Members in Schools – Career Development

Back to all Motions

Conference
2016 Local Government Service Group Conference
Date
26 February 2016
Decision
Carried

Conference, all staff in schools carry out increasingly diverse and responsible roles, yet many have very little opportunity for developing their careers.

We know that if staffs are given the opportunity to progress in their career, it results in improved morale, performance and expertise thereby improving the performance of the school. It is vital that staff in schools have access to career development, so that appropriate training and careers paths can be established.

Conference we are told by this Tory government that schools will be protected from cuts, yet we know this is not the reality. Some school based staff are facing the following attacks: redundancy, reduction in hours, being moved on to term time only contracts. These cuts not only affect our members livelihood, but also impact negatively on the quality of education delivered and can further place vulnerable children at risk. These cuts give further rise to our members in schools not being valued and developed.

Conference, we need to ensure that we continue to recruit and organise our members, and potential members in schools. Whilst we continue to protect our members’ jobs in schools, and ensure they aren’t downgraded in any restructures, we must get their career development on the bargaining agenda.

As a union made up of 2/3rds women members, we must ensure that we fight for women’s rights, especially in the valuable role they undertake in our schools.

Conference, we call upon the Service Group Executive to support branches to:

1)Ensure that career progression for school based staff is on the schools bargaining agenda at a local level;

2)Support regions working with school based members in increasing their development and understanding of career development;

3)Support regions and branches in fighting job losses and attacks on terms and conditions in schools;

4)Campaign to ensure that adequate funding is given to schools;

5)Encourage branches to use union learning to help develop school based staff, and ensure that they agree Learning Agreements.