This year, the NASUWT is holding joint Equalities Weekends for Black, LGBTI, women and young members.

See more

---

The Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference offers a safe space to explore key issues and challenges you face in your career, share experiences with other young members and contribute ideas for the future of your Union.

These events are FREE to eligible members and provide you with the opportunity to take part in seminars and workshops.

Tap/click on the image(s) below to find more details of upcoming events, including what you can expect from the event and how to book.

NASUWT conferences and events are strictly for adults only due to the nature of the content shared and no children will be permitted into any areas of the conference.

Visit the accessibility guide for the ICC Birmingham

Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference 2023 - round-up

The 2023 Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference was held in Birmingham on Saturday 18 November.

NASUWT National President Rosemary Carabine chaired the Conference and opened by welcoming General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach to give the keynote address.

Referencing the TUC Young Workers’ Month, Dr Roach began by reiterating the importance of speaking directly with young members and activists to build and strengthen our Union and highlighting the importance of activism in every workplace.

Dr Roach said, ‘Since our last Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference, we have been responding to what you asked us to do.

‘Campaigning on tackling excessive workload, securing improvements to your pay and extending our provision of training and development on the Early Career Framework (ECF) in England, behaviour management, voice care, wellbeing, neurodiversity, flexible working, more mental health first aid training, and safeguarding.

‘We want every member - especially our young members - to be active in the Union, because you are the Union.’

---

Outlining a number of ways in which young members can take part in union activity, Dr Roach said, ‘That’s what activism is all about: attending an event, enrolling on a training course, meeting members in your school or Local Association, voting in elections and ballots, reading our magazine, engaging with us on social media, and inviting other colleagues to join us.

‘We know that great teachers are union made. Employers who say it will damage your career are wrong.’

‘You have every right to say no and to be treated with respect for the professionals that you are.’

Dr Roach paid tribute to those who have stepped up their activism over the last year saying, ‘Across the Union, we are supporting members like you to build safer and more inclusive workplaces and a more inclusive union for all our members.’

Moving on to the changes we want to see, Dr Roach said, ‘We are challenging governments to do more to close the pay gap and ensure that teachers have the time to do the job.

‘That’s why we made our demand for a Better Deal for Teachers central to our campaigning and to our Manifesto for Teachers.

‘We are the union that is putting teachers front and centre of our demands for the next government.

‘As you know, children cannot have a great education without teachers who are respected and valued.

‘We can see all too readily today that this Government presides over a teacher recruitment and retention crisis - the worst crisis in over 50 years - a crisis created by more than a decade of deliberate underfunding by a government that simply does not care enough to invest what it takes to deliver the very best education for children and young people.

‘This is resulting in more lessons being taught by non-specialists, it is adding to your workload and it is leading to record numbers of teachers leaving the job prematurely.

‘We are the ones demanding change and your support will make our voice even stronger.

‘We are stepping up our campaigning to end the misguided view that teachers should work as long as it takes to get the job done while governments refuse to provide the funding that schools and children’s services need.

‘That’s why we are demanding a national contract with a maximum limit on teachers’ working hours and why our Time for a Limit campaign is so important for every one of our members. That work starts right here, right now.

Outlining what the Union wants to see in a national contract, Dr Roach continued, ‘Every teacher has the right to work their proper hours; the right to a lunch break; the right to time to plan and prepare their lesson; the right to switch off at the end of the day and at weekends.

‘Regardless of what your employer might say, you have the right to a life outside work.

‘We will be building on the gains we have already achieved from our national action ballot so that every teacher in every school and college can insist that it’s Time for a Limit and bring an end to working until you drop.

‘We have already forced the Government to accept our arguments on pay and workload reduction because of the stance you took and the Westminster Government has promised to reduce teachers’ working time by five hours a week.

‘That’s not enough to fix the workload crisis, but it is a start. We still need to see more action, not warm words, from Ministers.

‘For us to achieve more, we need your help, colleagues. Because we will always win when we stand together.

‘Our Manifesto for Teachers is putting teachers front and centre of the political debate ahead of the general election. We know that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and the conditions in which you teach.

‘But we will not simply sit back and wait for a general election.

‘Young members like you are leading the fight - and they are winning!’

Flickr album

The Conference provided young members with opportunities to take part in interactive sessions/workshops:

• Workshops:

  • Dealing with difficult parents led by Emily Hunter, Educational Consultant

  • Taking control of your wellbeing led by Kim Jamson, Principal Official (Equality and Training)

• Panel session - What does it mean to be young and active in trade unions and communities?
  Each panel member delivered a short presentation, followed by a Q&A session

  • Jawad Khan, Policy and Campaigns Support Officer, TUC North West;

  • Ronan Sharkey, President of NASUWT Northern Ireland and Young Activist of the Year 2020;

  • Gareth Owen, NASUWT Young Members’ Advisory Committee and Local Secretary of Isle of Ely Committee;

  • Kira Chan, NASUWT Young Members’ Advisory Committee.

• Live poll chaired by Claire Ward, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Committee, and hosted by Jennifer Moses, National Official (Equality and Training);

• Campaigns and industrial action update with Jane Peckham, Deputy General Secretary, and Chris Weavers, National Official (Campaigns and Communications).

Don’t miss out

If you’re not yet a member but want to attend our Young Teachers’ Consultation Conferences, and get access to other exclusive member benefits, why not join today?

You can find out more about why you should join us or go straight to our Online Joining site to take full advantage of our wider programme of events, training and discount scheme.

Want more influence?

The NASUWT is a member-led Union, which means you getting actively involved in your Union to support your colleagues and fellow teachers at work.

Getting active in the Union can take a variety of forms and will mean you get access to FREE training, support, and personal and professional development: you can be proud in the knowledge that you are undertaking a role that helps teachers in their workplaces.

Find out more

 

---

Your feedback

If you require a response from us, please DO NOT use this form. Please use our Contact Us page instead.

In our continued efforts to improve the website, we evaluate all the feedback you leave here because your insight is invaluable to us, but all your comments are processed anonymously and we are unable to respond to them directly.