Marching Against Trident Yesterday

Yesterday, I took part in the anti-Trident march in central London. I didn't march because I am a CND activist - I'm not. To be honest, I only went because my friend and colleague, Rednev, was coming down from Southport for the demo, and I thought it would be nice to meet up and have a pint or two (it was three for me, as it happened). Still, it was a worthwhile experience in many other ways.
Like I said, I'm not a CND member, and have never been. Not because I don't sympathise, just that I think that the Americans did the right thing in dropping atom bombs on Japan in 1945. Such a viewpoint is tantamount to blasphemy in CND circles. Peace activists can be surprisingly intolerant at times.
 I arrived at Marble Arch at noon, and made my way to Park Lane to join what appeared to be the head of the march. As contingents from the north and Scotland were still arriving, we had a long wait before the start of the march, and we were entertained by the incomparable Robb Johnson, a veteran folk singer, activist and Brentford FC supporter.

Anyway, we set off at last. Rednev and I met up, thanks to mobile phones and a bit of good luck. The march was from Marble Arch to Trafalgar Square, a walk of about 25 minutes normally, but yesterday took about 35 - not a bad pace for a large demonstration, which, some reports say, attracted about 100, 000 people. There were certainly some colourful characters on the march.

Besides the lady above, there was a large Scots contingent which included some SNP branches. Their chant was "Bairns not Burns". Quite what the Robert Burns societies will make of that, I have no idea. There was even a dancing leprechaun who attracted attention from the marchers.

Well, it takes all sorts to make a demo. I was relieved to see that the violent anarchist fringe, who I have seen in action before, did not attend in force on this occasion, although I did spot a couple of suspects in Trafalgar Square. When we arrived there, the sight was amazing. I have never seen Trafalgar Square fill up like it did. It was announced from the stage that the rear of the march had not even begun to leave Piccadilly yet. All speakers commented favourably on the numbers they saw before them, and it must have been gratifying to see such a good attendance.

As for the speakers, the most impressive for me were Nicola Sturgeon (who joined Scottish CND before she became a Scotnat), Leanne Woods, Plaid Cymru leader and Caroline Lucas of the Green Party. It was definitely a day for the ladies, including a young woman from Israel who represented the Israeli anti-nuclear lobby. There were many cogent and emotional points raised, but the most telling point for me was made by Nicola Sturgeon, who said that if Jeremy Corbyn swings the Labour Party against Trident, then the majority of political parties in the UK will be opposed to a UK nuclear deterrent. The CND dream might well be approaching reality.

As Rednev and the Merseysiders (not a group) had to be on the coach home by 5pm, we left at about 3.45, which meant I did not get to hear Jeremy Corbyn, but, thankfully, missed Tariq Ali. After a couple of pints, Nev found his coach and I found another pub and one for the road (or Tube in my case). Yesterday's Guardian reported the march as Britain's largest anti-nuclear march for a generation. All in all, it was a worthwhile experience for me and it should be a wake-up call for the Establishment - the sands could be starting to slip beneath their feet, and the world may be changing...well, maybe.

Teaching Assistants - Supply Teachers on the Cheap

I am often amazed at the slowness of this government to discover "matters of concern" in education, but this latest discovery takes the biscuit. As today's BBC web page sets out:

"Teacher shortages mean classroom support staff are doing work normally done by qualified teachers, suggests a survey of union members.

Some two-thirds of almost 700 classroom supervisors who responded felt they did the work of supply teachers, says the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
"This can only lead to lower educational standards," said ATL general secretary Mary Bousted.
The government said support staff should not be used to replace teachers."
Well put, but what surprises me is that it has taken so long for the government to find out; I personally have known about this for years. When the DFE brought in Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time (PPA) in 2005, it became normal practice in some schools to leave non-core subjects to be taught by Teaching Assistants (TAs) for one or two lessons while the teachers were on their PPA release time. As I did this myself, I can attest that all my TA colleagues worked very well, scrupulously following the plans that I left for them. When I retired from full-time work in 2011 and worked as a supply teacher for several years, I found the situation to be no different in any school I worked in. I even know of a London secondary school where security staff were used to cover classes, some years ago. No-one ever seemed to question this. Many schools appointed full-time PPA teachers, but a large number did not.
In the early stages of my 30-year full time career, there were no TAs; the teacher was responsible for all teaching and non-teaching tasks, which were time-consuming and arduous. Since the 90s,TAs have gradually grown in numbers and importance in schools. In fact, I don't think our schools could function without them.
For this reason, and because I have friends who continue as TAs, I think it worth examining more of the ATL's overdue discoveries. Back to the BBC item:
"Dr Bousted said teacher shortages, along with increasing pressure on school budgets, were leading to the use of support staff to replace teachers "in a way that was never intended".
"So rather than hiring a temporary teacher, schools are asking support staff to teach.
"They should not be asked to do it," said Dr Bousted."
This is true. Some schools, though, use TAs as supply teachers for no other reason than budgetary considerations - although they might well now use the teacher shortage as an excuse. In the event of teacher absence, through sickness, courses, etc, it is standard practice to employ a supply teacher to cover their absence. Some schools, however, in order to save money, as Dr Bousted says, cover their classes with TAs, as I know for a fact. Once again, I quote the BBC:
"Of almost 700 who answered questions on supervising classes for absent teachers, 72% of TAs asked said it was impossible to supervise without teaching some form of lesson.
And 64% felt their work as cover supervisors was indistinguishable from supply teaching."
Quite. It also needs to be said that any supply teacher would be better paid than a TA. And yes, I do know of schools where it is happening, but I am forced to be discreet. Nor do all Heads value and cherish their TAs - I am told of one school where the incoming Head slashed the TAs' lunch hour by 50%! Besides this, the practice of using TAs to cover lessons while teachers have their PPA time continues in many schools, although we now know that they should never be used in such a role.
Finally, let us look at the government response to this newly discovered scandal that everyone knew about.
"This survey shows that, sadly, support staff feel over-utilised and undervalued.
"It is driving experienced and valuable staff from the profession," said Dr Bousted.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We trust heads, governors and academy trusts to plan their staffing.
"Support staff are best used when they add value to what teachers do, not when they replace them."
I am astonished at this; the DFE trusts schools with very little usually. The last three decades have seen unrelenting top-down pressure from successive governments and the DFE. Why was this matter overlooked? Don't watch this space for the answer. Already, offending heads, governors and academy trusts will be preparing their excuses and warning their TAs not to talk to the press. The long and tedious inquiry has begun.