In his recent speech to the Union, General Secretary Daniel Kebede summarised the Union’s key actions and concerns. Not surprisingly these centred on teacher pay and pensions, and one of his major criticisms was directed at Academy Trusts where CEO pay was felt to be much too high, using the half-million pound salary of the CEO of Harris as an example:
While schools struggle to afford basic resources, whilst support staff are being paid poverty wages, and whilst teachers are leaving the profession in droves, some academy CEOs are cashing in. This is not just an injustice; it is a national scandal. This is public money being funnelled into the pockets of a handful of education profiteers. It is the marketisation – of education – in its most grotesque form. We demand an end to this greed. We demand salary caps on Trust CEOs.
Other subjects he touched on included:
- The negative impact of high stakes testing;
- Criticism of Ofsted’s proposed new inspection regime;
- Better funding for mental health support and SEND;
- The danger of Reform’s ultra-right wing politics;
- Rising misogyny in classrooms;
- Social media, AI and online harm.
You can read his speech in full on the NEU website, here.
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