No matter their postcode, every young person deserves face to face teaching from a qualified and professionally registered teacher. No matter their postcode, every young person deserves the same high standards of teaching as a first choice and a priority. No matter their postcode, every young person deserves to learn in a safe, accessible, and encouraging environment. This is entirely contrary to the position which the EIS believed had been agreed with remote learning platform provider, e-Sgoil, locally. A further statement from the EIS Local Association is https://www.eis.org.uk/Western-Isles/Statement EIS members are asking that: • Further clarity is given on these proposals. E-Sgoil is not a presenting centre, it is not a school. It is a remote learning platform provider and has a national role as such. It should not be used to undermine physical teaching and learning in the Western Isles. • Full consultation be undertaken with parent councils, pupils and staff via their trade unions – as is the recognised mechanism for consultation. • Status quo remains until agreement is reached on these proposals. • The maintenance of face-to-face teaching as a first choice; and a • A fully funded teaching provision on sustainable permanent contracts as a priority. Further EIS priorities for the local election can be found https://www.eis.org.uk/Western-Isles/Manifesto Add your name to the petition and show the Comhairle you support the call for face to face, fully qualified teachers to provide education in Na h-Eileanan an Iair/Western Isles. #ValueEducationValueTeachers #ComhairleMustConsult

Becoming an academy has profound implications for children and young people, parents, staff and the local community. The decision to apply for academy status is made by the school’s governing body, which is required to consult with ‘appropriate’ persons. We believe that it is essential that there should be full consultation with parents and the local community about such an important decision. We have grave reservations about academy status. We believe that any change to the school should be one that makes a positive difference to children’s educational attainment and there is no evidence to show that Stockbridge Village Primary School becoming an academy would raise educational standards. We hope that having considered all of the information, you will share our view that the high level of risk involved in academy status far outweighs any of the suggested advantages and decide to cease seeking academy status. The decision to become an academy is irreversible. There is no going back!

Girls' Day School Trust is threatening to leave the national Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) at 23 of its schools. This could mean a significant reduction in the pension entitlements promised to hundreds of teachers. There is no excuse for teachers at GDST schools to be threatened with cuts to their pension rights given the financial position of the employer. All teachers deserve certainty over income in retirement. The alternative defined contribution scheme proposed by GDST would leave teachers with an inferior pension for teachers and their families. Furthermore the unacceptable proposals would also allow GDST to reduce the amount it pays in employer pension contributions in future years - further cutting the value of teachers' pensions (i.e deferred pay) in future years. This is not an honourable position for any good employer to take and, if implemented, these changes will seriously damage the reputation of GDST. We call on GDST to withdraw its proposals to leave TPS and to commit to working with the NASUWT on a way forward in the interests of teachers and pupils. GDST has enough funds to offer teachers fair pensions. The Trusts finances are in a healthy condition with total funds of £461.9 million and available reserves of £43.1 million as of August 2020. Whilst the fees payable by parents have increased, additional investment should prioritise teachers at GDST. Despite claims by the employer, there is no confirmation that pension contributions to be paid by the employer will increase. The proposed changes are therefore an unnecessary and unjustified attack on the terms and conditions of dedicated and highly-skilled and professional teachers. Teachers make a school successful. GDST, as an employer, needs to value and invest in the school workforce. There is no justification for them cutting pensions. There is a recruitment and retention crisis in education and attacking pensions and threatening to dismiss and re-engage staff on inferior terms and conditions of service is not the way to encourage them to remain with GDST or to motivate them to deliver the best possible education for pupils. Teachers deserve a decent pension. Keep GDST in the Teachers' Pension Scheme and withdraw these threats to teachers.

Cutting funding will have a devastating impact on these subjects, resulting in course closures, job losses and severely affecting efforts to widen participation. Universities in areas with a higher number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds would be particularly vulnerable to the proposed cuts. We cannot allow these cuts to strip away their access to arts subjects. The UK is a world-leader in the creative and performing arts. These subjects should not be the preserve of a privileged few. We need to mount a quick and effective fightback against this government’s attacks on the creative and performing arts. Join us and tell Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the arts should be for everyone - and that the cuts should not go ahead. This campaign is supported by University and College Union (UCU), Equity UK, BECTU, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Musicians’ Union, Unison and Unite https://mcusercontent.com/ebd004a8047907dc47d269fd1/images/c695fc2c-48f6-c2c8-3057-e9aabe03bdfb.png

