Teachers set to strike over 'new appraisal policy' (From St Helens Star)

As I predicted eleswhere the "truth" disappears very quickly when management try to put their view on a dispute. The one of many mis-statements by the Director is that it had nothing to do with an agreement with Headteachers but a suggestion from a Tory Government and Mr.Gove the Minister for a policy that Authorities would like to adopt. As it would be operated by heads you could imagine in the discussions their version of appraisal was very different to those suggested by the teacher unions.
This appraisal is linked to pay yet another Tory ploy to balance school monies by with-holding salary increases and even reducing salaries. As Academies are in effect private schools, when their 3 year bribe has run out punitive appraisal will be the norm. It's already happening.

The impasse lies in that as HR had swung this on Cllrs. and school governors that the new policy was "Statutory" which it is not and that the old policy was defunct which it wasn't, ie.the only game in town, it became "Council Policy", as one Cllr. told me "so that they could appear to be progressive"!!

Therefore attempts by the teacher unions to get an agreement on how this policy would be implimented by allaying their fears were met with a bland "it's Council Policy" end of discussion.
Readers may be puzzled why it appears that the agreement has been accepted by teachers in other schools, although Sutton Academy kept to the old appraisal, as so did many neighbouring Authorities who left the decisions to schools, staff do not support the policy but have been told by their heads that they will see no difference in the way it is implimented from the old policy in their schools. We will see!!
When asked at meetings in response to this "on then why change?" there came no answer.

I hope the union leaders will put all the facts before what must be puzzled parents but only to say that Gove put this policy in as heads, in his opinion, had not been doing their jobs to get rid of 1000's of incompetent teachers. I often asked the question to Governors why are they not doing anything about all those incompetent teachers in their schools (whom they appointed) and the reason was that in the main they don't exist, as readers will know St.Helens schools are the best in the country at present. So much for a so-called failed Appraisal System a system that worked well and the staff at Newton would readily agree to. As a long serving governor in 4 schools I have seen no problems with the previous system and removing incompetant teachers if they failed any Cababilty procedure.

I cannot get my head around a Labour Authority, a Labour Authority, (to quote Neil Kinnock) keen to put in Tory policies.
The anti teacher/trade union brigade will have a field day on this. and threaten/bullying those involved in a ligitimate trades dispute.
As it applies to "All school employees" as the Director states Council nor schools have worked out the criteria and knowledge needed to "Appraise" the caretaker, gardner, kichen staff and anyone else who ventures on to school property to do a job.

We are in for an interesting few weeks. I hope those that do recognise trade unions and employers rights get behind those brave few who are prepared to fight an imposed injustice. It will be interesting to see where Cllrs. steeped in trade union activity will position themselves on this?

Bill, someone as long in the tooth as you should not be surprised at a Labour authority being at the front of the queue to implement Tory policies. The last government failed to repeal any of Thatcher's anti-union legislation, and Labour councillors in St. Helens are now more concerned with protecting their generous allowances than representing the people who elected them. As for councillors steeped in trade union activity - they will do nothing!

Bill I am not reading that novel you have written there. The truth is teachers and the rest of the public sector have to accept change they are not immune from the real world.

Lets see how much the public support them to most ordinary people striking because you are under an appraisal system would be laughable.

Bill I have read your novel now and I am none the wiser. If you are hoping to explain that level of complexity to parents struggling to make ends meet then good luck.

Nothing to do with pay nor was the action to affect day to day teaching. This dispute is over an appraisal system forced on teachers when the appraisal they have had for over 15 years was working perfectly well.

Please keep your comments on things you know about rather than making your usual cheap shots at teachers and the public sector workers. How you manage to work in parents struggling is marvellous considering it's your party that is causing the problem. Nothing complex but yet another victim of hard nosed Tory policy.

All jobs must face change though Bill. My Mum has been a civil servant for nearly forty years now and she has seen many changes. She just gets on with it.

