樱花动漫/1083听听 30 April 2021听
Carlow
Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk
To听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Branch and local association secretaries
Topic听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Unconfirmed minutes, Further Education Sector Conference, 12 December 2020
Action听听听听听听听听听听听 For adoption
Summary 听听听听 Minutes of the decisions made by the Further Education Conference, 12 December 2020
Contact听听听听听听听听听 Andrew Harden, Head of Further Education (David
Bussell, Head Office Administrator/minutes dbussell@ucu.org.uk)
Draft unconfirmed minutes
FURTHER EDUCATION SECTOR CONFERENCE, Online,
12 December 2020
1
Opening Business
1.1
Janet Farrar, the Chair,
introduced herself, welcomed delegates to the conference, and called the meeting
to order.
1.2
The Chair asked for a check to
make sure the meeting was quorate. This was confirmed.
1.3
The Chair introduced the agenda
and explained that any motions that weren鈥檛 voted on would be referred to FEC.
1.4
In regards to motions, the Chair
explained that movers would be given 3 minutes of speaking time, while
seconders would get 2 minutes. The right of reply would be offered only if the
mover鈥檚 motion was opposed.
1.5
The Chair explained the
technicalities, rules, and protocols of this online conference.
1.6
The Chair explained that there
would be no fringes at this year鈥檚 conference, and advised delegates to check
the Fund the Future website for upcoming events.
1.7
The Chair asked delegates to sign
the petition for Macclesfield College and asked them to show solidarity to
struggling comrades.
1.8
The Chair honoured the memory of
Nita Sanghera and Indro Sen, as well as others who had lost their life this
year. A two-minute silence was held.
2
Adoption of the report of the Congress Business Committee
2.1
The Chair of CBC, Robert Clunas, introduced
himself.
2.2
The CBC Chair reported that all
motions had been included in the agenda, except for those that were already
covered by existing 樱花动漫 policy.
2.4
The CBC Chair moved the report to
conference, and conference adopted
the CBC report.
3
Report from the Head of Further Education
3.1
The Head of FE, Andrew Harden, addressed the Conference.
3.2
The Chair thanked Andrew and his team for their work.
3.3
The report was accepted.
4
Debate of Motions
FE1, No return to face-to-face teaching was moved by Sean Vernell, Further Education Committee, and carried;
Notes:
1. 樱花动漫鈥檚
five tests.
2.
Official figures state that over 41,000 people have died from the Coronavirus.
Excess deaths are at least 60,000.
3.
Recent government calls for people to work from home if possible, but not
extended to education workers.
4. Independent SAGE and WHO, believe social
distancing, test, track and isolate and the use of PPE, in controlling
pandemics, are central.
Believes that 樱花动漫鈥檚 five tests have not been met.
Resolves:
a. To
continue to campaign for online teaching as the default position within the
colleges.
b. To
encourage members to move towards the escalation strategy as outlined by 樱花动漫 if
the branch feels that their college is not safe.
c. To
call upon 樱花动漫 to organise an additional national FE reps鈥� meeting around
the theme of No return to unsafe workplaces
FE2,
Safety was moved by Juliana Ojinnaka, Yorkshire
& Humberside Regional Committee, and carried;
Conference
welcome the General Secretary鈥檚 stance on COVID 19 health and safety. However,
not enough emphasis has been placed on the impact of COVID on FE.
While
much has been made about the situation in schools, the students FE educates are
older, ranging from 14 - 90! Many come from disadvantaged and BAME backgrounds
where COVID is having a disproportionate effect. We know that FE senior
management has an appalling record regarding the well-being of FE staff.
Conference
resolves:
1. to
commit to the health, safety and well-being of FE staff and students.
2. that 樱花动漫 and the General Secretary will campaign
for the safety of FE staff and students.
3. that the GS will
raise at the highest levels the potentially hugely dangerous situation in
regard to COVID 19 in FE.
4.
to call for comprehensive, regular testing of staff and students along the
lines of the PHE directives.
FE3, Funding was moved by Alison
Gaughan, Yorkshire
and Humberside regional FE committee, and carried;
With
youth NEET numbers expected to be in the millions as a result of COVID 19 it is
vital that government both secures and increases real funding for Further
Education Colleges.
Colleges
are incurring additional expenses in order to provide equipment and training
that will allow staff and students are able to access online learning.
FE
has suffered 25% cuts in funding as a result of Tory Government policies. This
has had disastrous results on education in FE.
