NUTea

Week #5 Meeting #10

Great meeting with NUT members at Cheney School today. As with other meetings, there was a real strength of feeling about what this government is doing to education and a real willingness to fight for decent national terms and conditions that apply to all teachers, in schools and academies. However, it was when we got onto school level organising ideas that things got interesting!

 

The school has a 'staff tea' every Friday where each department takes a turn to host the staff for tea and cakes after school. So, on Friday 10th, the school NUT group will take a turn hosting staff tea, with a variety of green iced cakes and tea (not exclusively green tea)!

NUT members will be encouraged to bring their completed ballot papers, or to fill them in there and then and return them to one of the school Reps (we have a team of three at Cheney), and there will be information about the ballot and the wider campaign against forced academisation for those who are undecided.

As it is an INSET day, staff will be encouraged to wear their green 'Stand Up' shirt to work or to pick one up at the teaparty, where there will be a group photograph for #greenfridays. To make sure everyone knows, those at the meeting today have divided the staff list up by department and will spread the word, holding an individual conversation with each NUT member about the ballot as they go.

The whole plan is entitled NUTea.

So, if you work in a medium to large secondary school, or a large primary school where different departments/phases don't see that much of each other, and haven't worked out a ballot-building strategy, why not arrange your own NUTea?

And more long term, couldn't lots of our schools do with something like a weekly 'staff tea'? Nothing like a bit of solidarity and a chance to unwind will colleagues on a Friday!

This should have been meeting #12 but unfortuately I was ill at the end of last week so missed Wednesday's meeting in Windsor & Maidenhead and Friday's meeting in Banbury. However, they were ably led by our great new WaMNUT committee and North Oxfordshire Area Reps Ian & Clair and I believe went very well. Thanks to all those involved.