Socialist Educational Association

The Labour Party’s National Policy Forum (NPF) recently issued a draft document on the development of a National Education Service (NES). The SEA would like as many people as possible to get involved in developing a radical alternative to the Tory government’s divisive, underfunded and fragmented policies. You can access the document as a member via the Party website and then upload your comments. The SEA would also like to hear from you at: info@socialisteducationalassociation.org Continue reading →

Members in the Yorkshire and surrounding area may be interested in a public meeting arranged by Jon Trickett MP to discuss the failure of the Wakefield Academies Trust and what it means for the whole academies programme.

The latest data on cuts to schools budgets has been published at https://schoolcuts.org.uk/#!/. This is a fantastic tool for local campaigning and was an important factor in raising the profile of this issue in last year’s General Election. It’ll gives school level data right across the country and gives the lie to government assertions about protecting school budgets.

Elections are just getting under way for a range of posts in Young Labour. The SEA has agreed to support

Lara McNeill, from Hastings and Kings College London, for the Young Labour place on the National Executive. There is more about Lara on her campaign website http://www.larafornec.co.uk and

Leigh Drennan, Councillor in Tameside and current Vice Chair, for Chair of You  Labour

The next national SEA meeting is on Saturday 13^th January in the Priory Rooms, 40 Bull Street, Birmingham, B4 6AF. As usual the business meetings are in the morning and the all members discussion meeting will be from 2.00 to 4.00 pm.

In the afternoon, a key item will be to consider our response to the party’s Democracy Review. The process is outlined at https://labour.org.uk/about/democracy-review-2017/ where there is a link to the full terms of reference. There is the opportunity for individual members to make their own submissions. SEA will be making its own response and will certainly stress the importance of raising the profile of societies such as ours in the party.

We’ll also be continuing our debates around the party’s proposals for a National Education Service and around our own policy agenda.

All SEA members are welcome to both the morning and afternoon meetings.

Labour’s policy making process is now starting up with the first meetings of the 8 Policy Commissions. The last cycle was cut short by the snap election – and who knows, this one might be too. But as things stand it’s an important opportunity to build on the last manifesto and the principles of the National Education Service that were introduced at Conference.

A summary of the policy process can be found at National Policy Forum 2018 and the 10 NES principles are at The NES charter. I would urge all SEA members and supporters to use this opportunity to have their say on how Labour policy should develop.

At the same time, the party’s Democracy Review is starting up. Details can be found at https://labour.org.uk/about/democracy-review-2017/

This will be a major topic at the next national SEA meeting which will be on 13th January at the Priory Rooms 40 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF. The members meeting will start at 2.00 pm.

It’s really exciting to be able to record how many new SEA branches are starting up. In the last couple of weeks there have been inaugural meetings in Liverpool and Brighton and Hove, both with really good attendances. Tomorrow a south west London group will have its first meeting and the AGM of the Greater Manchester branch is set for 30th January.

We would like to encourage members in other areas to think about whether local groups could be formed. It’s a great way to raise the profile of education locally and to encourage councillors and MPs to make education a real campaigning issue.

The rules for branches are set out in the SEA constitution under “The SEA” tab at the top of this page and more information is available from secretary@socialisteducationalassociation.org. It just takes a couple of keen members to take the initiative and get something going.

UK Disability History Month takes place from November 22nd till December 22nd. 

This is the 8th year  in which this event has taken place. The theme this year is ”Disability and Art”. The introductory broadsheet can be downloaded from Disability-and-Visual-Art_UKDHM-Broadsheet-2017. On-line materials are available for UK Disability History Month November/December 2017 at http://www.ukdhm.org.

If anyone wants to come to the Launch in Parliament on November 22nd at 6pm please email susieburrows@live.co.uk