In
light of these cuts and the increase in NEET numbers 樱花动漫 resolves:
1. to
campaign to secure a real funding increase from government
2. to lobby government to provide emergency funding
for colleges so that this money is not taken from already stretched budgets.
FE4, Lifetime skills guarantee was moved by Margot
Hill, Croydon College, and carried;
This conference notes the government announcement on
29 September of the Lifetime skills guarantee, offering funding for college
courses to people over 18 without a level 3 qualification. This conference
further notes that it will only be offered for training for "skills valued
by Employers". This conference agrees this measure falls woefully short of
what is required to provide free and meaningful education to adult learners,
and the restriction will invite college leaders to chase funding streams for
meaningless instrumental courses rather than a fully rounded approach to
learning and development. This conference re-affirms its commitment to campaign
for meaningful education choices for adult learners, and demands the caveat
that only skills valued by employers qualify be removed from the funding
criteria for the Lifetime skills guarantee.
FE5, Black Lives Matter in our colleges, prisons and
communities was moved by Naina Kent,
Further Education Committee, and carried;
FESC
notes the 樱花动漫 document 鈥楤uilding anti-racist workplaces: a short guide for 樱花动漫
branches鈥�
FESC
believes:
1. The Black lives matter protests have created a
movement with the power to achieve real change in the workplace.
2. Every College must
have a plan of action to tackle racism in pay, conditions, treatment and the
curriculum.
3.
The abolition of fees and loans; the restoration of EMA, real jobs and
apprenticeships can be central to overcoming racial and class inequality in
Further education.
FESC resolves:
a. to call on regions
to host BLM briefings to restart the campaign in colleges.
b. Encourage branches
to hold a special meeting to initiate a BLM local organising plan with a set of
demands to engage local employers to create anti-racist colleges and
de-colonised curriculum.
c.
Call upon the National Joint Forum to add BLM to the agenda.
FE6, LGBT+ Visibility in FE was moved by Jennie
Appleyard, LGBT + members鈥� standing
committee, and carried;
Conference
notes:
1. FE has been under-funded
2. increased collaboration
between secondary and further education
3. not all FE institutions
routinely monitor LGBT+
4.
continued hetero and cis normativities in curriculum materials and delivery.
Conference
believes:
a. FE
should be properly funded
b.
schools and FE institutions should work together ensuring that LGBT+ inclusive
education doesn鈥檛 鈥榝all between the cracks鈥�
c.
curricula should be reviewed ensuring inclusion of LGBT+ lives, history and
issues
d.
without data it isn鈥檛 possible to fully chart LGBT+ experiences in FE
e.
sexual orientation and gender identity should be routinely monitored, with
stats made available on recruitment, promotion, pay and retention
f. intersex voice and issues should be addressed and
promoted.
Conference
calls for:
i. 樱花动漫
report about LGBT+ data in FE
ii.
research into experiences and visibility of LGBT+ people in FE workplace and
curriculum including prisons
iii. resources for and promotion of LGBT+ celebrations
particularly groups with less legal recognition e.g. non-binary, intersex
people.
FE7, FE race casework data was moved by Saleem
Rashid, Black members standing
committee, and carried;
Conference
notes that 樱花动漫 stores data on the number and type of legal cases it takes
forward in further and adult education on behalf of its members including race
discrimination cases. Conference also notes that claims for racial discrimination
are notoriously difficult to win at tribunal. Many cases settle before they
reach the point of tribunal because employers are fearful of the negative
publicity surrounding discrimination claims.
Conference
believes it is important that casework data in further and adult education is
published on a regular basis and made available to members to allow scrutiny,
transparency and to ensure the effectiveness of support given to members.
Conference
resolves to:
1.
collect casework data in further and adult education and publish it
2.
publish the types of cases/complaints raised by members in each region
3. publish the number of cases involving race
discrimination and the number of cases taken to Employment Tribunal by the
union
FE8, Student attendance monitoring was moved by Sam Uwadiae, Croydon College,
and carried;
Workload
pressures on all staff in further education has been further exacerbated by the
drive to improve student attendance alongside cuts in admin support and student
support provision. Student attendance data is being used to harass and bully
staff and students alike.
Conference:
1. notes
that further education students elect to study but often face personal social
and financial barriers to learning
2. resolves to mount a campaign of opposition to data
chasing measures on attendance and for increased student welfare support.
