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Editorial
There are many important issues for teachers at the present time with the pay dispute, re-organisation, workload and matters relating to young teachers and retired members. We have tried to bring you as many details as possible and briefly reported on the NUT national conference held in Manchester in March. Comprehensive coverage of that can be found in ‘The Teacher’.
Tony Mulgrew retires at the end of this academic year from his full time position as Divisional Secretary, though I have no doubt he will be advising and supporting Kendra Deacon and Mike Smith for some time to come. I’m sure members will join me in thanking him for the commitment and dedication he has shown over the last few years. His leadership locally has enabled the Union to continue to provide a network of support for members across the county and the way in which the young teacher section has developed is a tribute to his hard work. Kendra Deacon’s success in being elected to the national executive – its youngest member – must be due in no small part to the encouragement provided for new teachers in Norfolk. We all wish Tony a long and happy retirement.
Linda Brown
The views expressed in this newsletter are the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NUT, whether locally or nationally.
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16/5/2008
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Norfolk Delegates to Annual Conference
Over 20 colleagues (some pictured right) gave up their Easter weekend to attend Conference on behalf of Norfolk. The venue was more like an aircraft hangar than a normal hall but all the delegates who wished to were able to stay within a very short walk from the G Mex centre. For many their stay will remind them of episodes of ‘Faulty Towers’!
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16/5/2008
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YOUNG TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE, 2008
Another successful Young Teachers Reception was held at Annual Conference. Young Teachers got up throughout the conference and faced the thousand teachers in the hall to talk eloquently and passionately about different motions and amendments, including the young teachers’ motion. This motion was carried and further recognises the financial hardships faced by young teachers. It calls for the continuation of campaigns to raise awareness of pay and workload issues, as well making funds available to run activities for young teachers and to keep subscription arrangements under close review.
Reminder!!!
This year’s Young Teachers’ Conference is going to be held from 6th to 8th June at Stoke Rochford Hall. Please look back at the last Newsletter for more details; check out ‘The Teacher’ magazine, national website (www.teachers.org.uk ) or call or email me to find out more! Remember if you attend a Local Association meeting then we can send you along for FREE! There is also the opportunity to go to the National Education Conference in July for FREE if you attend the Young Teachers’ Conference.
Remember!!!
If you are interested in attending a Local Association meeting but not sure what to expect then please get in touch and I can attend a meeting with you.
Request!!!
It is a requirement for Local Associations to hold a welcome event for NQTs and teachers new to the area. Out in the West and at Division we have discussed the fact that few people have the time to come to us so we have decided to come to you! We would like to hold informal drop-in, “have a chat” meetings in schools where members can find out more about the work of the Union over a cup of tea and a biscuit (or other refreshments!) and NQTs can receive a free gift to welcome them to the NUT. We would also like these sessions to be an opportunity for networking across school clusters and groups. We are currently thinking that such meetings could take place in high schools or larger primaries and other schools in the area could be invited along. If you would like your school to be involved (and we do also want to recognise the long-standing hard work of reps across the county) then please get in touch.
Kendra Deacon - kendradeacon@yahoo.co.uk - 01945 475266
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16/5/2008
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Divisional Secretary’s Update from Tony Mulgrew
This will be my last report as Divisional Secretary. As from September, 2008 you will be in the very capable hands of Kendra Deacon and Mike Smith, backed up as ever by our Regional Office staff. I will continue to support them in any way I can.
Since my last report I have, as usual, been busy with redundancies across the county. The Great Yarmouth re-organisation has progressed well in most schools but as I write there are two schools where uncertainty reigns, causing stress to all concerned. In one, staff still do not know who will be their headteacher in September.
I would like to congratulate all those members who, on 24th April, supported the Union’s call to demonstrate our anger at the way in which our pay has been eroded for years and will continue to fall in real terms. We had drop-ins in Wymondham and King’s Lynn, as well as the very successful joint rally in Norwich with our colleagues in the PCS and UCU.
As well as pay there are two areas which continue to make life very difficult for all teachers. They are workload and unacceptable pupil behaviour.
