Female teachers are not being protected against “upskirting” videos and other forms of online sexual harassment by pupils, the leader of one of the UK’s main teaching unions has said, calling for schools and governments to take the issue more seriously. Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT, said her organisation had found multiple…
Tag: Schools
Year 6 pupils spend Easter at school cramming for Sats
Children at hundreds of primary schools in England are being asked to attend Sats revision classes over the Easter holidays, a teaching union official has revealed, warning that it was part of a disturbing trend. Darren Northcott, the NASUWT national officer for education, said revision classes for primary school pupils were unheard of five years…
Teachers risk dying in classrooms if illnesses ignored, union told
Teachers in the UK run the risk of “dying in their classrooms” if they are forced to work through serious illnesses, a teaching union conference has been told after a member revealed dramatic evidence. Neil Jeffrey, a secondary school teacher, opened his shirt to show the scars left by a triple heart bypass operation he…
One in five teachers using own money for school supplies – report
One in five teachers are spending their own money on classroom supplies, while nearly half say they buy food, clothes and even soap for poor pupils, according to a report charting the effects of austerity on schools. Among the more than 4,300 teachers who responded to the NASUWT education union, 20% said they paid for…
Teaching union warns of ‘super-sized’ classes in English schools
Class sizes in secondary schools in England will hit a 40-year high owing to a sharp increase in pupil numbers being compounded by the growing funding crisis, teachers’ leaders havesaid. Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), predicted that significantly more secondary school pupils would find themselves being taught in…
Teaching union calls zero-tolerance school policies ‘inhumane’
A teaching union has described increasingly draconian behaviour policies in schools in England as “inhumane” and “damaging to pupil mental health”. The National Education Union (NEU), which is holding its annual conference in Liverpool this week, said zero-tolerance approaches to discipline were resulting in schoolchildren spending inappropriate and harmful amounts of time in isolation. Anna…
I’m a teacher and I live in the back of a van
If I’d thought, 10 years into teaching, I’d be camping in the back of a van during the week, parking up under darkened coastal coverts, surviving on my wits at the front of class by day and my wife’s tasty pack-ups by night, would I have taken the plunge? I have two sleeping bags (four-season),…
Primary teachers to be balloted on boycotting Sats
Primary schoolteachers are to be balloted on whether to boycott Sats next year because of concerns that high-stakes testing is harming children’s mental health. Delegates at the National Education Union (NEU) annual conference in Liverpool voted in favour of the action after a heated debate, seeing off an amendment from the executive which had argued…
UK schools are turning to foreign governments to fund languages
In Holly class, Matilda, aged six, calls the register. “Ciao, Tyler,” she says. “Presente,” he replies. “Ciao, Arthur,” she says next. “Ciao, Maestra Matilda,” he says. The class collapses into giggles: Matilda is taking the register as part of today’s Italian lesson. Her teacher, Stefania Cellini, helps the children count aloud to check everyone is…
More than 1,000 English schools turn to online donations to close funding gap
More than 1,000 schools across England are turning to crowdfunding websites and wish lists to raise money, with many appealing for basic supplies such as pencils, glue and textbooks. A Guardian investigation has revealed the extent to which schools across the country are turning to online fundraising in the teeth of government budget cuts, with…
The Guardian view on crowdfunding schools: lessons in unfairness | Editorial
From sponsored bike rides to tombolas and auctions, fundraising drives are part of the fabric of our lives. They can help to strengthen social ties as well as raising money – as when parents bond with teachers across tables loaded with jumble or cakes. Funds raised in this way have long provided valuable extracurricular extras…
Knife crime prevention plan unfair on teachers, say unions
Teachers have reacted angrily to proposals to make them responsible for preventing teenage knife crime and serious violence, accusing the government of using schools as scapegoats. Under the proposals, teachers would be required by law to report children they fear are caught up in a life of violence, and would be held accountable if they…
Mother sues over daughter’s suicide attempt in school isolation booth
A woman whose daughter tried to kill herself while in an isolation booth at an academy school is to take legal action against the government. The child, who cannot be named, has autistic spectrum disorder and mental health problems, but was put in an isolation booth by her school in Kent for more than a…
School music report reveals cuts, inequality and demoralised teachers
When the children at Barlby primary in west London got up to perform at the Royal Albert Hall last month it was, according to their headteacher, an overwhelming and aspirational event. The school, which is part of the local community around Grenfell Tower, is among the most diverse and disadvantaged in the country, with more…
The Guardian view on school exclusions: the wrong answer | Editorial
It has taken a few years, but awareness of the rising number of pupils being excluded from English schools has grown to the point where the problem has become impossible to ignore. In the process, observers have become wiser to the methods used by schools seeking to expel awkward children without resorting to the formal…
Secret Teacher: the exodus of older teachers is draining schools of expertise
There is a teacher at my school who is adored by students and staff. He’s a dedicated and efficient educator with years of experience who once taught some of our pupils’ parents. The school benefits from his expertise daily, from the way he handles tricky content to how he manages difficult behaviour. In many ways,…
Secret Teacher: I hated teaching – until I realised my school was the problem
Not so long ago, I was ready to quit teaching. Now, I’ve got my sights on leadership. The difference is my headteacher. Under my previous head, I got the point where I couldn’t go on. I was signed off work with anxiety and stress. At school, we’d been under intense pressure to get more children…
Schools funding shortfall of £5.4bn ‘worse than estimated’
There has been a £5.4bn shortfall in school funding in England over the past three years, according to an analysis of official figures by unions which says the deficit is worse than previously estimated. The School Cuts coalition of unions representing teachers and school support staff claims the latest analysis represents the most comprehensive examination…
Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi wins $1m global award
A science teacher from rural Kenya who donates most of his salary to help poorer students has been crowned the world’s best teacher and awarded a $1m prize, beating 10,000 nominations from 179 countries. Peter Tabichi, 36, a maths and physics teacher at Keriko secondary school in Pwani Village, in a remote part of Kenya’s…
Teaching assistants are invaluable to learning – so why are we being axed? | Darell J Philip
Next month I could lose my job. My 11 years as a teaching assistant could be coming to an end due to government cuts in education. Across the London borough of Hackney, where I work, 66 schools have had government cuts to per-pupil funding since 2015. Headteachers have been left with the unenviable task of…