No bill it's your party that caused the problem this government is in repair mode. You spent and spent and almost ruined the country in fact you might well still have done that.

I said in 2010 on here it would take 30 to 50 years to repair the damage of the brown government and I stick by that.

As for public sector workers they have to enter the real world and they cannot continue to expect hard working families to keep subdising their Spanish practices and huge pensions the like of which no private sector worker could dream of.

Sankey, as I wrote this dispute is about an imposed by Gove Appraisal policy upon one that worked perfectly well.

Issues on pensions and pay in this part of the public sector has already been lost so you can celebrate teachers entering the real world.

As I wrote many blogs ago teachers and public sector workers are hard working families subsidising their own pensions. Thank God I didn't have to rely on you for mine for I would be skint.

This dispute is being undertaken by some excellent teachers fighting against the many threats they have undertaken already on a matter of principle, a concept which Sankey you would never understand in your hatred of teachers and the public sector in general. These are not your typical Fred Kite of the "everybody out" mentality but decent young people with families who are involved in a ligitimate trades dispute.

At this late stage I hope someone sees some sense and resolves this. Otherwise will see you on the picket line when I return from holiday.-paid for by your generous pension contributions!!??

PS thanks Mike I fully understand but there may be hope for repentant sinners? (some hope!)

Sankey wrote:
No bill it's your party that caused the problem this government is in repair mode. You spent and spent and almost ruined the country in fact you might well still have done that.

I said in 2010 on here it would take 30 to 50 years to repair the damage of the brown government and I stick by that.

As for public sector workers they have to enter the real world and they cannot continue to expect hard working families to keep subdising their Spanish practices and huge pensions the like of which no private sector worker could dream of.

As the father of a teacher of 17 years experience, I can assure you Sankey that she has no Spanish practices. She leaves for work at 7.45am EVERY morning. She is NEVER home before 5.00pm, often later. She spends an average 1 - 11/2 hours per evening marking or planning. During those long and luxurious summer holidays when all the lazy so and so's spend 6 weeks on the beach, she is in work for AT LEAST 3 of those weeks, sometimes more. She said when she was a little girl that she wanted to be a teacher, and she never deviated from that. It's a vocation to her and she doesn't complain. Nor would she thank me for writing this post, but I get sick of people who know everything about everything and about everyone else's job spouting off and running a whole profession down out of, as Bill says, your hatred. It's not unusual, at the end of terms, for parents to come up to my daughter and thank them for the difference she has made to their child's life. And there's the reason that all dedicated teachers do the job. To make a difference. Of course there are poor teachers, as there are poor members of all workforces. But, as Bill points out, there are perfectly good ways already existing to deal with those.
My daughter is certainly not in it for the money. They have had a pay freeze for the last 3 years. If you took her salary and divided it into hourly pay, she would be on less than minimum wage with the hours she puts in.
My daughter has been in the real world all her life. No silver spoons in my family. All during her 4 years at college, she worked every week-end to subsidise the small amount we gave her. Before you run down a whole profession, I suggest you get to know one or two members of that profession. And if you already do know someone, and still hold your viewpoint, then maybe they're not up to the job, or you are completely bigoted, as Bill says, against all teachers and public sector workers. I, by the way, am a factory worker.

Bill,

I have a few friends who are teachers and have children still in the education system.

There are teachers in the system who are not good at their job as there is in many industries.

It seems the big difference is that Heads are unable to shift poorly performing teachers and that when the slightest pressure is applied either the Union kicks up a fuss or they vanish on long term leave due to "stress".

It is quite clear to me that the old system didn't work or these ineffective people wouldn't be in post.

I haven't analysed the new proposals in any detail so am not suggesting they are correct, however, all public servants should be more accountable with clear expectations set of their performance and a path to follow should they fail to meet these expectations that will eventually result in dismissal if they do not improve.

Why should our taxes pay for anyone (including management or councillors) to continue to be ineffective until such time as they can retire early with a nice pension?