The 2003 changes – the removal of administrative tasks from teachers, the recognition of 52 hours per week in term time being unacceptably high and the use of leadership and management time – were supposed to reduce the workload of teachers. Employers were reminded of their duty of care to ensure staff have a reasonable work/life balance. To quote: ‘These changes form part of a wider commitment to secure downward pressure on excessive hours worked in schools over the four years from September 2003, with progressive year on year reductions from the current level of some 52 hours per week during term time. Overall hours will continue to be monitored by the Office for Manpower Economics on behalf of the School Teachers Review Body on an annual basis.’ In this they have totally failed.
No one has bothered to ask teachers how many hours they are working now. We cannot depend on others to collect accurate data. We must do it ourselves. I regularly raise my concerns over work/life balance at the meetings, which attempt to monitor how the changes since 2003 are affecting staff and schools. The Union needs current accurate figures of hours worked. We need a range of schools to volunteer to collect this information from all staff so the Office of Manpower Economics can know the real situation. Will you volunteer your school?
Excessive workloads are making teachers ill. We must put a stop to this vicious circle.
Our two surveys show that pupil behaviour continues to be a growing problem in many, but not all, schools.
These three issues - pay, workload and pupil behaviour - are the three main reasons why around 50% of new teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years. These young people have invested years of their lives and accumulated large debts to become teachers and then they are driven out. What a waste!!
The latest figures show that nearly 5000 children in Norfolk are taught in classes with over 30 children. In spite of the nonsense spoken by the Schools’ Minister, class size does matter a lot. Likewise, large mixed-age classes, which are on the increase, harm the wellbeing of the staff and the learning of the pupils. If your school has large classes, especially large mixed age classes, let us know.
Those of you who, since the abolition of Management Allowances at the end of 2005, have been receiving safeguarded sums need to be aware that the safeguarding ceases on the 31st December, 2008. You should receive, at the start of the autumn term, a salary statement giving your salary level, any allowances and any safeguarded sum. If you have been awarded a TLR and then the school needs to re-structure again you will, if you do not receive a new TLR of at least equal value, be entitled to three years’ safeguarding. If there is a re-structuring then teachers and unions need to be consulted.
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16/5/2008
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24th April, 2008
For the first time for many years NUT members showed how strongly they felt about the continuing erosion of the real value of our salaries. After the ballot I was very unsure of what the response of Norfolk colleagues would be. Would it be wise to organise a public rally? What if no-one turned up?
I thought, ‘Let’s go for it.’
I met with Andy Cairns (UCU)
and Richard Edwards (PCS) and we agreed to hold a joint rally outside the Forum. We felt we needed to show each other and the members of each union that we are not alone. This is a battle for the whole of the public sector and as teachers we have a greater chance of success as part of a united front – just as we did when our pension scheme was under threat before the last election. United opposition won then. If we can get more unity with other public service unions, with our school colleagues in the other teacher unions and in Unison, we can win.
On the 24th I joined UCU at City College very early in the morning (while Richard and his colleagues were holding pickets outside their places of work). They had an excellent turnout, most of whom later joined the rally at the Forum. At 10:30am I went to the Forum. The press and TV were there and soon the crowds gathered and we knew we would make an impact. There were speeches from each of the unions and from the students at UEA and messages of support from Ian Gibson, the Fire Brigade Union and the Unison rep for the support staff in Norfolk Police. We managed to finish before the rain started, which I take as a good omen for the next steps in our Fair Pay For Teachers Campaign.
After the rally we were all invited to the Keir Hardie Hall for tea and a chance to discuss how the day had gone and more importantly how we move forward. At this point I would like to thank Geraldine Murray, Secretary to the Norwich Trades Council, who asked all her members to support the Rally and who arranged the meeting afterwards.
I believe that one of the reasons many members did not vote in the ballot was because they felt, ‘What is the point of striking for one day and then nothing?’ We must not let it be ‘then nothing’. We must talk to our colleagues in the staffroom and write to our MPs, reminding them that the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) states, ‘Should the average rate of headline inflation for the twelve months preceding April, 2007 (i.e. March, 06 – March, 07) or April, 2008 (i.e. March, 07 – March, 08) fall below 1.75% or exceed 3.25%, any of the consultees can ask the STRB to consider the case for seeking a remit from the Sec. of State to review teachers’ pay’.
