Our programme of continuing professional development (CPD) events for school and college leaders or aspiring leaders provides you with accredited training tailored to your career needs, as well as opportunities to network with other leaders.

These events are FREE to eligible members and provide you with the opportunity to be updated on current developments in education.

Upcoming events will appear here as they are confirmed, after which you can tap/click on the image(s) to find more details, including what you can expect from the event and how to book.

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Leadership Seminar 2024

The 2024 Leadership Seminar took place at thestudio in Birmingham on 18 May and was chaired by NASUWT President Rashida Din and members of NASUWT’s Leadership Advisory Committee Harold Gurden and Rob Kent.

Jane Peckham, NASUWT Deputy General Secretary, opened her keynote address by thanking the work of our Leadership Advisory Committee for their work in drawing the union’s attention to both the concerns of our leadership members, their positive innovations made in the area of leadership and their work linked to Annual Conference motions. Particular thanks were given to committee members Helen James and Rob Kent who presented workshops ‘Headteacher Recruitment and Retention’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence in Education’.

Ms Peckham highlighted the work of NASUWT and the Advisory Committee in supporting members as they progress from teacher to school leader, saying, ‘You can take part in this annual leadership seminar and other CPD opportunities we offer and contribute to campaigns to support leaders in improving their working conditions in areas such as pay, working conditions, mental health, equalities and fair accountability. Members in leadership roles are also supported with individual issues and casework.’

Ms Peckham then turned her focus to member feedback received so far in NASUWT’s annual survey Big Question 2024.

She said, ‘In the first few weeks, we have received over 1,000 responses from leadership members, which we will use in our work representing school and college leaders, in raising their concerns and informing our work to address them, and celebrating their achievements.

‘Please encourage your leadership colleagues to take part if they haven’t done so already.

‘It is not surprising for us to learn that leaders share similar concerns to other teachers about the problems the profession faces after 14 years of Conservative education policy.’

Leaders most like		Leaders biggest concerns
Teaching	81%	Workload	78%
Interacting with pupils	88%	Pay	46%
Making a positive difference	78%	Pupil behaviour	71%
Seeing children learn and progress	82%	School budget cuts	53%

‘Following last year’s national ballot, teachers and leaders won a pay increase of 6.5%. This year, we’re asking for 8% and the removal of performance-related pay.’

‘With the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and the mortgage increases following the Truss mini budget, pay is still a major area of concern for school and college leaders.’

Ms Peckham picked out some statistics related to leaders’ pay and the adverse impact it has on the perception of teaching as a career choice:

• 85% - do not feel teaching is currently competitive with other occupations in terms of salaries and rewards;

• 81% - are worried to some extent about their financial situation;

• 80% - feel that people are being put off a career in teaching due to pay levels;

• 75% - do not feel they are paid at an appropriate pay level for their skills and level of experience.

Ms Peckham went on to highlight leaders’ concerns around dealing with mental health issues, both for pupils without adequate support in schools or from other agencies and themselves and those they lead, including suicide awareness and prevention, anxiety and sleeplessness:

• 97% - said that in their professional opinion pupils they teach have mental health challenges;

• 82% - believe the job has adversely affected their own mental health;

• 82% - have experienced loss of sleep due to work;

• 80% - of leaders have experienced anxiety;

• 79% - have experienced more work-related stress;

• 65% - say their job has also adversely affected their physical health.

Please see our Wellbeing Tools for Teachers hub for support and advice and contact us if you require further support on these or any other issues.

The Big Question also shows that only 63% of leaders think their school building and teaching spaces are fit to teach in and just 53% say their schools buildings and teaching spaces are good for pupils.

As well as other issues around the quality of school buildings, NASUWT has been raising the problems associated with RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) with the Government.

Leaders are also reporting that pupil behaviour is still one of their main concerns and has worsened since the pandemic.

In the last year, leaders have been subject to
Verbal abuse from a pupil	62%
Verbal abuse by a parent	32%
Threats of physical assault from a pupil	20%
Assault by a pupil	13%

NASUWT has set out a statement of principles for behaviour management outlining eight principles that underpin effective behaviour management.

