NUT Cymru have welcomed the news that there are additional monies to be made available to Local Education Authorities for the funding of the innovative Foundation Phase that was implemented in Primary and Infant schools across Wales in September.

Tomorrow (2nd September) nursery age children attending school for the first time will be the first complete cohort to take part in the much heralded and eagerly awaited Foundation Phase as the scheme is finally rolled out across Wales.

NUT Cymru Secretary David Evans today pays tribute to the youngsters and their teachers for the hard work which has led to GCSE success.

He said, “First we must congratulate all those who have achieved such excellent results in, what for many, represents the first big milestone for educational achievement. Most 15 and 16 year olds, who make up the majority of GCSE students, are under enormous pressure to deliver and we must recognise the standards achieved as a major success.

On the morning when Wales woke up to another set of excellent A level results, NUT Cymru Secretary David Evans paid tribute to the youngsters and their teachers for the hard work which led to this success.

Reflecting upon the High Court decision in favour of Sarika Singh that found her school guilty of indirect discrimination by refusing to allow her to wear the Kara, a religious bangle that is an expression of her Sikh faith, David Evans Secretary of NUT Cymru, Wales’ largest union for qualified teachers has called for better guidance to be given to schools to ensure that such a situation does not arise again. Mr Evans said:

The outcome of the latest meeting of the Foundation Phase Implementation Group gave both cause for disappointment and relief over what was discussed. Wales’ largest teaching union, NUT Cymru, was represented at the Assembly by Wales Secretary David Evans who said:
“We welcomed the opportunity to be part of this task group and to be able to put forward the views, on behalf of our members, of the position that schools face regarding the implementation of the Foundation Phase. As we discussed issues with our members it was abundantly clear that schools were not going to be able to meet the full expectations of the Foundation Phase roll out this September because insufficient funds were being made available.

Wales’ largest teaching union has taken the initiative over the funding crisis afflicting education in Wales by inviting interested parties to its All Wales Meeting to be held at the Marriott Hotel

Christine Blower, the Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers is to visit Franksbridge School at Hundred House in Powys on 3rd June at 2.45 pm.

News that Members of Parliament are demanding an increase in their annual pay from £62000 to just under £100,000, inclusive of their expenses has not gone down well with teachers’ unions. NUT Cymru is in the midst of the largest pay campaign on behalf of its members for decades which recently saw a day of action coordinated with other public sector unions. Wales Secretary of the NUT, David Evans said:- “These demands clearly demonstrate how out of touch with reality the current government is. They pronounce a 2.45% pay deal for teachers and seek a 60% rise for themselves. They argue that any higher award within the public sector would drive up inflation but do not apply the same rules for themselves. They justify their claim using comparators from the private sector but deny teachers the same facility. Hypocrisy is rife with every pronouncement. It is little wonder that the public sector is up in arms.”

Commenting on today’s statement to the National Assembly by Jane Hutt, Minister for Children, Education Lifelong Learning and Skills, David Evans, Secretary of NUT Cymru welcomed broadly the decision to ensure that additional monies would be made available for the Foundation Phase but warned that a considerable amount of work needs to be done between now and September’s roll out if the implementation of this initiative is to be a success. He said:

Today, schools across Wales received details of their funding for next year. There was a great deal of anger amongst primary head teachers when they discovered that the funding they would receive for implementing the Foundation Phase could be less than 40% of the amount previously received for that very same purpose by schools which had been part of the pilot.

Local officers of the National Union of Teachers will get an up-date on the teachers’ pay campaign from General Secretary Steve Sinnott at two meetings held in Wales.

Wales’ largest teaching union has reacted angrily to news that the General Teaching Council for Wales is to increase its annual registration fee from £33 to £45 this year.

David Evans, secretary NUT Cymru has called for a change in the school inspection system in Wales.

“In the run-up to the Assembly elections, NUT Cymru campaigned
against devolving teachers’ pay to the Welsh Assembly, recognising that this would be the start of a slippery slope leading to regional pay and eventually teachers in Wales being paid less than teachers in England,” said David Evans, secretary of NUT Cymru.