Last year the NUT asked for this to happen. Nothing happened. We have written again this year. Will the Government act? The RPI stood at 4.1% from April, 2007 till March, 2008 and as we all see in the newspapers this is a gross underestimate of the true increase in prices.
Let us use the momentum of the 24th to encourage our colleagues to move forward our case on pay and the other main concerns – workload and pupil behaviour. Tony Mulgrew
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16/5/2008
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Farewell to Glenys Shepherd
On Tuesday, 22nd April over 30 colleagues joined Glenys for a dinner to celebrate all she has done for the Union during her 10 years as our executive member. Friends reminisced about her early experiences in Norfolk, especially her fight for equal opportunities for all and her influential role in developing of Norfolk’s Wellbeing programme, as well as her national role in the last several years. Glenys was presented with an original watercolour as a token of thanks. In her reply Glenys thanked all those who had helped her and said she felt she was leaving the Union in a strong position. It was a very enjoyable evening and those present can certainly recommend the Pie and Pudding evenings at The Lodge in North Tuddenham! The following day the Teachers’ Panel of the JCC invited Glenys to lunch with them to thank her for her 20 years’ service to that group, 12 of which she spent as Secretary. Once again we wish Glenys and David a long and happy retirement.
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16/5/2008
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Conference 2008
Highlights from the Presidential address given by Bill Greenshields
I can tell you this... the Union is in very good shape, in good heart, with a strong activist base determined to protect and develop our education service, and our profession, which lies at its heart.
Teachers are committed people, with a passion for the learning process, who look forward to and love teaching.
The relationship between teacher and student should be a daily mutually invigorating experience. Central to this is teachers’ ability to exercise their professional judgement, in directing their work to the real needs, aptitudes and interests of their students … So why, for increasing numbers of teachers, is this very far from their daily reality? Why are they facing punitive inspection, top-down target setting without proper educational basis, policies that divide teachers and make them compete, bullying management practices, useless paperwork, crushing workload, imposed mechanistic teaching styles?
Our product is educated, self-confident, sophisticated, innovative citizens and the potential for soundly-based, developing, healthy communities and nations in a peaceful world. In a fast changing world - each new change in technology and science, presenting us with an ethical and philosophical challenge - we need young, critical minds … And those critical minds will be most effective when, equipped with a world view, they can deal with worldwide challenges - environmental change, genetic engineering, human rights and the sovereignty of nations, peace and war, economics for profit or for people.
Read ‘Academies: a model education?’ - a new publication by the neoliberal think-tank ‘Reform’ - particularly popular with the Tory Party. It proposes that all state schools should have completely independent managements, our national pay and conditions should be abolished, schools should have the right to exclude pupils without appeal, and ‘the teacher unions’ role should be transformed from protecting and negotiating members’ employment rights” - referred to elsewhere in the document as ‘blocking reform’. Peter Ayers
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16/5/2008
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Stress and YOU!
On 15th and 16th April, John Illingworth came Norwich and King’s Lynn PDC respectively and spoke to members about Teacher Wellbeing. He is a former headteacher and past president of the NUT who retired early from teaching due to stress- related illness. His personal experience was that his local authority’s Human Resources Department had no idea how to help him when he became ill. He conducted a survey on behalf of Nottingham City NUT which was published as ‘Crazy About Work’ in February 2007.
In 2000 the Health and Safety Executive found that teaching was the most stressful job and since then it has got worse. Young teachers are being put under pressure and are subjected to more monitoring. Teachers are often reluctant to admit that they are unable to cope with their workload, because this might be interpreted as admitting that they are not up to the job, when the real reason is that it is the excessive workload that is making them ill.
Although Norfolk County Council is to be commended in having a Wellbeing Programme its scope is quite limited. Stress-related illness may not be treated effectively by employers unless it is clearly stated that the illness is due to work-related stress. Reasons outside a person’s job could be assumed to be the cause of the illness. If the medical certificate states that the reason for absence is work-related stress the onus is then on the employer to ensure that the cause of the illness is dealt with effectively. The Local Authority has a responsibility for the health and safety of its employees.
Schools should ensure that insurance schemes against illness do not exempt the element of stress from the scheme. An employer should be looking at the causes of stress, instead of just seeking to remove the employer from the job.