FE9, Workloads and the erosion of contact time was moved by Alison
Gaughan, Yorkshire and Humberside
regional FE committee, and carried;
Conference
notes:
1. a trend of reducing face-to-face teaching time on
study programmes
2. 鈥渂lended Learning鈥�, 鈥渄irected study鈥� or online
courses can often still necessitate preparation and marking
3. to meet their contracted hours, each lecturer has
to teach more classes and deal with a greater number of students, which further
reduces the number of lecturers
4. this increases workload and is particularly
detrimental to English and maths teachers
5.
the majority of students in FE struggle with independent learning. Time is
being wasted and outcomes are affected.
Conference calls on
FEC and the education committee to:
a.
campaign against any reduction in contact hours or replacement with
self-directed study
b. engage
with awarding and funding bodies to ensure that the definition of guided
learning hours is not being abused.
FE10, Women, workload and care leave was moved by Julianna
Ojinnaka, Women members standing
committee, and carried;
FESC
notes:
1. Women
continue to bear the brunt of reproductive labour and all that entails: work;
child care; disabilities and elderly parents etc.
2. Women
working in colleges are also role models to young people, and adult learners,
who often experience the same difficulties managing care for people in their
families.
3. It is
vital that women are supported to lead a good work/life balance and for
colleges lead the way in model employment practices.
4. Some colleges do have dependent鈥檚 leave
entitlements, including emergency unpaid leave to resolve sudden gaps in
support. However, we note that in other countries, leave in these
circumstances, is paid and workers with dependents are allowed a certain amount
of paid per month.
FESC
resolves to:
听
a. research care leave
entitlements available in other countries
b. campaign to encourage
employers to negotiate better care leave policies
c.
develop a model care leave policy.
FE11, Measuring and monitoring stress in the workplace was moved by John James, 樱花动漫 Wales (FE), and carried;
FESC
notes an increasing number of members are experiencing stress and mental ill
health at work which is often caused or exacerbated by excessive workloads and
toxic workplace cultures. FESC notes the difficulty in accurately evidencing
the level of mental ill health in the Sector.
FESC
believes that members should have confidence that 樱花动漫 will support members
experiencing such issues. We need to insist that health and safety legislation,
which requires employers to tackle mental health risks at source, is
effectively implemented.
FESC
calls upon 樱花动漫 to:
1. roll out the Health and Safety Executive鈥檚
Management Standards survey for stress at least once a year to all members.
This would enable 樱花动漫 to evidence, measure and monitor stress and mental ill
health in workplaces across the FE sector
2. support
and provide training to health and safety representatives to undertake
workplace investigations regarding stress, mental health and workload.
FE12, Student behaviour was moved by Elaine White, Bradford
College, and carried;
This
Conference notes the behaviour of students continues to be a key reason for
members鈥� stress and anxiety at work. English and maths teachers in particular
continue to bear the brunt of student behaviour as the compulsion to complete
English and maths GCSE continues.
College
managers are failing to put in measures in place to protect staff against the
worst treatment and leave individual teachers to manage behaviour themselves
without back-up.
This
Conference resolves to:
1. call
on 樱花动漫 to commission research into good student behaviour policies and their
effectiveness
2. support branches to develop better and stronger
student behaviour policies with management to ensure an effective approach to
aggressive and bullying behaviour from students to staff.
FE13, Menopause
鈥� adapting local policies in FE was moved by Cecily Blyther, Women Members' Standing Committee, and carried;
FESC
notes that people affected by their perimenopause or menopause don鈥檛 always:
1. know when they have
started
2. know how long they will
last, or if they have finished
3. have people to talk to
about it
4.
know what symptoms to look out for.
The
nature of working in an FE setting means self-consciousness can be an added
source of stress for members.
Some
people experience menopause early, often due to medical treatment, surgical
procedure or underlying conditions, sometimes naturally before the age of 40.
Performance
and attendance can undoubtedly be affected in some cases, and workers must know
that they will be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
FESC
resolves that
a. all members must
enable colleagues to be treated equally, both at work and in the union
b.
all branches must ensure their institutions have a menopause policy, favourably
comparable with a model policy recommended by 樱花动漫.
FE14, FE England pay was
moved by Sean Vernell, Further
education committee, and carried;
Conference approves the report on the FE
England 2018/19 pay round and progress in the 2019/20 round as circulated in FE
branch circular 樱花动漫BANFE21.
