The largest union for school leaders in the UK with more than 50,000 members in England, Wales & NI. Our support line is 0300 30 30 333.
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"Another baseless and outrageous slur on our fantastic profession that must be corrected immediately" - @paulwhitwman6
Read our full letter to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi regarding Michael Fabricant MP's comments below.
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We have contacted @Telegraph to ask why their front page says 'Head Teachers 'refusing to fully reopen schools'" when reporting our survey data that shows 97% plan to fully reopen to all pupils this week.
You can too:
telegraphenquiries@telegraph.co.uk
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM NAHT.
Only leave your child at school if you have no other choice.
Please, please watch and share this important video message from our general secretary Paul Whiteman.
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With #CloseTheSchools trending, we believe that it is right to prioritise keeping pupils in school. But the govt must be wholly transparent about the risks to children, families & school staff & give clear guidance on what additional safety measures #schools may have to take.
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School leaders vote overwhelmingly to reject government’s ‘inadequate and unaffordable’ pay offer
👤 64% of @NAHTnews members responded.
🚫 90% voted to reject the offer.
💰 92% said it was unaffordable.
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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NAHT is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ruth Perry. Ruth was clearly a well-respected and much loved headteacher. Our thoughts are with Ruth’s family, friends and all those in the school community she served with such passion and dedication.
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independent.co.uk/news/uk/of…
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NAHT calls for pause on Ofsted inspections after Ruth Perry tragedy
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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Today, NAHT has taken the first step towards judicial review proceedings against Ofsted following their failure to pause inspections.
You can read our full press release here: bit.ly/3ZLqIhX
Members will be sent further information in due course.
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NEW: Please check your inboxes for a new message from @PaulWhiteman6
"This is about keeping education going. At every turn the govt has failed and is working against the efforts of educators."
#schoolsreopeninguk #covid19 #january #schools
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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The decision not to pause inspections, even for a short period, was a terrible mistake. It only serves to reinforce the view that Ofsted is tin-eared and shows scant regard for the wellbeing of school leaders.
theguardian.com/education/20…
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"If you've overworked, underpaid and overregulated your workforce to the point of exhaustion and tragedy, what do you expect me to do?
I'm a trade union official. I have to call it out."
@PaulWhiteman6, responding to DfE criticism at @NEUnion conference.
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"I need to be plain with you ... it's likely that we will be considering strike action to join our sister unions ... you can't deny it, the size of teachers' demonstrations has brought the govt to the table." @PaulWhiteman6 tells members in our #LiveBroadcast
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Today school leaders & their teams have been planning how to re-admit more pupils on 1 June.
Tomorrow they will open up again for vulnerable pupils & key workers' children. They will provide home learning & support for thousands more.
And they will also read this front page.
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Sir Kevan Collins’ resignation tops off a truly awful day for the government & a deeply disappointing one for all those working in schools. There is little point appointing an internationally-respected education expert as catch-up Tsar if you fail to listen to what they say.
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With education settings remaining open govt must:
❌stop any performance tables from statutory tests
❌stop any form of formal inspection by Ofsted during this academic year
💯meet in full the costs of your #CovidUK safety measures
#DowningStreetBriefing #schools #lockdownUK
NEW: NAHT comment on new #Lockdown2 measures
@nick_brook
#DowningStreetBriefing
#FromThursday
#CovidUK
"It is right to prioritise keeping pupils in #schools. But the government needs to be wholly transparent about the risks."
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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1/ Following today's Downing St press conference, here is an updated statement from our gen sec @PaulWhiteman6
"Our focus in recent days has been to help our members with their planning for a return to school & to get the answers they need in order to achieve that safely."
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School leaders vote overwhelmingly to reject government’s ‘inadequate and unaffordable’ pay offer
👤 64% of @NAHTnews members responded.
🚫 90% voted to reject the offer.
💰 92% said it was unaffordable.