Sadly, John was not dealt with as he should have been and has had to leave teaching, a job that he loved doing. He hopes that he will recover his health within a few years and, in the meantime, he is going around the country bringing this issue to the notice of teachers and others engaged in education. He is on the Union’s national working party on stress, and they will be reporting to Conference 2009 on the issue. Peter Ayers
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16/5/2008
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ARE YOU STRESSED?
This questionnaire may be used by NUT school representatives or safety representatives who are assisting NUT members who are experiencing stress, or who wish to survey members in their school to ascertain the extent of workplace stress being suffered. It may also be helpful for individual members who wish to clarify in their own mind the extent to which they may be suffering from stress-related symptoms.
The higher the total score accrued by the subject of the questionnaire, the greater the degree of stress s/he is likely to be experiencing. It is important to seek NUT advice where evidence of stress emerges – the earlier it is tackled, the easier it is to put right. This is not an exhaustive list; NUT members may want to record other examples as well as answering the printed questions.
Typical signs of stress:
For each of the following questions, enter the number matching the description which most closely represents how you feel.
1 = Absolutely 2 = Mostly 3 = Sometimes 4 = Not much 5 = Not at all
1. Are you sleeping well?
2. Do you feel that you are playing a useful part in things?
3. Do you feel capable of making decisions?
4. Do you feel generally relaxed?
5. Do you feel that most problems you encounter can be surmounted?
6. Are you able to enjoy normal day to day activities?
7. Do you manage to keep your sense of humour?
8. Do you feel happy, all things considered?
9. Do you have respect for yourself?
10. Are you eating well?
11. Are you drinking sensibly?
12. Do you cope well with changes to your job?
13. Can you usually complete one task before starting another?
14. Whatever happens, do you always feel able to cope?
15. Do you usually keep things in proportion?
17. Do you have a reasonable amount of energy?
18. Do you feel in control of your job?
19. Do you manage to leave work ‘on time’ fairly regularly?
20. Do you have a life outside work?
21. Are the demands of your job manageable?
22. Do you receive appropriate support when you need it?
23. Do you feel you are coping well in the classroom?
24. Do you get on well with your pupils?
25. Do you get on well with your colleagues?
26. Do you get on well with your managers?
27. Do you find your job satisfying and fulfilling?
28. Do you enjoy good health?
29. Do you intend to remain in teaching for the foreseeable future?
30. Do you look forward to returning to school after a weekend
or holiday?
Now add up your score
Up to 50 = low evidence of stress
51 to 100 = moderate evidence of stress
101 to 150 = high evidence of stress
Contact Tony Mulgrew, Kendra Deacon or Mike Smith if you scored highly on this test. Their contact details are on the back page. Your future health could be jeopardised if you ignore the warning signs.
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16/5/2008
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Report from the JCC Teachers’ Panel – 23rd April
Our first guest was Michael Bateman, who is the officer in charge of the SEN review. We discussed the conditions of service for teachers in Specialist Resource Bases and especially those in SRBs attached to Academies or Trusts. An HR consultant has been seconded to work on these issues and she has been invited to meet with JCC.
After the confusion around this year’s dates we will be meeting with officers to discuss school term dates for the next 4/5 years. All schools will have the chance to respond to suggested dates and it is important that they do so as the dates cannot be changed once they are agreed and published.
We then met with Fred Corbett and reviewed a wide range of issues, including:
Teacher stress We need to identify the causes of stress and collect data from a range of schools (See pages 9-11)
Partnerships between schools Will they survive academies? Will they transcend boundary changes?
14 – 19 funding Will the move from a sixth-form model to a college model result in poorer funding and worse conditions of service for teachers?
Academies and Trusts The Government wants a lot more academies and some schools are exploring Trust Status. What are the implications for schools and the conditions of service of teachers?
PRU funding How is this impacting on schools who may need to exclude pupils?
We then considered items from the Review Panel. Many present were concerned that the democratic decision-making process is not working in terms of decision-making by the Review Panel, the Forum and the Cabinet. This needs to be raised at full JCC.