FE15,
2020/21 pay campaign, was moved by Margot Hill, London
regional committee, and carried;
Conference
notes:
1. the success of the 鈥楩E Fights Back鈥� campaign
2. the success of 樱花动漫 branches winning
fractionalisation deals
3. the 拢400,000m extra funding and the government
promise of more
4. EPI report findings that FE staff have high levels
of anxiety and the lowest levels of wellbeing among educators.
Conference
believes:
a. whilst the 鈥楩E Fights Back鈥� campaign has achieved
real gains not all members have experienced improvement to their pay and
conditions
b. the AoC has reneged on its promise to ring fence
extra funding for pay
c. 樱花动漫 needs to launch a campaign that brings all
members up to the level of those who have succeeded in making gains.
Conference
resolves:
i.
樱花动漫 to organise a national industrial action ballot over pay
ii.
to encourage branches to submit local claims on fractionalisation
iii. the pay and fractionalisation campaign to be
framed around the decline of the wellbeing of staff.
FE16, Continue the fight for FE pay was
moved by Julianna Ojannaka, Yorkshire
and Humberside regional FE committee,
and carried;
FE
sector conference notes many colleges had successes in the 18/19 pay campaign
with many making gains from the #FEFightsback campaign. Some branches achieved
between 2-5% pay rises, and improvements on part two elements. 19/20 has been
quiet.
The
AoC failed to stand up for staff working in its colleges and, as a result, poor
pay continues in FE and the gap between FE and school sector pay continues to
grow. There is an exodus of staff; English and maths back to school and vocational
staff back to industry.
FE sector conference
calls on FEC to:
1.
encourage all branches to put in the national pay claim and help them be active
in the campaign
2.
organise pay mobilisation meetings in different regions to share successes and
inspire others
3.
pressure the AoC to honour the pay bargaining mechanism
4.
coordinate industrial action in support of FE sector pay.
FE17, Supporting branches to pursue national priorities
through local collective agreements was
moved by Jackie D鈥檃rcy, Further
education committee, and carried;
Conference
notes that branches have secured collective agreements on the unions' national
priorities of reducing casualisation, closing the equality pay gap and reducing
workloads. These collective agreements deliver real improvements for our
members.
Conference
reiterates national priority status of these issues and calls on FEC to:
1. accelerate work to support and empower our branches
to pursue local claims in relation to casualisation, the gender pay gap and
workloads
2. ensure that bargaining guidance and campaign packs
are worked into appropriate training resources
听
3. ensure the delivery of branch briefings and
training events tailored to these priority issues
4. ensure that agreements
and success stories are shared and publicised throughout the union.
FE18, Motion on pay 2021-22 claim was
moved by Richard McEwan, Further
education committee, and carried;
Notes
30% cut in pay since 2009.
Believes:
1. Pay
remains a central issue for all lecturers working in the sector.
2. To
attract a new generation of practitioners to FE pay in the sector must be
addressed.
3. FE
staff have been, and still are, on the frontline of the battle against the
pandemic and pay awards must reflect this sacrifice and commitment.
4. Now is the time for government to fund FE to enable
the sector to rise to the challenge of the crisis.
Resolves:
a. To launch a
campaign around the 20/21 pay claim which calls for a 鈥榤ove towards the full restoration of
college pay鈥� In line
with inflation since 2009.
b. 樱花动漫 to support branches in negotiating a 鈥榥ational plus鈥�
claim involving both pay and non-pay elements that are relevant to the specific
branch鈥檚 context.
c. To call an industrial action
ballot over the 20/21 claim.
L1, No to the pay freeze was
moved by Eamonn Leddy, Capital
City College Group 鈥� CANDI Lifelong Learning, and carried;
Notes:
1.
Government's Public Sector pay freeze.
2. FE
pay has effectively been cut by 30% in the last decade.
3.
Resolution Foundation figures reveal that the pay freeze will cut pay on
average by 拢1,200.
4. Government鈥檚
previous promise to fund and revolutionise FE.
5. Government increase in military spending by 拢16.5bn
Believes:
a. Those
working in education or public services should not be made to pay for the
public health crisis.
b. The
government have wasted billions of public finances on private companies on
Track and tracing apps that have failed to deliver.
c. There
is money for warfare and but not education.
听
d. All workers, private and public, deserve a pay
rise.
Resolves to support 樱花动漫 call to campaign for a pay
rise now and to prepare for industrial action to pursue our aims.