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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NEW: "We believe that it is wrong to keep people in harm’s way whilst the implications of the new variant of the virus are still being discovered." @PaulWhiteman6 #Covid #MakeSchoolsSafe #schoolclosures
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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School leaders’ unions @NAHTnews & @ASCL_UK write to Education Secretary demanding apology for her ‘insulting’ and ‘unacceptable’ remarks 👇
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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Julia Waters calls on school leaders to take down their Ofsted banners, as well as all references to Ofsted on promotional materials, then explain to parents why you did so.
#NAHTConf
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"The current crumbling school estate is the direct result of ministerial decisions to slash capital budgets. The responsibility for this situation sits squarely on the government’s shoulders and no amount of deflection and distraction will change that."
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/f…
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We wanted to take a moment to send a special message to all teachers and school leaders who have gone #aboveandbeyond throughout this crisis in putting the education, wellbeing, and safety of children first.
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"I invite the govt to write to me with the scientific evidence underpinning the confidence it has that a return to school for more pupils can be done safely" - @PaulWhiteman6 on @BBCr4today just now #bbcr4today #COVID19 @JustinOnWeb
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Our general secretary @PaulWhiteman6 has this afternoon issued a statement with @RealGeoffBarton @ASCL_UK calling for an immediate pause in @Ofstednews inspections following last week's inquest into the death of #RuthPerry See thread.
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To all members, please check your inboxes for an end of term message from @PaulWhiteman6 & @lindseyruthd
Our advice is that you do not spend time working out how you will implement the latest set of last-minute and ill thought-through demands of govt.
Focus on your family.
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New report by the government shows teachers work more than 50hrs a week on average - almost 60hrs a week for school leaders.
"Anyone questioning why we are in dispute only has to look at these survey results," says @PaulWhiteman6
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We will always argue for the final decision around school reopening to rest with school leaders and their governors. If a school leader needed to take a decision to close a school for reasons of safety, NAHT will support you in that decision. @PaulWhiteman6 #COVIDschoolresponse
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Government's own research shows teachers work more than 50hrs a week on average - almost 60hrs a week for school leaders.
"Anyone questioning why we are in dispute only has to look at these survey results," says @PaulWhiteman6
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“School leaders do not want to see classrooms empty for a day longer than they need to be. But there is not a school leader in the land who wants to risk admitting more pupils unless it is perfectly clear that it is safe." @PaulWhiteman6 #borisspeech tes.com/news/school-reopenin…
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Today, we announce our intention to ballot members over ‘inadequate’ pay offer from government
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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“It is important that we have complete transparency when it comes to transmission data in schools so that the right measures can be put in place. Without that all the hard work of school leaders and their teams will be undermined.” @PaulWhiteman6
theguardian.com/world/2021/m…
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“We now know a little more about what the govt's ambition is for schools. However without explanation of why or how such a return is considered to be safe, tonight’s announcement will not pass the ‘confidence test’, with parents or school leaders." @PaulWhiteman6 #COVID19
Boris Johnson says in his national address that "at the earliest by June 1" some shops may be able to open, and some school years may be able to return
bbc.in/CoronavirusUKPMAddres…
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With #CloseSchoolsNOW trending, NAHT believes that it is right to prioritise keeping pupils in #schools. Now the govt must be transparent about the risks to children, families & school staff, give clear guidance, fully fund #COVID19 costs, & take fines for parents off the table.
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8/ "The risks of going too far, too fast are obvious. We have consistently said that the govt cannot expect schools to ‘flick a switch’ & return to normal. Our actions should follow the science, rather than waiting for the science to catch-up with the govt’s preferred date.”
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The current inspection system places a completely unacceptable level of pressure on individual school leaders. NAHT has been campaigning for change for a number of years but the government and Ofsted have not taken the warnings seriously enough.
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WATCH: @PaulWhiteman6 speaks to @BBCBreakfast about #schoolsreopening featured in The Observer and almost every other newspaper this morning #makeschoolssafe #covid19 #teacher5oclockclub 1/3
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"My appeal to Lord Adonis and anyone else thinking of offering a public opinion is simple: do not take your #Covid19UK frustrations out on schools. They are a vital part of the solution; they are certainly not the problem." @PaulWhiteman6
tes.com/news/coronavirus-ado…
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Apologies to members who are wishing to respond to the quick poll we put out via email a few minutes ago. The large number of people wanting to respond has crashed our website. We're working to fix this and will keep you posted.