ICT partnership All unions are worried that no progress has been made in updating the Acceptable Use of Technology Policy. A very useful policy, from The Northern Grid, was suggested to Norfolk last year but we are still waiting. An acceptable update is urgently needed to protect staff and pupils.
Items to be raised at full JCC, when officers and elected members are present, include: Pupil Referral Units, Early Years, Decision Making in Norfolk and class sizes. Tony Mulgrew
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16/5/2008
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From Brent to Norfolk
I have been in the teaching profession for the last 10 years in Brent and have had many roles and responsibilities in that time. I feel my experience has put me in good stead for my new role as a deputy head in Norfolk, although it is more challenging than I could have imagined.
In my previous school children and families were from diverse cultures and some had very tough backgrounds. The vast majority of parents worked with the school on issues and volunteered their time to work in classes and support events. The only ‘complaints’ as such that we had, we were able to turn into discussions and related to the length of assemblies not being constant for all festival celebrations.
However, in my current school parents frequently complain about literally anything and everything. The headteacher and I try to rectify issues relatively quickly, but some parents feel the need to drag the issue out for weeks, want to write a formal complaint to the Governors and involve the local authorities at the drop of a hat. They appear to be less willing to discuss and resolve issues that are usually very trivial, or should be. What they seem to forget is that their actions are not benefiting their child, which should be at the heart of the matter. Parents’ behaviour and attitude makes colleagues more reluctant to involve them in school life and I feel this hinders progress and raising standards in the school, as parents are not totally working with us.
Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with questioning decisions, challenging procedures so they can be improved if necessary. However, when some parents are aggressive, intimidating and generally rude and are not remotely prepared to listen, it makes me remember and miss the different culture I left behind. It also makes me think why children behave the way they do, if these are their role models, but that is another story!
Tina Humber
Norfolk County Council has produced a document with information for parents on the best way to deal with issues or concerns they have with their child’s school. Every school should have a copy of the document ‘I have something I would like to discuss with the school’, displayed for parents’ information. Contact Tony Mulgrew if you need more information.
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16/5/2008
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Steve Sinnott (24.6.51 – 5.4.08
All members will have been deeply shocked and saddened at the news of the sudden and untimely death of Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the NUT since 2004.
Steve joined the Union in 1974 after completing a four-year degree course in social sciences at the Middlesex Polytechnic. After spending a year in teacher training at Edge Hill College, Ormskirk, his first job, in 1975, was teaching humanities at Shorefields, an inner-city comprehensive at Toxteth in his native Liverpool. After four years he moved to Broughton High School, near Preston, where he became head of economics and business studies.
In 1986 Steve was elected to the NUT Executive, becoming Chair of the Membership and Communications Committee from 1988 to 1992 and, from 1992, Chair of the Action Committee, where he led several successful campaigns against cuts and redundancies.
In 1994 Steve became President – the first president to have attended a comprehensive school. However, midway through his presidential year he was elected Deputy General Secretary. His responsibilities included the Union’s regional and international activities, the latter earning him various awards in recognition of his work on human rights. He also led the staff side of the Soulbury pay negotiations for local authority inspectors and advisers, education psychologists and youth and community officers.
Within our great Union, in a very short space of time as General Secretary, Steve succeeded in uniting different factional interests and, under his leadership, membership continued to grow, despite the recent decline in the overall number of teachers in service. Indeed, the Union has become the largest teacher organisation in Europe.
Steve was a person of the highest integrity and at Conference he commanded the respect and support of all representatives. His was an infectious pride in all things NUT but not only was he a dedicated and inspirational leader and outstanding personality within the field of education in England and Wales, his outlook and influence were truly global and he was internationally held in high esteem for his work on behalf of education in developing countries. Not least, in 2004, along with Alan Johnson, the then Education Secretary, Steve brokered an agreement with Commonwealth education ministers aimed at preventing developed countries from ‘poaching’ teachers from countries where they were badly needed.
To say that Steve will be desperately missed is the understatement of the year and we, who mourn his passing, extend our sincere condolences to Mary, his widow, and his two children in whose sad loss we all share. Ray Russell
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16/5/2008
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Highlights from Steve Sinnott’s Address to Conference
‘It is fully justified for teachers to take strike action against real-terms pay cuts … Public sector workers are not the cause of inflation, they are the victims of it.’