I thought that this had been discussed on the news last year so took a quick look online. I found this article which seems to confirm my point, very few teachers are sacked compared to the number employed.

http://fullfact.org/
factchecks/teachers_
dismissed_incompeten
ce_Sun-14365

I agree all we are asking for is a level playing field where those is the public sector are broadly held to the same standards as their private sector counterparts. There are poor teachers and they should not be allowed to hide behind the system or over powerful unions that would not exist in other walks of life. The teaching unions in particular have been disassociated with reality for far too long now and in these difficult times people are sick f being held to ransom by those who do not know how well off they are. I can understand how these teachers might not like the new appraisal system but to call industrial action from it is a disgrace both to them and their profession.

Kjd just read your post I am sure your daughter is all you say and there are many good teachers. All the more reason I say to root out the bad ones who are cheating pupils the public and their hard working colleagues. Such rules would apply everywhere else including your factory why is the teaching profession immune?

Sankey as I wrote the problem of schools having incompetant teachers was due to heads and Governors failing to act and nothing to do with the appraisal and Competancy procedures.
Unless we are both clairvoyant I am not aware of any incompetant teachers in the schools where I am a Governor, one rated Good the other Outstanding and the 3rd. making outstanding improvement with exam results 10% over Ofsted set targets. and if there are (which I know there are none) why has not this been brought to the attentionm of the Governors and why not on Capability?

All these 1000's of incompetants is a figment of Gove's imagination.
As to the Procedure if it is not broke don't fix it. The teacher unions are well aware of the realities a Right wing Government intent on Privatising the system by Academies and lowering pay and conditions to your level playing field-sorry to annoy you yet again "The Race to the Bottom" a phrase which you hate.

If you had your way you would get rid of all unions leaving workers to the whims of employers.

Sankey wrote:
Kjd just read your post I am sure your daughter is all you say and there are many good teachers. All the more reason I say to root out the bad ones who are cheating pupils the public and their hard working colleagues. Such rules would apply everywhere else including your factory why is the teaching profession immune?

Can you show me or tell me the name of the school(s) where you KNOW there is a bad teacher or do you believe everything you read in the Daily Torygraph?

As I wrote St.Helens schools has the second best results in the whole country in Primary.

No I can't name a school with a bad teacher in it bill I don't audit or visit schools. But even if I could nothing would be done. The notion there are no bad teachers throughout the profession and therefore they should not be subject to appraisal is preposterous. I look back to my old schooldays we had good and bad teachers the bad were simply having a paid holiday and cheating the pupils out of an education. This has gone on for many decades and now at last the government are tackling it cue the squeals from the vested interest groups of which there are many in the teaching profession. Bill is the scam about the layers of management teachers who manage the teachers still going on?

Yes to your last question. Don't worry after another meeting I had tonight you have a Tory council. To say that I am gutted is an understatement.

Winners the public, pupils and teachers who are dedicated and competent.

Losers the powerful teaching unions and those few teachers who are lazy and incompetent.

What is this really about? Is it the new appraisal policy or is it something else? I’m a Governor at a School and it has been agreed and explained to staff – who have no complaints. However, how does an Outstanding school in 2008 go to Satisfactory in 2012 (Ofsted.gov.uk). Is that where the problem really lies? What’s changed?

Perhaps you seasoned posters can explain?

LittleMinxx wrote:
What is this really about? Is it the new appraisal policy or is it something else? I’m a Governor at a School and it has been agreed and explained to staff – who have no complaints. However, how does an Outstanding school in 2008 go to Satisfactory in 2012 (Ofsted.gov.uk). Is that where the problem really lies? What’s changed? Perhaps you seasoned posters can explain?

You are quite correct in your analysis. The dispute is over the appraisal policy which every Local Authority around St.Helens allowed schools to decide for themselves and not impose what they now claim is a non negotiable "Council Policy" So they could either keep the old, adopt the new or make up their own.

