NASUWT: Welsh government must honour its literacy and numeracy commitments
Responding to the announcement by the Education Minister Leighton Andrews of a £7million national support package for the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Wales, said:
“Teachers are already expressing grave reservations about the potential for the statutory literacy and numeracy test, which will be introduced as part of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework from May this year, to increase already excessive workloads.
“The NASUWT has welcomed the fact that the Welsh Government has been clear that the tests do not need to be marked by teachers and that the tests should replace, rather than supplement, other commercially produced tests.
“The NASUWT will hold the Welsh Government, local authorities and schools to account to ensure that these statements are translated into practice on the ground.
"Failure to honour these commitments will be met with strong resistance through the ratcheting up of the NASUWT's current industrial action instructions across the country.
“The £7 million support package for the Literacy and Numeracy Framework is welcome, but this must be additional funding and must be used genuinely to support teachers.
“If the demands of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework are to be met, teachers will need adequate training and the provision of additional time within the school day. This essential provision must be costed in from the outset."
Rex Phillips, NASUWT Wales Organiser, said:
“If the £7million is merely used to increase the level of ‘teacher watching’ in our schools, then the NASUWT will respond through the escalation of our national action instructions.
“The NASUWT will be meeting with officials from the Department for Education and Skills on Thursday to discuss the administration and the marking of the tests.
“We will also be seeking to establish how the £7 million will be spent and what measures the Welsh Government will be taking to ensure that the Literacy and Numeracy Framework does not add significantly to teacher workload.”
ENDS
Lena Davies
Press and Media Officer
Campaigns and Communications Team
NASUWT
0121 457 6250 / 07867 392 746
lena.davies@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
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