Steve called on the English and Welsh governments to work with the NUT to address the financial difficulties facing young teachers struggling to meet housing and transport costs and student loan repayments. ‘Fifty per cent of teachers decide to leave within five years. That’s a criminal waste of talent.’
The education system is ‘driven by machinery of distrust’, encompassing testing, inspection, performance management, lesson planning, monitoring, targets and performance tables. ‘All this says to parents and our wider society, “We don’t trust teachers”.’
Steve pointed out examples of Finland’s success in education. They reject social segregation and light-touch inspections. They have more equal societies and trust their teachers. Britain’s teachers are at the mercy of ‘policy-makers who know absolutely nothing about what it is like to teach day in and day out.’
All education unions in the TUC are working together to secure union recognition in academies. Schools becoming academies are presenting teachers with 12 page legal documents which they must sign to retain their jobs. ‘I want to work with all the other teachers’ organisations to get the best deal for all teachers.’
Peter Ayers
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16/5/2008
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Kendra Deacon reports from the National Executive
The first thing I need to write here is A HUGE THANK YOU for all the support I had from Norfolk during my National Executive Election campaign and A HUGE THANK YOU to all who voted for me. I am so excited, happy and appreciative about getting elected. I was attending a regional meeting on the day of the results and had to turn my phone off as I was driving so when I stopped and turned it back on my stomach started churning as I listened to a message from Christine Blower asking for me to call her at HQ. I clung on to my steering wheel as I was put through and, unusually for me, I was momentarily speechless as she congratulated me on becoming the new District 15 Executive Member!
I have only attended two short meetings so far – one at the end of Conference (initially in the Manchester Central until the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate to the Midland Hotel!) and then a week later at HQ to discuss the strike ballot results when we unanimously agreed that the strike should go ahead. The next meeting had previously been scheduled for the week of the strike so my first ‘proper’ executive meeting is now on 7th and 8th May.
It has been a busy introduction to my new role with the strike and then the untimely and tragic death of Steve Sinnott. The last time I saw him was at the ballot result executive meeting in London when he addressed us about the reasons for the strike to go ahead. His passion, drive and dedication to the NUT will be greatly missed. I first met him in person at the first International Development Union Education Course in my second year of teaching when I was becoming much more involved with the Union. He never forgot a name and always made the time to say hello and ask how things were going. I was lucky enough to be invited to the executive dinner at conference and he came up to me there, congratulated me on my election and gave me a hug saying, ‘My pal Kendra’. I feel a lump in my throat as I write this. He was an inspirational man and I am sorry I did not know him for longer. Our thoughts go to his family. One of the items on the agenda at the May executive meeting is planning a tribute to him, which looks like it will take place in the latter part of June. The most fitting tribute to him that everyone can be involved in would be to make the Fair Pay Campaign a huge success. Thank you to all of you who went on strike and it was great to see so many at the rally in Norwich. The West also had a good turn out at their drop in meeting. Future campaigning will be discussed at the executive meetings and post cards are coming around schools with suggestions about what you can do after 24th April. A petition will be coming around school so make sure you sign and please do keep pay and workload issues a live topic of discussions in your staff room and out in the community. Please do use the national website at www.teachers.org.uk to get the most up-to-date information on this and many other issues. The local website is becoming a much larger part of our instant communication and is updated whenever possible so please do visit us at www.norfolknut.org.uk.
Once again thank you for all your votes and support. I am dedicated to doing the best possible job as your voice at national level. If there is anything you would like to discuss then please do get in touch. Best wishes for the summer term, have a great break and I look forward to reporting back to you in the autumn term.
Kendra Deacon
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16/5/2008
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Health and Safety Report
Health and safety has been largely focused on the control of wood dust in design and technology. Health and safety monitoring visits are taking place across the county. The headteacher will receive an email giving the date and time that the visit will take place. The aims of the visits are to check that essential elements of the health and safety management system are in place and also to provide support and guidance in making any necessary improvements. The visit will take about two hours and is also be a chance for the head and health and safety representatives to raise any concerns. If you are health and safety representative or school representative then please do get in touch to see if your visit has been planned. I have managed to contact some reps about the visits and will be trying to get in touch with others.