HR in St.helens, as I was there, told Governors that the New Policy was the only game in town and it was "Statutory" i.e you had to adopt it and the old policy did not exist. I suspect this was the line they sold to Cllrs. who normally go along with their highly paid officer recommendations.
So attempts to get assurances how the new policy would be interpreted, especially over the two sticking points, Confidentiality and the number of hours to be observed was blocked by HR being in attendance at all discussions and "guiding" the head and Governors to stand firm.

Why no problem in other schools? Sutton Academy stuck with the old policy ( who could tell St.Helens to beggar off) and in other schools staff were being told that the appraisal process would be no differently done than under the new one. So when asked why change answer "Because it is now Council Policy" Whether these assurances will be honoured time will tell but already in one school a teacher has been observed 3 times in one week and is in for a lot more.

Your second point you are correct but not an issue in this dispute it's appraisal.
Gove is intent of privatising schools via Academies which means eventually the Authority will exercise no control over the schools unless they go "pear shaped" as some are already doing. Heads can now have the power to with-hold pay, reduce pay and under a nore stringent Capability procedure yet to come but currently "put on ice", deliberately fail teachers over some trumped up point they may not have done. When the "bribe" money in these academies run out the Financing will be down to them and if short of money Gove has virtually disbanded the Career structure on pay and will be telling schools to pay teachers what they can afford allied to temporary contracts and spot pay. This is already happening in Liverpool.

Therfore you can see that allied to a vindictive appraisal procedure where teachers are failed for financial reason, or even their face does not fit, i.e. refuse to ask how high they have to jump,s, you are correct "that something else" will be an issue in the future, but not in this dispute.
The young teachers are following their union's instructions under a ligitimate ballot not to accept an Appraisal system that's "Not Broke".

As one Cllr. put it to me they "Wanted to appear progressive" and another said its give the heads "flexibility". I wonder how Flexible would that be.

Despite my efforts to ask the Director to sort it at this late stage, he is refusing to acknowledge the union's Officers probably under the instruction of the council as it is "Council Policy". My sorrow is that this looks like a train heading for the buffers with nobody willing to apply the brakes unless the union caves in which is unlikely. As I see this now it looks as we are heading for a very long dispute, with Grunwick in mind.

I cannot get my head around a "Labour Council, A Labour Council" ( to quote Kinnock.), many who are/were trade unionists themselves, eager to carry out Tory Policy.

Thanks for your interest. Hope I have answered some of your questions. I have not mentioned pensions which is another public sector issue which teachers have lost plus a 3 year pay freeze. I wonder how long it will be before teachers get off their knees? The teachers at Newton have and will suffer a lot of abuse and intimidation and threats. hat is why i will stand alongside them. Some of us have principles which under a so-called free and democratic society workers have the right to withdraw their labour, which the more "right wing" brothers on this sitewould like to end. Give this Tory Govt. enough time -it will!!

Bill it's not a Tory government it's a left of centre replication of new labour. The only reason these so called tough polices are being followed s because we have run out of money and the gap between conditions in the state funded public sector and the private sector will no longer be tolerated by the public. If milliband was in power today we would see simiar measures. I and most of the general public agree with Michael goves measures the only people who don't are the teaching unions who want to preserve the cosy club that has been going on for decades. Finally not only is the present Tory party left of centre (hence the rise of ukip) but they are in power in coalition with the lib dems a party to the left of labour.. So your stance this is all the wicked Tories is not a strong position and one divorced from present day reality.

Bill Bradbury wrote:

LittleMinxx wrote:
What is this really about? Is it the new appraisal policy or is it something else? I’m a Governor at a School and it has been agreed and explained to staff – who have no complaints. However, how does an Outstanding school in 2008 go to Satisfactory in 2012 (Ofsted.gov.uk). Is that where the problem really lies? What’s changed? Perhaps you seasoned posters can explain?

You are quite correct in your analysis. The dispute is over the appraisal policy which every Local Authority around St.Helens allowed schools to decide for themselves and not impose what they now claim is a non negotiable "Council Policy" So they could either keep the old, adopt the new or make up their own.