FE19, Adult education in crisis was
moved by Jan Koene, London region
FE sector, formally seconded, and carried;
Conference
notes that:
1. since
2010, funding for adult and community education (ACE) has been cut by 45% by
successive Conservative governments
2. we need these cuts reversed, buildings reopened,
courses revived, and staff employed on proper wages, terms and conditions.
Conference
resolves to:
a. launch
a campaign to defend (ACE)
b. organise a national conference for all working in
ACE, to ACE students and other interested parties such as the Centenary
Commission, 鈥楢dult Education 100鈥� campaign, the WEA and other bodies. The
purpose of this conference will be to secure, defend and develop the
funding for all organisations working in ACE. The purpose of this conference
will be to secure, defend and develop the funding for all organisations working
in ACE.
c.
work with Unison to ensure their members who work in ACE are involved in the
campaign and conference.
FE20, Adult education funding was moved by Naina
Kent, Further education committee, and carried;
Conference
notes that:
1.
courses funded by the adult education budget (AEB) take place in local authority
adult and community education and in further education colleges
2. in
both settings the courses transform the lives of their students and the
communities they live in
3. the
benefits of this type of learning address issues such as mental health,
isolation and loneliness.
4. the
AEB has been devolved in some areas
5. funding for these courses has been slashed by 40%.
Conference
resolves to:
a.
campaign for an increase in the AEB
b. work
with the #LoveOurColleges stakeholders to raise the profile of Adult Education
and jointly lobby for an increase
c. campaign with those authorities that have devolved
responsibility for Adult Education for an increase in the AEB.
FE21, Prison education and disabled members was moved by Elane
Heffernan, Disabled Members'
Standing Committee, seconded by Brian Hamilton, and carried;
Conference
notes
1. that
government spending on prisons has declined under austerity in real terms by
14%
2.
prison education is run by privatised firms who have been shedding jobs and
cutting costs over recent years
3. there have been a number of cases of disability
discrimination鈥攂oth in refusing reasonable adjustments and in open
discrimination in comments and behaviours towards disabled members in prisons
around the country.
Conference
believes
a. prisoners, many of whom are disabled themselves,
need good quality education as a means of development and rehabilitation
b.
that staff deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Conference resolves to
i. put an explicit
demand for disabled members dignity and reasonable adjustments into prisons
national contract negotiations
ii.
ensure that prison reps and members get access to high quality legal advice and
support by organising a disabled members briefing and network meeting across
the prison branches.
FE22, Stopping the race to the bottom for prison educators was moved by Brian Hamilton, Novus prison education,
and carried;
Conference
notes that over the course of the marketisation of Prison Education under the
new PEF contract, members working in Prison Education have steadily seen the
erosion of their terms and conditions to become some of the worst in the FE
sector.
This
worsening situation is unacceptable to our members who are leaving the
profession.
Conference believes key priorities for the union to
be:
1.
recognise Prison Education as a career
2.
develop a standard national contract of terms and conditions including access
to TPS for all Prison educators to ensure that contractors can only compete
with each other on quality of provision
3.
campaign for the removal of the responsibility for Prison Education from the
MOJ to the DofE.
Conference
resolves to:
a.
develop an early careers and career development campaign for prison educators
b. work with the JUPG to facilitate a political
lobbying campaign of the Justice Minister, Shadow Justice team and employers.
FE23, Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) was moved by Saleem
Rashid, Sheffield College, and carried;
Conference
notes that supply and casualised staff have been particularly affected by the
deregulation, privatisation and underfunding of the FE education system.
The
only legal protection is the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR). Conference
believes that many agencies are not complying with AWR.
Conference
instructs the FEC to:
1. campaign to inform all 樱花动漫 members affected,
appraising them of their legal entitlements
2.
provide an online tool for members to claim and train 樱花动漫 officers to support
members with their AWR claim
3.
work with the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EASI) to prioritise the
enforcement of the AWR for agencies operating in the Education sector, and to
take decisive action against agencies who avoid the AWR
4. work
with EASI, REC and APSCO to enforce robust sanctions are in place and enforced
for those agencies who use the Swedish Derogation contracts after April 2020.
FE24, Secure employment for adult community education workers was moved by Cecily Blyther, Anti-casualisation committee,
and carried;
FESC
notes
1. ACE
providers in colleges, local authority and third sector providers, continue to
keep staff on insecure contracts citing shorter courses and courses with
unknown take up as the reason
2. all
teachers are teachers and ACE teachers and staff must be valued as such
3. 樱花动漫 needs to seek satisfactory contracts of
employment for those teaching on shorter courses or those vulnerable to closure
courses.
