National Union of Teachers
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is a trade union
for school teachers in England
, Wales
, the Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man
. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress
. The Union recruits only qualified teachers
and those training to be qualified teachers into membership and currently has over 300,000 members, making it the largest teachers' union in Europe.
Like most unions, the NUT offers legal protection to its members.
The NUT has established two financial services companies for teachers, Teachers Assurance
in 1877 and the Teachers Building Society
in 1966.
on 25 June 1870 as the National Union of Elementary Teachers (NUET) to represent all school teachers in England and Wales combining a number of local teacher associations which had formed across the country following the 1870 Education Act. After toying with the idea of changing the name to the National Union of English Teachers, the name National Union of Teachers (NUT) was finally adopted at Annual Conference in April 1889.
In 1919, in response to an NUT referendum approving the principle of equal pay, a ginger group
, the National Association of Men Teachers (NAMT), was formed within the NUT to further the interests of male teachers. The NAMT changed its name in 1920 to the National Association of Schoolmasters (NAS) and seceded finally from the NUT in 1922. The secession came about indirectly following a decision at the NAS Conference that year to prohibit NAS members from continuing to also be members of the NUT after the 31 December 1922. The NAS is now amalgamated into the NASUWT, the second-largest teaching union in the UK.
The NUT first established its offices at 7 Adam Street, Adelphi, London WC on the appointment of the first full-time Secretary in 1873. In 1889 it moved its headquarters to Bolton House, 67/71 Russell Square, London WC. In 1915, it moved its headquarters to Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD, where it has remained ever since, except during the Second World War, when the NUT rented Toddington Manor
in Gloucestershire
in order to avoid air raids.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for school teachers in England
Education in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
, Wales
Education in Wales
Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
, the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
. The Union recruits only qualified teachers
Qualified Teacher Status
Qualified Teacher Status is required in England and Wales to become, and continue being, a teacher of children in the state and special education sectors...
and those training to be qualified teachers into membership and currently has over 300,000 members, making it the largest teachers' union in Europe.
Activities
The NUT campaigns on educational issues and working conditions for its members. Among the NUT's current policies are:- Fair pay for teachers
- Work-life balance for teachers
- Against academiesAcademy (England)In the education system of England, an academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government in England. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind...
- Abolition of National Curriculum Tests (SATs)
- One union for all teachers
Like most unions, the NUT offers legal protection to its members.
The NUT has established two financial services companies for teachers, Teachers Assurance
Teachers Assurance
Teachers Assurance is a friendly society in the United Kingdom. It offers tailored savings, investment and insurance products for those employed in the education sector...
in 1877 and the Teachers Building Society
Teachers Building Society
The Teachers Building Society is a British building society. It was founded in 1966 by the National Union of Teachers and provides mortgages to people who work in education as well as savings products to the general public...
in 1966.
History
The NUT was established at a meeting at King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
on 25 June 1870 as the National Union of Elementary Teachers (NUET) to represent all school teachers in England and Wales combining a number of local teacher associations which had formed across the country following the 1870 Education Act. After toying with the idea of changing the name to the National Union of English Teachers, the name National Union of Teachers (NUT) was finally adopted at Annual Conference in April 1889.
In 1919, in response to an NUT referendum approving the principle of equal pay, a ginger group
Ginger group
A ginger group is a formal or informal group within, for example, a political party seeking to inspire the rest with its own enthusiasm and activity....
, the National Association of Men Teachers (NAMT), was formed within the NUT to further the interests of male teachers. The NAMT changed its name in 1920 to the National Association of Schoolmasters (NAS) and seceded finally from the NUT in 1922. The secession came about indirectly following a decision at the NAS Conference that year to prohibit NAS members from continuing to also be members of the NUT after the 31 December 1922. The NAS is now amalgamated into the NASUWT, the second-largest teaching union in the UK.
The NUT first established its offices at 7 Adam Street, Adelphi, London WC on the appointment of the first full-time Secretary in 1873. In 1889 it moved its headquarters to Bolton House, 67/71 Russell Square, London WC. In 1915, it moved its headquarters to Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD, where it has remained ever since, except during the Second World War, when the NUT rented Toddington Manor
Toddington Manor
Toddington Manor is a 19th century country house in the English county of Gloucestershire, near the village of Toddington. It is in the gothic style and was designed by Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley for himself and built between 1819 and 1840...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in order to avoid air raids.
General Secretaries of the NUT
The General Secretary is the leader of the NUT. Since 1989, the General Secretary has been elected by the union's membership, with each term lasting five years.- Christine BlowerChristine BlowerChristine Blower is the eleventh General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, a trade union representing qualified teachers across England and Wales.-Early life:...
, 2008–present (acting until May 2009) - Steve SinnottSteve SinnottSteve Sinnott , was the General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 2004 until his death in 2008....
, 2004-2008 (died in office) - Doug McAvoyDoug McAvoyDoug McAvoy is a retired British trade union leader. He was General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 1989 to 2004.A teacher, McAvoy was secretary of Newcastle-upon-Tyne NUT and became a member of the National Executive of the Union in 1970...
, 1989-2004 - Fred JarvisFred JarvisFrederick Frank Jarvis is a retired British trade union leader. He was President of the National Union of Students from 1952 to 1954 and General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 1975 to 1989.-References:...
, 1975-1989 - Sir Edward BrittonEdward BrittonEdward Britton was a British trade union leader.Britton studied at Bromley Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he edited the Cambridge Review. On graduating, he was unemployed for six months. He found work as a teacher, and immediately joined the National Union of Teachers...
, 1970-1975 - Sir Ronald GouldRonald GouldSir Ronald Gould was General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 1947–1970. He was the son of the Labour MP Frederick Gould.-Early life:He was born in Midsomer Norton, Somerset...
, 1947-1970 - Sir Frederick Mander, 1931-1947
- Sir Frank GoldstoneFrank Walter GoldstoneSir Frank Walter Goldstone was a British teacher, trade unionist and politician.-Biography:Goldstone was born in Bishopwearmouth, County Durham on 7 December 1870...
, 1924-1931 - Sir James YoxallJames YoxallSir James Henry Yoxall was a British Liberal Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Nottingham West from 1895 to 1918. He was general secretary of the National Union of Teachers from 1892 to 1924....
, 1892-1924 - Thomas HellerThomas HellerThomas C. Heller is an American climate policy expert, lawyer, and academic. Mr. Heller currently serves as Executive Director of Climate Policy Initiative, a global policy effectiveness analysis and advisory organization headquartered in San Francisco.- Biography :An expert in law, economic...
, 1873-1891 - William Lawson, 1870-1873
See also
- National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women TeachersNational Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women TeachersThe NASUWT is a trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom....
- Association of Teachers and LecturersAssociation of Teachers and LecturersThe Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...
- Education in the United KingdomEducation in the United KingdomEducation in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are...