HR in St.helens, as I was there, told Governors that the New Policy was the only game in town and it was "Statutory" i.e you had to adopt it and the old policy did not exist. I suspect this was the line they sold to Cllrs. who normally go along with their highly paid officer recommendations.
So attempts to get assurances how the new policy would be interpreted, especially over the two sticking points, Confidentiality and the number of hours to be observed was blocked by HR being in attendance at all discussions and "guiding" the head and Governors to stand firm.

Why no problem in other schools? Sutton Academy stuck with the old policy ( who could tell St.Helens to beggar off) and in other schools staff were being told that the appraisal process would be no differently done than under the new one. So when asked why change answer "Because it is now Council Policy" Whether these assurances will be honoured time will tell but already in one school a teacher has been observed 3 times in one week and is in for a lot more.

Your second point you are correct but not an issue in this dispute it's appraisal.
Gove is intent of privatising schools via Academies which means eventually the Authority will exercise no control over the schools unless they go "pear shaped" as some are already doing. Heads can now have the power to with-hold pay, reduce pay and under a nore stringent Capability procedure yet to come but currently "put on ice", deliberately fail teachers over some trumped up point they may not have done. When the "bribe" money in these academies run out the Financing will be down to them and if short of money Gove has virtually disbanded the Career structure on pay and will be telling schools to pay teachers what they can afford allied to temporary contracts and spot pay. This is already happening in Liverpool.

Therfore you can see that allied to a vindictive appraisal procedure where teachers are failed for financial reason, or even their face does not fit, i.e. refuse to ask how high they have to jump,s, you are correct "that something else" will be an issue in the future, but not in this dispute.
The young teachers are following their union's instructions under a ligitimate ballot not to accept an Appraisal system that's "Not Broke".

As one Cllr. put it to me they "Wanted to appear progressive" and another said its give the heads "flexibility". I wonder how Flexible would that be.

Despite my efforts to ask the Director to sort it at this late stage, he is refusing to acknowledge the union's Officers probably under the instruction of the council as it is "Council Policy". My sorrow is that this looks like a train heading for the buffers with nobody willing to apply the brakes unless the union caves in which is unlikely. As I see this now it looks as we are heading for a very long dispute, with Grunwick in mind.

I cannot get my head around a "Labour Council, A Labour Council" ( to quote Kinnock.), many who are/were trade unionists themselves, eager to carry out Tory Policy.

Thanks for your interest. Hope I have answered some of your questions. I have not mentioned pensions which is another public sector issue which teachers have lost plus a 3 year pay freeze. I wonder how long it will be before teachers get off their knees? The teachers at Newton have and will suffer a lot of abuse and intimidation and threats. hat is why i will stand alongside them. Some of us have principles which under a so-called free and democratic society workers have the right to withdraw their labour, which the more "right wing" brothers on this sitewould like to end. Give this Tory Govt. enough time -it will!!

Bloody Hell, Bill - that was almost an epic! Have you been in touch with the national Labour hierarchy to find out if they have a policy on academies etc. - wait a moment - it was they who introduced them!

Yes and why I would never trust Ed Balls with a hatchet in a nudist colony. As I have written many times not "New Labour" but "Old Tory" as whenever Labour gets into power they just carry on Tory pokicies. No indication to date that Miliband would revoke anything and he could start by re-nationising the railways insted of filling the pockets of the franchisers.
Mike you know what goes on in local politics and can guess why this dispute will be allowed to happen.George Orwell's "Big Brother" whether he can be beaten and Animal farm is focussing my mind. Very little else to say except to shake my head and wonder where it will end up as our politicians appear to have no answers except blame a deficit which we have had since the 20's to a greater and lesser degree with Gordon Brown being blamed if he could of us coming off the gold standard. Always someone to blame except ourselves who also had our noses in the credit trough along with the tories who said nothing until the Bank crash, something our resident Tories on this site prefer to gloss over.

