can self-nominate. Black, Asian and other non white ethnic groups are underrepresented on the SEA NEC. Please email: info@socialisteducationalassociation.org
Labour Conference Fringe Meeting
The ‘Give Us Back Our Schools’ campaign continues into Labour conference where we hope to get our motion (see below) debated and carried. If you are going to conference please help us to build our fringe meeting on the ‘Give Us Back Our Schools’ theme.
The Chair will be Baroness Blower of Starch Green (Labour Peer and ex ~NUT ~Gen Sec)
Diane Reay (University of Cambridge Faculty of Education)
John Mcdonnell MP
Kim Johnson MP (Education Select Committee)
Kevin Courtney (NEU Joint Gen Sec)
Moulscomb Campaign Rep (local primary school forced into academisation)
James Whiting (SEA Gen Sec)
Kate Green – TBC
Dates for Your Diary
Two dates for your diary this year open to all members
18th September, 2pm – Wesley Hotel, Euston, London. Give Us Back Our Schools Campaign event. Details to follow.
6th November, 2pm – Manchester Mechanics Institute. An event on education for the Climate Crisis .
Details to follow.
Working Groups
There are currently 3. Please feel free to join any or all of them. Just email the co-ordinator.
1. Give Us Back Our Schools Campaign Group
Mel Griffiths. griffmelan@aol.com
2. Higher Education Group
Pam Tatlow pamtatlow@btinternet.com
3. Curriculum Group
James Whiting. info@socialisteducacationalassociation.org
Conference Motion
The AGM agreed the motion below as our 2021 conference motion. Please get your CLP/Union delegates to support and if you can get it carried by your CLP.
Motion for Labour Party Conference ‘Give Us back our Schools’
Conference reaffirms Labour’s commitment to ensure that all schools will be taken back under local democratic control under a Labour Government and reaffirms 2019 conference policy on academisation.
It notes that the Secretary of State now intends to make all schools part of Multi Academy Trusts (MATs).
Conference believes that:
· There is no evidence that MATS improve children’s outcomes or experience at school.
· The current school system is expensive, confused and fragmented.
· MATS are not based in communities and make the planning of school provision by local communities more difficult.
· MATs too often work against the interests of disadvantaged and SEND pupils;
· Schools in MATs have less autonomy than local authority maintained schools;
· MATS have no democratic governance or accountability.
Conference understands that reforms to curriculum, assessment and pedagogy will not succeed without structural reform of our school system.
Conference resolves to support schools resisting academisation and absorption into MATS, and supports Labour LA’s that put in place collaborative structures to support schools working together locally. All schools should collaborate in the best interests of all learners in their area and be accountable to the communities they serve. Conference instructs the Education Policy Commission to work with shadow ministers, the SEA, local authorities, Education Unions and parents’ groups to develop new democratic structures based around LAs, to govern the delivery of education in their areas, within a national framework, so that parents, education workers, learners and the community are genuine stakeholders in their schools
In Solidarity
James Whiting (General Secretary)
Socialist Educational Association 