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That's the end of #NAHTConf.
@PaulWhiteman6 closes with a message to members:
"You are now ready to stand up for yourselves – you will stand up to a govt and protect the profession that you love, and you will stand up to Ofsted to protect the ones that you love."
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"You have moved mountains in moments. You had no time to prepare. But you responded brilliantly well" @PaulWhiteman6 pays tribute to school leaders for their efforts in continuing to deliver learning throughout the crisis.
#COVIDschoolresponse
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NAHT is moving to a formal postal ballot for strike action of members in England. Now is the time for school leaders to take a stand, not just for a fairer deal for themselves but for the very future of education.
bit.ly/3LURdxv
#FightingForTheirFuture
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1/ NEW: Govt failure to issue reasonable key worker definitions places schools in an impossible position - @PaulWhiteman6
#COVID19 #Lockdown3 #schoolsreopening
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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Today we have launched legal action against Ofsted.
We must not forget that the catalyst for these changes was the tragic death of Ruth Perry.
The focus on school leader mental health and well-being has got lost along the way during Ofsted’s consultation process.
bbc.in/3YrW13w
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Here's our response to the Government’s #Covid19UK recovery strategy.
"The government’s determination is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month. This is not currently a feasible scenario." @PaulWhiteman6 ...
gov.uk/government/publicatio…
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School leaders across the UK are standing with teachers today.
#SupportOurSchools to #SaveOurSchools
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1/ @PaulWhiteman6 says: "Publicly, ministers express their thanks to school leaders, whilst behind the scenes they are sending intimidating and unnecessary legal letters. We object to these double-standards in the strongest terms...
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NAHT believes that we need a fundamental review of how inspection works in this country. The impact of inspection on the mental health and well-being of school leaders must be central to such a review.
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Delegates applaud as president-elect @simonkidwell broaches the topic of Ofsted. #NAHTConf
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NAHT would like to thank Justine Greening for her efforts as Education Secretary. The relationship between the government and school leaders has improved during her time in office and that has led to important breakthroughs on Primary assessment, careers advice...
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NEW BLOG: "It is time to support what schools are doing right now and worry less about what they may do in the future" - @PaulWhiteman6 @tes #CoronaCrisis #FridayMotivation
tes.com/news/schools-are-ope…
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It is deeply concerning that education was almost entirely ignored in tonight's TV debate - our children’s future is at stake. All parties must demonstrate they have the ambition to restore education as a national priority #GE2024 #BBCDebate #ElectionDebate #ForTheirFuture
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"Clear evidence on the level of risk pupils, parents & staff may pose to one another once in school & how these risks can be mitigated needs to be put in the public domain. The ball is currently in the govt’s court here, so we hope they’ll publish with no delay." @PaulWhiteman6
Coronavirus: Schools safe to reopen, Michael Gove insists bbc.in/3fXBPOY
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NAHT Head of Policy, Sarah Hannafin responds to reports of the SATs reading paper being inaccessible for children and the impact this has had on pupils’ well-being. We intend to raise these concerns with the STA.
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"Ofsted is now associated with harm to school leaders," says @PaulWhiteman6 on @BBCNewsnight last night, discussing #RuthPerry.
"We've been disappointed in the response of Ofsted to these tragic circumstances - it has been very clear for over 5 years that things need to change."
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Ever wondered what 1000 head teachers looks like? Amazing demonstration of support for the @WorthLessWS #stillnotlistening campaign. #schoolcuts #fundschoolsnow
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Julia Waters calls on Ofsted inspectors:
"Hand in your badges" - don't be complicit in a failed and harmful system.