FESC
resolves to:
a.
research good practice models for staffing shorter courses and develop guidance
and policy models
b. campaign for all education staff to be treated and
valued equally.
FE25, Rise of the non-lecturer roles in FE was moved by Lesley
Higginbottom, The Manchester
College, and carried;
Sector
conference notes:
1. 樱花动漫 members include staff who engage in teaching or
related activity but who are not employed on a teaching or lecturing contract,
many on precarious contracts
2. widespread casualisation, unfair working practices,
diminished professional status, heavy workloads and unpredictable hours are
common for non-lecturer roles
3. FE restructures have introduced new job titles that
undermine the specialist teacher and SEND provision, resulting in a lower pay
grading and service conditions.
4. The introduction of new T levels could lead to more
non-lecturer roles being introduced through work-based learning and
assessments.听
Sector conference
instructs 樱花动漫 to:
a.
relaunch the 鈥楥oncerns of the rise of the non-lecturer roles in FE鈥� -
bargaining for academic recognition
b.
launch an anti-casualisation campaign specific to non-lecturing roles in FE
c.
update support materials to reflect current position
d. create a
visible, dedicated area on 樱花动漫 for educational practitioners and consider a FE
committee to support non-lecturer members.
FE26 Campaign against increased employer contributions to
TPS was moved by Abelardo Clariana-Piga, Southern regional FE committee, and carried;
Sector
conference notes:
1. the financial damage caused in HE institutions by
increased employer contributions to TPS and the use of this as a pretext for
redundancies and other attacks on working conditions
2. the threat of similar increased contributions and
attacks in FE.
Conference:
a. condemns the government鈥檚 refusal to implement
measures to mitigate the impact of increased employer contributions
b. regards this refusal as a direct attack on the
long-term viability of FE institutions.
Conference
instructs the FEC to:
i. support action, up to and including strike action,
in any FE institution threatening attacks on pensions, jobs or working
conditions under the guise of making savings consequent upon employer pension
contribution rises.
ii. organise a high profile national campaign to
demand the government fund FE institutions to meet increased employer
contributions, and
iii. establish a working
party specifically to defend TPS.
FE27, Accountability and industry experience for FE leadership teams was moved by Duncan
Harris, Nottingham College, and
carried;
Conference
recognises that FE institutions need competent and experienced CEO/principals,
but asserts that (despite the need to be business-like) the key business of FE
colleges remains the provision of opportunity and education for our local
communities.
Conference
believes that appointing senior managers with no direct experience of education
devalues and dismisses the expertise of teaching and support staff,听 resulting in a failure
to adequately address the needs and requirements of staff and students alike.
Conference resolves
that our key demands in relevant negotiations with employers include:
1. person
specifications for leadership roles should always include a requirement to
provide either evidence of recent teaching or demonstrate understanding of
teaching and education
2.
existing college leaderships should demonstrate a meaningful and ongoing
understanding of Further Education in order to foster and maintain effective
and harmonious relations between senior management and staff involved in
delivering or supporting teaching in the curriculum.
FE28, Government withdrawal of funding for BTEC Courses was moved by Rachel
Minshull, Hugh Baird College, and carried;
The
government has clearly stated its case in FE that it wants to focus on A
Levels, Apprenticeships and T levels.
Currently
in consultation as to whether it will provide public funding for BTEC Courses,
the government is now drawing up a hit list based on a criteria of quality,
purpose, necessity and progression.
Such
an approach will likely remove some very good courses and deprive collages of
the chance to provide a wide variety of valuable courses and skills to their
local communities and employers.
This
motion calls on 樱花动漫 to question government decisions of quality, purpose,
necessity and progression on courses selected for removal.
It requests 樱花动漫 to question the basis of
the decisions they make in relation to true value of the skills to individual
employers and local communities.
FE29, New post-16 maths curriculum was moved by Alison
Gaughan, Kirklees College, seconded by Sam
Uwadiae, and carried;
Conference
notes that:
1. MEI
have developed "a new curriculum in maths for post-16 GCSE students with a
greater emphasis on applying maths in realistic contexts"
2.
Government have not yet approved the new qualification as an alternative to
GCSE maths for condition of funding
3. There is a need for a qualification of this type
for resit students in FE.