Kendra Deacon - kendradeacon@yahoo.co.uk - 01945 475266
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16/5/2008
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Local Association events from around the County
West Norfolk and Downham & District Association
23rd May 4.15pm West Norfolk PDC
19th Sept 4.15pm West Norfolk PDC
Norwich and District
10th July 8pm Summer Social, Earle Arms, Heydon
South Norfolk and Breckland
3rd July 6.30 for 7.00pm Barbeque in Wymondham
Details from Chrissie Smith 01953 719960
Broadland
17th June 8pm The Ship Inn, Tan Lane, Caister-on-Sea
3rd Oct Star Hotel, Hall Quay, Great Yarmouth
Dereham and Fakenham Association
3rd July 7.30pm Barbeque, Burchett House,
N Tuddenham. Details from Tony Mulgrew.
West Norfolk Retired Teachers’ Club
Meetings are usually held at the West Norfolk PDC at 10.00am. Contact Mary Cook (see back page) or Phyllis Marais 01366 382993
17th June Andrew Turner, The Land of the Tigris
15th July 6.30pm Summer Supper, West Winch
19th Aug Jill Collinge, Walking Tour of Lincoln
16th Sept Sid Wright, Wild Fowling on the Wash
Norwich Retired Teachers’ Association
Meetings on Wednesdays at 10.00am at the Christchurch Centre, Magdalen Road, Norwich. Details - Beryl Watkins, 01603 456617.
14th May David Went, East Anglian Children’s Hospices
11th June David Grimes, ‘How we lived: 1850 – 1950’
9th July Summer Outing
8th Oct Helen Copperthwaite ‘The Work of a Magistrate’
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16/5/2008
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Classroom Quips
Overheard at a primary school after the children had been given a letter telling their parents that the school would be closed because of the NUT strike:
Pupil to MSA: We don’t have to come in to school next Thursday.
MSA to pupil: Why is that?
Pupil: The teachers are not well.
MSA: What is wrong with them?
Pupil: I think they have a nut allergy!
Tony Mulgrew
I was grabbing a few hours’ sleep on a school camping trip when in the early hours of the morning a boy scrabbled about at the entrance to my tent. Reluctantly I roused myself.
‘What’s the matter?’
The boy queried, ‘Have the papers arrived yet?’
Fred Brown
Answer from a GCSE history paper:
The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started using machines. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick raper which did the work of a 100 men. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbits. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the organ of the species. Madman Curie discovered the radio. Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers
Gerry Brown
Tony Mulgrew wins the wine or chocolates. Don’t forget to send in your quips for the next issue.
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16/5/2008
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Burston Strike School Rally
Sunday, 7th September, 2008
Commemorate the longest strike in history. It began on 1st April, 1914 and lasted twenty five years.
Join the rally and visit the school.
Speaker Bill Greenshields, National President
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16/5/2008
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Contact Numbers around the County
Editor: Linda Brown 01603 872762
Email: lindame278@btinternet.com
Beck House, Lyng Road,
Weston Longville, Norwich, NR9 5LP
Divisional Secretary: Tony Mulgrew 01362 637292
Email: norfolknut@aol.com
Assistant Divisional Secretaries
Kendra Deacon 01945 475266
Email: kendradeacon@yahoo.co.uk
Mike Smith 01953 719960
Email: norfolknut@btinternet.com
Breckland and South Norfolk: Chrissie Smith 01953 719960
Email: brecklandnut@btinternet.com
Broadland: Peter Ayers 01603 713565
Email: peter.ayers@tesco.net
Dereham & Fakenham: Tony Mulgrew 01362 637292
Email: dandfnut@aol.com
Norwich and District: Letitia Willins 01263 512447
West Norfolk
and Downham Market: Kendra Deacon 01945 475266
Email: kendradeacon@yahoo.co.uk
Teacher Support Network: Letitia Willins 01263 512447
Young Teachers: Kendra Deacon 01945 475266
Email: kendradeacon@yahoo.co.uk
Retired Teachers: Ray Russell 01485 540522
NUT Regional Office: Hilary Buckby 01638 555300
Email: eastern@nut.org.uk (Fax) 01638 555330
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22/5/2007
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