Super-union is ‘game-changer’
Education in Wales faces many challenges, warns the newest and biggest education union. Here Keith Bowen, director of the National Education Union Cymru, and David Evans, the union’s Wales secretary, outline the work ahead
As well as the children and young people who were facing up to the excitement and challenges of a new school year this September, there was also another group starting the new term with a fresh start.
The amalgamation of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers Cymru and the National Union of Teachers Cymru has seen the establishment of by far and away the biggest union representing education professionals in Wales – the National Education Union Cymru.
This week sees an important step for education in Wales, as Education Secretary Kirsty Williams AM has set out her National Mission.
At a time, too, when the devolution of teacher’s pay and conditions will deliver almost the last lever of education policy to Cardiff Bay, it has never been more important to see strength in unity among the education sector.
The National Education Union Cymru will be a game-changer for the way that education policy is formed and delivered.
Never before has there been such a big-tent approach to representation. No other trade union has been able to speak with the backing of such a significant number of individuals who are tasked with delivering education for our children, young people and mature students. For that matter, never before has a Welsh Government had the opportunity to speak and engage with so many professionals through just one representative body. This dual opportunity creates a new platform of communication for those making political decisions and those expected to put them into practice.
Those individuals who were members of the ATL or NUT in the past will see a better service – the strengths of both unions working in united purpose, learning from each other’s experiences and putting in place the best support, protection, training and influence that anyone has ever experienced in our sector.
For those who are now joining the National Education Union Cymru, either as newly-qualified teachers entering the profession or as one of the hundreds of more experienced education professionals who have joined since the amalgamation, they are becoming part of the most diverse and representative community the education workforce in Wales has ever seen.
The future of education in Wales faces many challenges – not least the number of schoolteachers registered with the Education Workforce Council (EWC) dropping by 769 this year and the number of further education lecturers by 626.
Changes to the post-compulsory education and training (PCET) sector will have a significant impact on an already squeezed sector.
This year’s A-level results saw a rise in those achieving the top grades, with schools and colleges ensuring that new qualifications are delivered effectively while also developing a new curriculum. With the backdrop of ever-more difficult budgets, everyone who works in education is being asked to rise to the challenge of an increasingly ambitious change agenda.
These are the concerns that occupy our members’ time. The National Education Union Cymru will be seeking to play a constructive and increasingly influential role in working with the Welsh Government. But as everyone in Wales seeks to deliver on the National Mission, there are opportunities too. The scope of membership of the new super-union means we will be central to producing the outcomes we all want to see for those generations of children and young people working their way through the education system.
Utilising the expertise of both unions and its growing membership can be a major benefit to the Welsh Government and to pupils across Wales. As part of this work, we are committed to making the education sector in Wales:
A great place to work, by continuing to campaign for sustainable workloads, fighting for a fairly-funded education system and championing positive pay and working conditions.
A great place to teach, which values and promotes professional expertise and learns from relevant data and sharing good practice.
A great place to learn, with a broad curriculum to motivate learners, allowing them to develop their interests and skills for the future.
We have seen significant change in Welsh education over the past decade. With the reforms that are still yet to come, it is undoubtedly going to be the case that the sector will need to brace itself for further change in future.
The strength of size and unity that the National Education Union Cymru brings to the table in this regard will be a boost for all involved. The NEU has 20,000 members in Wales and 450,000 across the UK.