Conference
calls on 樱花动漫 to:
a. campaign for the adoption
of the new qualification for use in colleges
b. support
the development of a similar alternative to GCSE English.
FE30, Confronting surveillance cultures in further education
was moved by Naina Kent, Migrant
members standing committee, and formally carried;
Conference
notes:
1. that
the Home Office places the requirement to monitor migrant workers and students
on further education institutions
2. that
guidance from the Home Office is vague, results in huge variation, and in
overreach by employers beyond formal requirements
3. that
migrant staff and others caught up in monitoring and surveillance around
migration status report high levels of stress and anxiety
4. that
such surveillance may particularly disincentivise migrant workers to apply to
the further education sector
5. That private companies are being hired for
immigration processing and rule enforcement.
Conference
resolves:
a. to
oppose surveillance of the migration status of FE staff and students
b. to
map the variation in interpretations and implementation of Home Office rules
across the FE sector, including any reliance on private companies
c. to take legal advice on how FE branches can resist
surveillance of migrant staff and students, and develop clear guidance for FE
branches, ahead of Congress 2021.
Conference considered agenda motions previously
remitted to FEC.
D29, Monitoring the implementation of anti-casualisation
deals was moved by Elaine White, Anti-casualisation
committee, and carried;
FESC
notes:
1. some
FE branches have made gains recently on anti-casualisation deals and this needs
to be celebrated and replicated
2. where
deals have been done, those branches need support to ensure these deals are
implemented
3. those
branches need to be vigilant that some other form of casualisation does not
creep in, eg. an increased dependency on agency contracts
4. increase of agency workers is a sign of not enough
permanent staff and it can create a toxic climate between agency workers and
鈥榚stablished鈥� staff.
This
conference resolves:
a. to
keep pushing the anti-casualisation agenda
b.
ensure branches have support to ensure all deals are fully implemented
c. call
on relevant 樱花动漫 bodies to gather data on agency/subsidiary worker use
d. support branches to recruit these workers and for
樱花动漫 to fight for recognition and bargaining rights for these members.
D30, Adult education for all was moved by Elane
Heffernan, Hackney ACE, and carried;
Conference
believes:
听
1. in and affirms its support for the adult learning
sector and its critical role in providing high quality adult education for all.
2. all learning is important for social equality,
prosperity, better mental wellbeing and civic participation in society
3. a free and accessible adult education centre in all
our cities and towns is a public good
4. a narrow employment and skills strategy will not
provide a broad curriculum for all
5. a marketised model will not have at its core the
needs of adult learners and the communities they live in.
Conference
resolves to:
a. set up meetings with the Mayor of London to implement
a London lifelong learning strategy
b. promote campaign
and protect adult community education in colleges and our communities
c. campaign against
the use of exploitative employment models in post 16 sector
d.
support a wider adult education campaign for all in FE and ACE.
D31, A coordinated approach to the adult and community
education sector was moved by Naina Kent, Hackney ACE, and carried;
Conference
notes that:
1. 樱花动漫 needs to develop its work in the Adult and
Community Education sector of 樱花动漫
2. repeated ACE motions to Conference have been passed
unanimously but not enough resources or time have been dedicated to acting upon
their demands
3. a more joined up approach to developing union
participation in ACE is needed.
Conference
demands that:
a. the demands from previous year鈥檚 motions are
revisited and fulfilled. Including making proper use of the FOI data, holding
the ACE national meeting earlier in the year and production of a targeted
recruitment video
b. that dialog is opened
with sister unions that represent workers in ACE about how to develop a more
coordinated approach to union representation in ACE.
D32, Guided learning hours was moved by John
James, Coleg Gwent, and carried;
FESC
notes the majority of qualifications come with a set of guided learning hours
(GLH). These are a set as a standard to ensure sufficient teaching contact to
deliver the course professionally.
听
FESC
believes that the GLH have been subject to varying changes due to a college鈥檚
organisational needs and not the need of the learner. This is often at the
detriment of the learners and increases the workload of the lecturer. Given
樱花动漫鈥檚 ongoing campaigns to tackle the issue of excessive contact hours, this
may inadvertently give a college the opportunity to reduce the GLHs even
further.
FESC
calls for:
1. an investigation into the possible widespread abuse
of cutting down GLHs to lower than the actual standard and the increase of
heavy workload by stealth
2. any recommendations to be
looked at and incorporated by ROCC to highlight this abuse.