#NAHTConf
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“We have asked the govt to share the evidence justifying distinctions drawn between primary and secondary schools, the geographical distinctions they have made and the evidence justifying the compulsory introduction of mass-testing.” @PaulWhiteman6
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55511662
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It's #WinitWednesday, the perfect time to enter our competition for you and a colleague to win a spa day! Comment on the post to tell us who you would take. You must both like and share the post and follow NAHT. Good luck! T&Cs apply ow.ly/VMvn50jF0Zt
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Simon Kidwell, NAHT president-elect: "Ofsted does not raise standards." #NAHTConf
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While our members in England are not taking industrial action themselves, NAHT is pursuing solutions to the same problems as @NEUnion colleagues. The resolve of our members has in no way weakened. If anything, we have seen a strengthening of that resolve.
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#RuthPerry inquest verdict "a clear and damning indictment of an approach to inspection that has done massive harm to school professionals – something we have warned about for many years," says @PaulWhiteman6.
"This tragedy never should have happened."
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
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All primary #schools in #London to switch to remote learning.
"The government is at sixes and sevens. There is no clear rationale for why some schools are being closed and others are not." @PaulWhiteman6
#schoolsreopeninguk #tier4 #COVID19 theguardian.com/education/20…
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The main thing you need to know about #Budget2018 is that @hmtreasury has not listened to school leaders, governors & parents. Schools are £2.8bn worse off since 2015 & the govt proposes to spend more in 2019 on potholes than on pupils. bit.ly/2P1g5rO #LittleExtras
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“League tables are utterly pernicious. They’re the bedrock of why schools are so competitive and a punitive stick hanging over teachers” Author @michaelrosenyes offers his view during the #turnthepage event.
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Clearly, releasing this guidance on the afternoon before national lockdown officially starts is nothing short of ridiculous. We have been calling for clear information for schools since Saturday afternoon, and once again, we have been left waiting until the eleventh hour.
New national restrictions will apply from Thursday 5 November. We’ve published additional guidance for schools which are remaining open:
gov.uk/guidance/education-an…
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“I would not like to see a situation where schools are instructed to issue fines for families who do not feel able to send their children to school even if the government gives them the all clear.” @PaulWhiteman6 #COVIDschoolresponse #extendlockdown
theguardian.com/education/20…
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In our first poll of the evening, delegates were asked: 'In light of the Prime Minister's statement of Sunday 10 May, do you feel confident opening your nursery school beyond the children of keyworkers/vulnerable children?'
11% said yes
89% said no
#covidnurseryresponse
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Headteachers' union overwhelmingly rejects Government pay offer with 78% saying they are prepared to vote for strikes
The union's executive will now meet to discuss next steps - which could include holding a second formal ballot on industrial action.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article…
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“Research evidence shows that there are better methods to help pupils than lengthening the school day. The government must filter out loud calls for superficially attractive schemes and listen to the experts.” @PaulWhiteman6
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.@PaulWhiteman6 calls for the government to talk to us directly and explain the scientific evidence - if that passes the confidence test, there would be no shortage of enthusiasm from our members in bringing pupils back to school #COVIDschoolresponse
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NEW: NAHT comment on #schoolsreopeninguk announcement from #educationsecretary #January #COVID19
"This is another last minute mess which could so easily have been avoided if the gov't had listened to school leaders before the holidays." @PaulWhiteman6
naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion…
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Important announcment.
Next step is to confirm that routine inspections are off the table for Jan '21.
This would free up school leaders to focus on the important work of supporting pupils.
These are not normal times - this is not the time for normal inspections. #schools
During the national lockdown we will undertake our work remotely where we can – only going on site where it is necessary to do so, or in response to urgent concerns. That means our programme of autumn visits to schools and colleges will be done remotely from Thursday.
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Julia Waters, Ruth Perry's sister, tells #NAHTConf that speaking out about what happened to Ruth is not without its costs, but she has to raise awareness of this issue because Ruth was not the first head teacher to suffer.
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This ugly exchange demonstrates the chaos and duplicity at the heart of government. How can any trust develop when the secret contempt for teachers and the teaching profession is laid bare like this?
