MP, Secretary of State for
Education, has turned down an invitation to speak to school and
college leaders at ASCL’s Annual Conference in Birmingham next
week.
She was invited to speak on the morning of Friday 10 March, but
department officials have told ASCL that Ms Keegan will not
attend the conference because she hopes to be engaged in
intensive talks at that time over the pay dispute which has led
to industrial action by NEU members. No talks are currently
scheduled.
Over 1,000 school and college leaders from across the UK are
attending the conference which takes place on 10 and 11 March.
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said: “We are disappointed that has decided not to come to
our conference. We very much hoped she would use this opportunity
to thank school and college leaders for everything they are doing
in what is proving to be yet another extremely challenging year.
“It would also have been a good opportunity for her to set out
her vision for education, to talk about how we can work together
to shape a better future for all young people, and say something
about how the government intends to address the teacher
recruitment and retention crisis which is at the heart of the
current industrial dispute and which our members have to deal
with every day.
“But nevertheless we will continue to engage with the Secretary
of State positively and constructively and look forward to a time
when she will feel more able to talk directly to our members.”
ASCL’s Annual Conference is an established event in the education
calendar which comprises keynote speeches from high-profile
speakers, workshops, and an education exhibition. It is attended
by senior leaders from schools, colleges and trusts throughout
the UK who use the opportunity for professional development, to
share insights with colleagues in all types of education
settings, and hear directly from a range of education sector
experts.
Other speakers in this year’s programme include Shadow Secretary
of State for Education , Ofsted Chief Inspector
Amanda Spielman, and FA Director of Women’s Football Baroness Sue
Campbell.
ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton will now address the
conference in the speaking slot reserved for Ms Keegan.
The current industrial dispute follows years of
government-implemented real-terms pay cuts to salaries and
worsening systemic pressures which have created unsustainable
workloads for teachers and leaders. This has led to staff
shortages in schools and colleges across the country which are
putting at risk educational provision and standards.
In an ASCL survey last summer,
95% of schools and colleges which responded said they were
experiencing difficulties in recruiting teachers, with 43% saying
it was “severe”. Since then, the government has published
statistics which show
that the Department for Education missed its targets for
recruiting teacher trainees last year in 13 out of 17 secondary
subjects. In physics, only 17% of the target number of trainees
were recruited. Recruitment to primary education was also below
target.
ASCL held a consultative ballot in
the autumn asking members whether they wished to proceed to a
formal ballot, and a majority voted in favour of doing so.
However, the union has so far endeavoured to resolve the matter
through negotiation rather than going ahead with a formal ballot.
ASCL, alongside other education unions, has subsequently taken
part in a series of talks with Ms Keegan and Department for
Education officials, but there has been no offer from the
government to resolve the dispute so far.
