Middlesbrough College Maths teacher Wayne Broom will today become National President of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union.

Wayne, 60, brings a wealth of life experience and an unwavering commitment to the teaching profession, having journeyed from the depths of South Yorkshire’s coal mines to the top of the teaching union.

Raised in the village of Norton, South Yorkshire, Wayne’s early career saw him working as an apprentice electrician at Askern Colliery, following the footsteps of his father and uncles.

“I had no intention of becoming a teacher or to work in education, I really didn’t like my last couple of years in school, but I did work hard and got good results to go on and do what I wanted to do,” said Wayne.

In the 1980s he dug coal as well as his job as an apprentice electrician and for seven years continued his education on day release at Doncaster College where he gained qualifications in Electrical Engineering and worked underground and on the surface as a Class 1 Electrician.

During the bitter 1984-85 Miners’ Strike Wayne stayed out on strike with his fellow miners, but nearly a decade later Askern was closed as part of the Conservative Government’s policy of shutting the majority of the nation’s pits and Wayne was made redundant.

It was this life-changing event that saw him take the steps he needed to start his second career as a teacher.

“I decided to go to Leeds Metropolitan University to do something on electronics and I stumbled across a Bachelor of Education Degree in Mathematics and thought why not?

“I loved maths and if I didn’t like teaching I could always go back to being an electrician, and 33 years later I’m still doing it, so I must have liked it!”

Wayne initially taught in West Yorkshire schools before relocating to the North East, where he currently teaches at Middlesbrough College.

Over his career, Wayne has been a stalwart advocate for teachers, serving as a school representative, health and safety representative, and in multiple leadership roles within the NASUWT.

He was elected Junior Vice President in 2023 and has been a familiar face at NASUWT events across the country.

Reflecting on his journey, Wayne said: “At the end of the day, I’m Wayne Broom, a proud NASUWT member, just like all our members. I’ve walked in their shoes and share their challenges. It’s a privilege to serve as their President.”

Asked what he would do if was in charge of education his answer was clear: “Supply teachers would have a national pay scale in comparison to those scales in the STPCD and so would be paid an equivalent daily rate, based on experience.

“For too long supply teachers have been let down by government after government.

“Having been a supply teacher for seven years, I know first-hand how it has been. In many areas there is a lack of work for supply teachers as schools, due to lack of funding, are covering lessons with the teachers they have and teaching assistants, this can’t go on.”

He went on: “There is too much accountability on teachers, who are constantly observed through learning walks, and drop-ins, supposedly for support, but it is often used as another way of finding faults.

“There are too many teachers leaving the profession due to this and adverse management practices. Teachers need to be respected, they need to have their autonomy back.

“The academy program has left the system fractured, there is no accountability on those at the top, leading to teachers and students suffering. They see it as a business where costs need to be kept down on staffing and resources.”

As Wayne takes on his new role as NASUWT President at the NASUWT Annual Conference being held in Liverpool, he is determined to continue putting teachers first, working tirelessly to uphold the Union’s commitment to advancing the interests of educators and ensuring the teaching profession thrives.

He said: “We have some of the most skilled educators in any school system, who are passionate about teaching and have excellent subject knowledge. If left alone to just get on with their own style of teaching, the school system would be in much a better place.”