@PaulWhiteman6 #lockdownfiles
telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03…
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We've published new advice for school leaders on phased returns on our website. This includes our response to recent announcements and principles for moving forward.
naht.org.uk/advice-and-suppo…
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"We all want to see schools back as soon as possible, so NAHT has written again to the DfE today because we still need the govt to explain why it has so strongly asserted that a return to school on 1 June is a wise thing to do." @PaulWhiteman6 #COVIDー19
bbc.co.uk/news/education-527…
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Incredible show of unity from @cyclingkev @PaulWhiteman6 @PatrickR_NASUWT @RealGeoffBarton at a joint press conference on strike action at #NAHTConf this evening
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“School leaders have spent every weekend and holiday on call for the last year. It was just assumed they would take on this additional duty despite Govt spending billions on a national test & trace system. Not a penny of that money was given to schools.”
inews.co.uk/news/education/h…
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NAHT's ballot on the government's pay offer is now open.
If you are eligible to vote, please check your email inboxes now.
If we are unable to contact you by email, you will receive a text message with all the information you need in the coming days.
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Our members do not recognise the government’s calculations on the affordability of the offer, with the vast majority of head teachers and school business leaders saying they could not pay the rise from their existing budgets.
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NAHT's @PaulWhiteman6 and @cyclingkev of @NEUnion fighting the same fight.
#SupportOurSchools
#SaveOurSchools
#ProtectEducation
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Our response to govt plans for all students to study maths until 18 - read full statement here: bit.ly/3L3bWPm
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“Change is coming,” says new NAHT President Elect @simonkidwell, as he calls for schools to remove Ofsted banners and logos
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
#NAHTConf
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Our general secretary @PaulWhiteman6, speaking to @NEUnion conference today about our members' rejection of the government's offer and urging the government to come back to the negotiating table.
🔊Sound on!
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Our General Secretary @PaulWhiteman6 was live on BBC News this afternoon to voice the outrage felt by our members after Michael Fabricant MP reiterated his baseless claims.
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Commenting on the plan for staff to make their own protective masks, @PaulWhiteman6 said: “Frankly, it is an insult to dedicated professionals to expect them to do their duty equipped with no more protection than a homemade face-mask and a bar of soap.”
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NAHT will consider re-running our industrial action ballot due to postal disruption, as leaders in both England and Wales vote strongly for action.
(Thread 👇)
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NAHT members in need of mental health support can contact our charity partners @EdSupportUK
naht.org.uk/education-suppor…
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You told us you need restored funding & relief from the intolerable workload pressure you are under
We're pushing for a list of tasks school leaders should not do, similar to that agreed for teachers, & for the resources to cover work removed from teachers. #LiveBroadcast
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#NAHTconf motion 21: to reject the Bold Beginnings report that once again imposes a particular ideology on teachers and school leaders, regardless of evidence and to the detriment of young learners – passed 89%
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City council wins injunction to STOP protests at Anderton Park School gates - this will bring welcome relief to the pupils and staff at the school, but action now needs to be taken to make sure no school faces protests like this in the future. birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi…
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NEW from @PaulWhiteman6 in @guardian
'The government has ended up in an unnecessary debate about “when”, when it should have had a much more open dialogue with organisations like ours about the “how”.'
#COVID
@10DowningStreet
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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1/ While we wait for the govt’s #lockdown announcement, here are some thoughts from gen sec @PaulWhiteman6 first published in @Telegraph
“Making the announcement is the easy part. The hard part is convincing people that a return to school is the right thing to do.”
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"There comes a point when occupancy levels might be so high that they work against the efforts to bring down infection rates in communities, as is the national aim." @PaulWhiteman6 #Covid_19 #Lockdown3 #schoolsreopening
bbc.co.uk/news/education-555…
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1/ “Congratulations to @MarcusRashford for making the govt do the right thing. This is a huge step towards making sure that no child goes hungry this summer... @PaulWhiteman6 #maketheUturn
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NAHT to ballot members for strike action over pay, funding, workload and wellbeing
naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comm…
#NAHTConf
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