12 November 2018

Investment in Professional Learning critical to success of reforms

In response to today’s statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, UCAC education union has said that professional learning for the education workforce is critical to the success of the reforms to the curriculum and the Additional Learning Needs system.

Dilwyn Roberts-Young, UCAC General Secretary said: “The scale of change to our education system over the next few years is mind-boggling. To imagine that such change can be achieved without a very substantial investment in professional learning would be foolish in the extreme.

“UCAC is pleased therefore that the Cabinet Secretary has announced specific funding to support the scale of professional learning that that is required, with an emphasis on a range of methods, flexibility and teacher wellbeing.

“We agree with her that the requisite level and quality of professional learning should be secured whilst guarding, on the one hand, against disruption to pupils’ education, and on the other against unreasonable demands on the workforce. Investment is essential in order to find the time and resources necessary for such a large-scale operation.

“We look forward to seeing the detail of the proposals in relation to the various options and models available, and hope that this will indeed lead to the long-term ‘wholesale reform of how teachers learn’ that the Cabinet Secretary – and the profession - wishes to see.”

ENDS

Notes

• UCAC is Wales’s own education union. It represents teachers, headteachers and lecturers in all education sectors across Wales.

For further information please contact:

Rebecca Williams: 07787 572180 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

17 October 2018

Teachers’ Salary 2018-2019

Our Teachers’ Salary 2018-2019 booklet is now on the website.

https://www.ucac.cymru/images/taflenni_gwybodaeth/Cyflogau%20Athrawon%202018-19.pdf

9 October 2018

Joint Advice on School Teachers’ Pay 2018-19

The Government has now published the 2018 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), following its announcements on school teachers’ pay for 2018-19 and consideration of the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

UCAC along with ASCL, NAHT, NEU, VOICE centrally have prepared joint advice on the application of these changes, including the adoption of pay scales and the application of individual pay increases.

2018-19 Pay Scale Points - National Joint Advice  FINAL ONLINE ENG RD

2018-19 Pay Scale Points - National Joint Advice  FINAL ONLINE WALES RD

21 September 2018

UCAC welcomes recommendations on teachers’ pay and conditions

Today saw the publication of ‘Teaching: A valued profession’, the report of an independent panel commissioned by Welsh Government, which makes recommendations for establishing a ‘Career, Conditions and Pay Framework for School Teachers in Wales’.

In response to the report, Dilwyn Roberts-Young, UCAC General Secretary said: "UCAC welcomes the report and believes that the recommendations are a very good starting point for improving the status and working conditions of teachers in Wales.

"The Panel’s report shows an understanding of some of the challenges facing the profession, and a willingness to tackle those challenges. If implemented, there would be tangible benefits not only for the profession but for the broader education system.

"We trust that these recommendations will influence the process of developing the Welsh Government’s budget for 2019-20, in particular the education budget.

"UCAC’s vision over the years has been the establishment of an independent education system for Wales. With the devolution of the powers to determine school teachers’ pay and conditions, we are on the threshold of seeing that vision become a reality and the recommendations in this report are a valuable contribution to the debate. UCAC looks forward to playing an important part in the process over the coming months.”

ENDS

Notes

• UCAC is Wales’s own education union. It represents teachers, headteachers and lecturers in all education sectors across Wales.
• Link to the report: Teaching: A valued profession
  https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-09/teaching-a-valued-profession-report-of-the-independent-review.pdf

For further information please contact:

Rebecca Williams: 07787 572180 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

26 July 2018

Joint statement from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) Cymru, the National Education Union (NEU) Cymru, Voice, and Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru (UCAC)

Teachers’ pay award

This statement follows the announcement on the teachers’ pay award made by the Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds, in the House of Commons on Tuesday 24 July. The fact that it comes jointly from several education unions in Wales demonstrates our grave concern about how this pay award will be funded in Wales and the potential impact on Welsh schools.
The decision on teachers’ pay is currently not a devolved matter and applies to teachers and leaders in both England and Wales. However, there is no additional government funding for either England or Wales.

The DfE is providing some additional funding from within its own budgets for English schools, but no arrangements have been announced for Welsh schools.
It is disingenuous to announce a pay award for teachers in England and Wales and then not fund that award for a proportion of teachers. Our unions feel it is incumbent upon the Treasury to fund the pay award in full for all teachers and leaders in both England and Wales.

Should the Treasury not decide to fully fund this award, we would urge the Welsh Government to follow up its many assertions of valuing its teachers, by finding the funding needed to ensure that the cost of this award is covered in full and does not put an unaffordable pressure on school budgets which are already under severe strain. This additional cost would inevitably drive more schools into deficit and necessitate cutbacks which will impact on pupils.

We are surprised and disappointed that little thought appears to have been given to how this award will be funded in Wales. We would have expected that consideration would have been given to this matter prior to Tuesday’s announcement and that it would have been accompanied with information about how the award would be met in Wales.
We are sending this statement to the Treasury, the Department for Education in Westminster and to the Welsh Government and we are inviting them to respond accordingly.

We note also that the pay award itself fails to recognise the hard work and professionalism of many senior teachers and leaders. While we welcome an uplift of 3.5% for teachers on the main pay range – after many years of pay caps and pay freezes – teachers on the upper and leadership ranges will receive a below-inflation pay award, which goes directly against the independent advice from the School Teachers’ Review Body to award them 3.5%.

As this is a cost-of-living increase it is invidious to pay it at different rates when all teachers and leaders deserve an award which at least maintains the value of their salaries. It also fails to address the need to ensure that we retain more experienced teachers and leaders in the profession.