‘Members in leadership roles are finding the intolerable pressure on the education sector hard to manage well. Their own and their teachers’ workload are spiralling upwards while their school/college budgets are spiralling downwards, which is detrimentally affecting their job satisfaction,’ Ms Peckham added.

In the last year, leaders have
Considered leaving their current job	74%
Considered leaving the profession altogether	67%
Would not recommend teaching as a career to a friend or family member, while a mere 12% would	65%
Job satisfaction had declined	55%

Ms Peckham drew attention to the Workload Taskforce, which was set up to address issues of overwork in England and Wales following last year’s industrial action ballot, and the reinstatement of the list of admin and clerical tasks that should not be carried out by teachers.

‘The NASUWT’s Time for a Limit campaign and the Directed Time toolkits have been instrumental in achieving change for teachers, but there is more to do.

‘That’s why we’re calling for a New Deal for Teachers.

‘Scotland set the example of how a 35-hour a week contract can work 20 years ago. We need to see this rolled out across the rest of the UK.’

Ms Peckham went on to highlight one of the main digital innovations for leaders - the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, which is proving to have many positive applications in the field of education.

‘We must also, however, address the need to carefully monitor the development of AI in schools and colleges, given the opportunities it creates to be misused - and it can never be allowed to replace the teacher.’

Ms Peckham also covered the role of Ofsted, the flexible working toolkit, achieving equity in leadership for women and Black teachers, special educational needs, and professional autonomy and the Academy Commissioning Review in England.

‘More than 50% of teachers in England now work in a multi-academy trust (MAT). Some leaders have found that they have lost their professional autonomy as they are subject to the decisions of Executive Heads, the CEO and the academy trust.

‘We are putting pressure on the DfE to check on the way that trusts support staff when Regional Directors decide which trusts to allocate schools to.

• 51% - of leaders think their professional judgement about the learning needs of pupils is respected;

• 28% - think that it is not respected (all schools).

‘In the devolved nations, NASUWT Northern Ireland undertook a sustained industrial action campaign that saw a breakthrough this year with the first pay deal since the 2021/22 academic year.

‘NASUWT Scotland took part in a behaviour summit and set up a leadership group representing leader members in Scotland.

‘NASUWT Cymru/Wales has included a call for a limit on working time for leaders in Wales in its annual submission to the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB).’

Ms Peckham rounded up her address with a rallying call for change from the next government.

‘Across the UK, the outcome of next general election has got to be a turning point for the future of the profession - this government has basically run out of time and after 14 years, we need a new government.

‘Teachers and leaders need a new deal on pay, workload, working hours and wellbeing; a government on the side of teachers, at the heart of education, with a different mandate.’

Ms Peckham’s address was followed by a campaign update and a session covering Ofsted.

On our Inspection and Accountability advice pages for England, you can watch an interview where General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach puts our members’ key concerns to Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver.

Ofsted interview

Throughout the day, leaders were given the opportunity to take part in Q&A sessions and a programme of interactive workshops led by experts from inside and outside the Union:

• A Guide For School Leaders On The Role of the Teaching Regulation Agency and LADO - Lawrence Shaw, NASUWT Senior Regional Official, and Harold Gurden, NASUWT National Executive Member and Chair of Leadership Advisory Committee

• Artificial Intelligence in Education - Sonja Hall, NASUWT Principal Official (Education), and Rob Kent, secondary Head of Computing/IT and NASUWT Leadership Advisory Committee Member

• Recruitment and Retention in Crisis - Helen James, primary headteacher, contributor to Excellence in Headship Stretch (Education Scotland) and member of NASUWT Leadership Advisory Committee

• Flexible Working for Leaders - Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official

• Equitable Action in Education - Vivienne Porritt OBE, Co-founder and Global Strategic Lead of WomenEd

• Suicide Awareness - Mick Burrows, NASUWT activist and retired supply teacher

• Managing Menopause in the Workplace - Claire Ward, NASUWT National Executive Member and Chair of the Equal Opportunities Committee

• CoolFire - Creating Calm, A sustainable, holistic approach that can form the basis of a whole-school culture of wellbeing for staff and students - Dave Read, founder of the The Lightworks

Flickr album

Don’t miss out

If you’re not yet a member but want to attend our Leadership Seminars, 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.

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