The only good thing in this world Mike at the moment is a pint in the Turks Head or my local the Masons. Cheers!

I agree the tories said nothing about the excess credit until the bank crash. In fact you could argue they formed it with the big bang under maggie thatcher and the reliance on financial services and the service sector. Nonetheless what brown did to this counry was unforgivable which I think he knows and why he hides away these days. None of the three parties can carry any credit and if labour were they would be doing exactly the same thing. All parties talk about spending or not spending public money none of the three talk about how to earn more money in the first place. Where is the debate about encouraging our manufacturing back? Its nowhere its never discussed or in any manifesto so what are we to do ? wait until the states money runs out or inflation which seems to be the current governments strategy.

Sankey wrote:
Bill I am not reading that novel you have written there. The truth is teachers and the rest of the public sector have to accept change they are not immune from the real world. Lets see how much the public support them to most ordinary people striking because you are under an appraisal system would be laughable.

Is this the "Real World" that saw the death of a Remploy worker George Scollum the day his factory closed down. As The Tory Sunday Express in its Opinion Column writes ""The government blinded by political correctness, felt that Remploy workers would be better off in the "real world".

Remploy workers, the public sector workers and now teachers are being a political scapegoat on the altar of the real world and flawed Education policy more intent on the Privatisation by Academies via hostile appraisal systems, where heads in these schools first job is to grant themselves a huge pay rise together with their senior management. Ask anyone who works in th FE sector. Teachers have to be managed and not trusted or allowed to get on with their jobs using their professional expertise.

Teachers should be allowed to get on with their professional expertise I agree. But in any other job except certain areas of the state sector do a bad job and you are subject to performance ,management. Teachers cannot continue to be immune from that bill. I have no idea what ths has todo with remploy but I am sorry those centres are shutting which I don't agree with but that is nothing to do with the issue here just a smokescreen.

I've seen what this new appraisal system is all about through my direct work with a school in my area. It is much the same as any other appraisal system that companies have these days. Basically, the way this system works is, just like others, do your job and there's no problem. I am suspicious of people who over react to things like this. What do they have to fear? Are they not doing their job right and scared of being found out? It's VERY concerning that one school in the borough has an issue with this new system. If my child was at the school in question, I'd be worried.

Bill Bradbury wrote:

Sankey wrote:
Bill I am not reading that novel you have written there. The truth is teachers and the rest of the public sector have to accept change they are not immune from the real world. Lets see how much the public support them to most ordinary people striking because you are under an appraisal system would be laughable.

Is this the "Real World" that saw the death of a Remploy worker George Scollum the day his factory closed down. As The Tory Sunday Express in its Opinion Column writes ""The government blinded by political correctness, felt that Remploy workers would be better off in the "real world".

Remploy workers, the public sector workers and now teachers are being a political scapegoat on the altar of the real world and flawed Education policy more intent on the Privatisation by Academies via hostile appraisal systems, where heads in these schools first job is to grant themselves a huge pay rise together with their senior management. Ask anyone who works in th FE sector. Teachers have to be managed and not trusted or allowed to get on with their jobs using their professional expertise.

Bill, if my memory is serving me well, I believe that the last government closed at least 15 Remploy factories, including Lea Green in St. Helens.

And Justice For All wrote:
I've seen what this new appraisal system is all about through my direct work with a school in my area. It is much the same as any other appraisal system that companies have these days. Basically, the way this system works is, just like others, do your job and there's no problem. I am suspicious of people who over react to things like this. What do they have to fear? Are they not doing their job right and scared of being found out? It's VERY concerning that one school in the borough has an issue with this new system. If my child was at the school in question, I'd be worried.

Exactly you have hit the nail on the head. Work anywhere now and you will be subject to an appraisal system. The teachers have had it easy for too long and dont like it. Thats not to say some teachers dont work hard and are good at their job but many of them and the far left wing teaching unions would prefer it stay optional.