This year, the NASUWT is holding joint Equalities Weekends for Black, LGBTI, women and young members.

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The Black [1] Teachers’ Consultation Conference offers a safe space to explore key issues and challenges you face in your career, share experiences with other Black members and contribute ideas for the future of your Union.

These events are FREE to eligible members and provide you with the opportunity to take part in seminars and workshops.

Tap/click on the image(s) below to find more details of upcoming events, including what you can expect from the event and how to book.

NASUWT conferences and events are strictly for adults only due to the nature of the content shared and no children will be permitted into any areas of the conference.

Visit the accessibility guide for the ICC Birmingham

Black Teachers’ Consultation Conference 2023 - round-up

The teaching profession is facing a crisis of wellbeing and it is affecting those from an ethnic minority background the hardest.

This year’s Black Teachers’ Consultation Conference took place online on 21 January 2023.

In his keynote address, Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said that years of neglect and under-funding in the fabric of our schools and colleges, a workload emergency that continues to drive up teachers’ working time, vicious cuts to wider children’s services, and a ten-year legacy of a deliberate assault on teachers’ pay has led to a recruitment and retention crisis in education.

‘We have a recruitment and retention crisis, with 73% of teachers seriously considering leaving the profession altogether and 40% of new teachers leaving within the first five years.’

Dr Roach told members, ‘The staffing crisis is running in parallel to a funding crisis. School budgets are unable to meet the demands being placed on them, increasing numbers of schools are operating with budget deficits, SEND needs are not being met, pupils wait years to access mental health support, while under-investment in school buildings is leaving them at serious risk of collapse according to the DfE’s own data.’

He continued, ‘Schools and colleges are not doing enough to protect the mental health and wellbeing of teachers - especially those of ethnic minority teachers.

Take a look behind the scenes

‘Teachers are overworked, undervalued and stretched thin by the need to manage expectations that would previously have been met by a raft of agencies. The systematic dismantling of those services, and more than a decade of under-funding, has left teachers and headteachers picking up the pieces.

‘Teachers from an ethnic minority background have to deal with these daily stresses of teaching against a background of everyday and structural racism.

‘There is still a lot of racism and prejudices in education and we must speak out against any injustice. Education still has a long way to go, but the Union is there to help us every step of the way.’ -- NASUWT member

‘Alongside overt racism and discrimination, there are microaggressions from colleagues, parents and pupils. Black teachers are under-represented at senior levels in the profession, repeatedly overlooked for promotion, more likely to face disciplinary action, capability procedures and dismissal, their leadership credentials, knowledge, skills and authority questioned.

‘All this creates a backdrop of exclusion and hostility for many of our Black members.

‘I gained a huge sense of empowerment and confidence that what I am doing in my role is on the right trajectory.’ -- NASUWT member

Dr Roach concluded, ‘It’s time for change. And that change starts right here, right now, in our Union. Our Big Conversation on Racial Justice culminated in our Anti-racism Action Plan, which demands visibility for Black members and commits us to ensuring that we have a working environment where racism is not tolerated and diversity is welcomed, celebrated and promoted.

‘By ensuring that our Union is the voice of Black teachers, by demanding that racial justice is central to our Union’s bargaining agenda and priorities when we meet with governments and employers, by stepping up our demands for race pay gap reporting in schools and colleges, we continue to campaign for change.

‘We are clear that the fight for a Better Deal for Teachers is not over.’

What does it mean to be black and active in trade unions and wider communities?

Members took part in a Q&A session where they were able to direct questions to an expert panel of speakers about how to be more involved in the Union structures. The speakers were from the TUC, Wales TUC, MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) and the Vice-Chair of the NASUWT Black Members Advisory Committee.

The Big Conversation on Racial Equality - The Next Chapter

This session was hosted by Jennifer Moses (NASUWT National Official, Equality and Training). The session focused on taking forward the NASUWT’s Anti-racism Action Plan.

Ms Moses took feedback from Black teachers on how they can continue to support the Union in speaking out and calling out racism in the workplace, including setting up local Black Teacher Networks.

Still Rigged - Racism In The UK Labour Market

Sanmeet Kaur (Policy and Campaigns Support Officer, Anti-racism Taskforce, TUC) outlined some of the findings of the TUC report Still Rigged - Racism In The UK Labour Market.

The TUC describes the report as an offers an ‘insight into the insidious way in which this racism undermines lives, livelihoods, and life chances.’

The day began with a choice of workshops:

1. How can educators tackle Islamophobia in their classrooms and school community? A taster session

2. The Journey of Leadership

3. Being Black and Staying Well

Next steps

• The NASUWT will continue to promote the NASUWT’s Anti-racism Action Plan. The National Executive will monitor the work undertaken in the regions and nations to ensure that every Black member feels supported and included.

• The NASUWT will continue to mark events that celebrate Black history and Black lives.

• The NASUWT calls for a zero-tolerance approach to racism in education.

Don’t miss out

If you’re not yet a member but want to attend our Black Teachers’ Consultation Conferences, and get access to other exclusive member benefits, why not join today?

You can find out more about why you should join us or go straight to our Online Joining site to take full advantage of our wider programme of events, training and discount scheme.

Want more influence?

The NASUWT is a member-led Union, which means you getting actively involved in your Union to support your colleagues and fellow teachers at work.

Getting active in the Union can take a variety of forms and will mean you get access to FREE training, support, and personal and professional development: you can be proud in the knowledge that you are undertaking a role that helps teachers in their workplaces.

Find out more

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Footnote
The NASUWT uses the term Black in a political and inclusive sense to describe those who self-identify as African, Caribbean and Asian identities and those with a common and direct history of racism, racist oppression and diminished opportunities in today’s society. This Consultation Conference aims to enable members to engage with the key issues and challenges facing the Union, share experiences, meet other members and shape the future of the Union.

 

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