Privatisation of Education
Conference recognises the need to step up the Union’s campaigning activities against the Government’s policy of extending the privatisation and marketisation of public education.
It instructs the Executive in the coming year to campaign against:
1. the outsourcing of LEA services to schools and private contractors;
2. the handing over of schools to the private sector;
3. the use and development of PFI to fund and implement school capital programmes and the often subsequent contracting out of school services;
4. the expanding role of teacher agencies in controlling the supply and cost of staff to schools.
Conference notes that it is evident that the Government remains committed to a wide range of privatisation measures, which will fundamentally alter both the nature of education and the conditions of employment of teachers. The continued expansion of PFI seriously undermines public control of the delivery of public services.
Conference congratulates other unions on their campaigns against outsourcing and PFI.
Conference notes with concern the Government’s intention to establish City Academies as a further way of increasing private sector influence in education and a further attack on comprehensive education. Conference instructs the Executive to oppose the establishment of City Academies on the grounds that:
a. the schools will not be under the democratic control of LEAs but under the control of private sponsors including businesses;
b. they will deny students access to a broad and balanced curriculum;
c. they pose a threat to teachers’ pay and conditions.
Conference instructs the Executive to conduct a publicity campaign including the preparation of leaflets for members, parents and governors explaining the case against City Academies. Conference further instructs the Executive to encourage local associations to campaign against the establishment of City Academies and to offer full support to such campaigns.
Conference instructs the Executive to raise the profile of its own campaigning to end these flawed methods of delivering public services. It instructs the Executive to:
a. conduct its own investigation into the impact of outsourcing and PFI – including the new Pathfinder projects - on the delivery of education, including a further meeting of Divisional secretaries devoted to these issues;
b. organise a major campaign of lobbying the Government to seek a halt to privatisation, including the publication of leaflets for distribution to parents, governors, members of Parliament and local councillors called for in last year’s motion;
c. work with other interested parties (including the TUC, Campaign for State Education and other trade unions) to ensure that a co-ordinated national campaign is established to retain education as a public sector service;
d. encourage local associations and divisions and members in schools to oppose moves towards the privatisation of education services and provide appropriate publicity materials for teachers, governors, parents and the local community on PFI and outsourcing;
e. organise action up to and including strike action where members’ jobs, pay or conditions of service are threatened by any of these initiatives;
f. organise a major national campaign to prevent the abuse of supply teachers by agencies;
g. give active support to other public sector workers campaigning against privatisation;
h. raise the profile and status of the Public Sector Education Unit at Head Office, and use it to monitor threats to public provision, to organise research on the effects in Britain and elsewhere of private versus public provision of state education including research and assessment of the likely impact of negotiations on General Agreement Trade in Services (GATS), to advise the Union nationally and locally on resisting privatisation and protecting members affected by it, and to develop campaigns and policies in support of public services.
i. campaign to bring back into LEA control, services and buildings which have been transferred to the private sector.