D33, Health, wellness and mindfulness was moved by Margot
Hill, Activate Learning City of
Oxford, and carried;
Research
published by the Education Policy Institute that shows that lecturers in FE
have the lowest levels of positive well-being and stand out as having high
level of anxiety among educators.
Conference
notes the sudden interest in 鈥榟ealth and wellbeing鈥� for staff in FE by college
management often evidenced on the splash pages of college websites with such
details as:
1. tips on managing stress
2. making the most of our
health and well-being facilities
3. boosting nutrition
4.
contact details for Employees Assistance programmes
This narrow approach to 鈥榳ell-being鈥�
turns a collective social and work problem into one that the individual is
expected to solve themselves. The collective solutions that should be pursued
to aid staff well-being are reduced workloads, more holidays and better pay and
conditions.
D34, Possession of weapons on FE campuses was moved by Elane
Heffernan, The Manchester
College, Further education committee,
and carried;
Conference
notes:
1. knife crime is any crime that involves a sharp
instrument: a kitchen knife, piece of glass, potato peeler, knitting needle etc
2. there has been a sharp rise of incidents involving
students carrying knives in our institutions and some aggressive behaviour
3. whilst colleges and prison classrooms need to keep
students and staff safe, they do not have the ability or the resources to
counter the complex societal problems behind the rise
4. these are major health and safety and safeguarding
issues and some of our members are working in unsafe workplaces
听
5. these crimes should not be used to target any
particular demographic as the problem is universal.
Sector
conference instructs 樱花动漫 to:
a. provide guidance for branches dealing with this
problem through negotiation with employers and provide literature and posters
b. encourage the invitation of guest speakers from
organisations such as No More Knives
c. Commission research into
how widespread this problem is.
D35, All prison workers have the right to be safe at work was moved by Elane
Heffernan, Novus prison education, and carried;
Conference
notes the Safe inside report by JUPA in July 2019 recorded assaults on prison
Staff in England and Wales increased by 21% to 10,231 and sexual assaults rose
37% to 138. A JUPA survey s also found that 25% had been victims of violence in
the last 12 months. Adding that 53% reported exposure to psychoactive drugs and
that 63% reported feeling unsafe at work.
听
Conference
believes:
1. that
all workers, regardless of workplaces have the right to feel safe and be free
of physical and psychological injuries at work
2. that we would not accept workers and students
learning in squalid classrooms, daily incidents with learners under the
influence of NPS and threats against staff in other educational establishments.
Conference resolves for 樱花动漫 to continue
its work with JUPA and the Safe Inside Charter, in order that campaigning for
properly resourced and adequately serviced prisons takes place.
D36, Learning support was moved by Sam Uwadiae, Croydon College,
and carried;
This conference notes the deplorable cuts
in learning support provision at a time when student need is increasing due to
mental health and cuts in welfare provision. This conference recognised that
the pay and contracts of support staff are far below their responsibilities.
This conference resolves to mount a campaign for the regrading and full
recognition of support staff commensurate with their responsibilities.
D37, LGBT+ migration in FE was moved by Peter Evans, LGBT+ members standing committee, and carried;
Conference
notes that
1. some
LGBT+ people come to the UK because they believe it is supportive of their
LGBT+ identity
2. LGBT+
migrants and refugees face discrimination:
路
around being
LGBT+
路
because of LGBT+
intersections with race and / or nationality
路
assumptions that
coming from certain countries means not being supportive of or identifying as
LGBT+
Conference
also notes
a. some
ESOL learners come to the UK fleeing LGBT+ persecution, hoping to live openly
b. the ESOL curriculum can be heteronormative, not
usualising LGBT+
c. fear about
attitudes can silence talk about LGBT+ rights
d.
some organisations are reluctant to promote commitment to LGBT+ rights because
they are driven by profit and wanting to work with LGBT+ hostile countries.
Conference resolves
to:
i. re-affirm the
union鈥檚 commitment to intersectionality including LGBT+ migrants and refugees
ii. promote and engage
with international LGBT+ rights work
iii.
demand LGBT+ inclusive curriculums and teaching systems that recognise,
embrace, usualise and actualise LGBT+ rights.
5
Any
Other Business
5.1 The Chair steered
delegates towards the Missing Millions webpage.
6
Close
of Business
6.1 The Chair thanked
delegates and staff.
6.2 It being the end of business, the Chair thanked
delegates for a successful FESC, and closed the Conference at 16:00.