Supporting bilingual children - National Union of Teachers

CONTENTS
Features
November 2007
12 Stick to your principles
Diane Hofkins urges teachers to
follow their instincts on education.
14 Conference call
Chris Brown and Emily Evans
report from this autumn’s party
political conferences.
18 Teachers at the TUC
Ellie Campbell-Barr and Janey
Hulme report on NUT contributions
to the 2007 TUC congress.
21 Lessons from America
Richard Knights writes about his
visit to San Francisco as a Walter
Hines Page scholar.
25 Keep it clean!
Dr Linda Miller gives tips on
preventing tummy viruses.
26 Are you speaking the
same language?
Tony Eaude speaks up for
emerging bilingual pupils.
29 On supply and
in from the cold
Diane Hofkins looks at new CPD
initiatives for supply teachers.
36 Learning to lead
Crispin Andrews explains the
benefits of young leaders’ schemes.
43 How we did it
Maria Mather reveals how
Oaklands special school has
developed strong links with the
local community.
50 Backbeat: Time to think
about drink
Alcohol Concern’s Srabani Sen
argues that schools have a part to
play in cutting underage drinking.
Cover image: www.JohnBirdsall.co.uk
Regulars
4 Upfront
11 International
16 Your union
22 Ask the union
30 Teachnology
33 NUT training and development
38 Reviews
41 Noticeboard
44 Staffroom confidential
46 Letters
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President: Baljeet Ghale
General secretary: Steve Sinnott
Deputy gen sec: Christine Blower
Editorial board: Kevin Courtney,
Angela Davies, Neil Foden, Keith
Gardiner, Dave Harvey, Goronwy
Jones, Alex Kenny and David Lyons
Editor: Elyssa Campbell-Barr
Journalist: Janey Hulme
Administration: Maryam Hulme
Editorial support: Peta Lunberg
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Welcome
Public sector pay was the big
issue at this year’s TUC congress
in September. The NUT
seconded a motion calling for “a
joint campaign of opposition...
to the government’s unfair
public sector pay limit”, and a
TUC general council statement
warned of the dangers the
government faces in failing to
value public sector employees.
With average earnings in
the private sector increasing by
4.3 per cent in the year to July
and inflation hitting 4.1 per
cent in August, it’s little wonder
that teachers and other public
sector workers are growing
increasingly dissatisfied with
meagre rises of around 2.5 per
cent. To add insult to injury, the
government has announced
planned pay increases of just
2 per cent for teachers from
2008-11, broken its promise to
review teachers’ pay if inflation
rose above the ‘trigger’ level of
3.25 per cent, and claimed that
increases in public sector pay
cause inflation – all in a year
when top executives have seen
their earnings rise by an
average of 37 per cent!
This year has already seen
postal workers, prison officers,
London Underground staff and
civil servants taking industrial
action over pay. Unison is now
balloting its members – including
many school support staff –
over possible strike action.
The NUT remains committed to
protecting teachers’ pay and
we urge all members to support
our campaign as it unfolds
this autumn.
Elyssa Campbell-Barr
Editor