Poverty and inequality were already at an unacceptably high level in Scotland well before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, and we have grave concerns that such socio-economic disadvantage has only intensified, especially for children and women. The Scottish Government’s commitment to significantly reduce Child Poverty by 2030, with a view to ultimately eradicating it, and the creation of the new Scottish Child Payment Benefit is welcomed by the STUC Women’s Committee. Similarly, we welcome the Deputy First Minister’s pledge to expand free school meals provision to all Primary school pupils if the SNP retain power at the 2021 Scottish Parliament Elections. However, we strongly believe that further urgent action to mitigate child poverty is required immediately. The Scottish Government have the power and resources to go further in introducing progressive policies that can more strongly mitigate poverty and inequality and make life-changing differences to children and families now. Firm and decisive action on child poverty in Scotland cannot be further delayed. That is why the STUC Women’s Committee is calling on the Scottish Government to expand Universal Free School Meals to all children and young people, including those of Secondary school and Nursery age, with immediate effect. Moreover, we are calling on the Scottish Government to combat holiday hunger by ensuring that there are programmes and provisions in place in all of Scotland’s local authorities so that all children and young people have access to sufficient food during the school holidays. Our most vulnerable children, young people's right and access to a nutritious meal should not be determined by chance of the local authority they live in or based on the goodwill of community volunteers. We know that the roots of the poverty-related attainment gap stretch well beyond the school gates, but the significant role our educational institutions play in tackling poverty, challenging inequality, and helping to build a healthier, more inclusive society cannot be underestimated. We strongly believe that the introduction of Universal Free School Meals will not only help to combat hunger and poverty but will shatter the stigma and shame associated with the provision of meals on a means tested basis and will fuel young people’s ability to learn in the classroom. Neither empty tummies nor low self-esteem make for full days of learning in school. Furthermore, this progressive policy sends a clear and positive message to the rest of the devolved nations and beyond that we are serious about ending poverty in Scotland, and that we are genuinely committed to educational equity and to the wellbeing of our young people. Sign the petition today and email the First Minister showing your support.

The Scottish Government has prioritised school education during the pandemic; it has now opened schools for a full pupil return in P1-3 whilst continuing to lock down other parts of society and people’s lives outside of school. The EIS believes that teachers and other school staff should be vaccinated in phase 2 of the Scottish vaccination programme – the Scottish Government has the power to do this, and it will help to safely implement their policy of prioritising schools. Furthermore, the EIS believes that medical grade facemasks should be provided to teachers and other school staff to better protect against the coronavirus and its variants, especially by aerosol transmission. Finally, the EIS believes that ventilation in classrooms is of key importance and is concerned to hear of members’ poor experiences in this regard.

In July 2020 QUB Management took the decision to remove dozens of workers in the Students' Union from the income supports provided by the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS). This decision was taken with next to no consultation and has left hardworking employees with no income. The decision from the university to end payments appears to us on the surface, to be premature and based solely on saving costs as the government required further employer contributions from the beginning of August. For many of us, this loss of income has had a substantial financial impact, leaving us unable to afford essentials such as food, housing, electricity and gas. Not all workers are students and are ineligible for student supports or for state benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance whilst still formally employed. Those who are full-time students are ineligible for any state support at present. Recently, the government has announced further plans to aid employers and workers in this time of economic uncertainty, particularly those affected by necessary closures and restrictions on operations to control the spread of COVID. The government has announced that there is no shortage to the funds available in order to secure ongoing employment for workers during the pandemic. Further, Queen's University has no shortage of funds to support their hardworking staff throughout a crisis. Without our efforts, the Speakeasy and other SU facilities would not run. We contribute so much to the student experience and in return, we are asking for the university to provide us with a basic income, give us some job & financial security and afford us the respect that we deserve.

I saw first-hand the difference union learning made for hundreds of my workmates and friends. So when I heard the news that the government planned to cut the Union Learning Fund, I was devastated. I thought of everyone I’d supported as a union learning rep and what they would have missed out on without this programme. I thought of the workers getting our country through this crisis, who deserve an opportunity to access education and learn new skills in the workplace. It’s impossible to list all of the benefits of union learning I’ve seen, but I can honestly say it’s changed lives. Our training around mental health helped normalise talking about it at work. People who missed out at school learned English and maths in union learning courses, skills they’ll have for life. And those who came to learning centres and engaged in courses came back over and over again, earning apprenticeships and higher qualifications. And independent reviews have consistently found union learning to be effective and transformational for the workers who take part, their families, and communities. The government must reverse its decision immediately.

This is important at a time when university staff have rallied and gone beyond their contractual duties and normal working hours to ensure that all essential work including teaching has continued whilst the University has taken measures to address the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several universities in the UK (including the University of St. Andrews, King’s College London, and Birkbeck) have already announced an amnesty on pay deductions in recognition of the exceptional demands on their staff. We ask that the University of Kent follow these examples by granting an amnesty on strike pay deductions given that exceptional demands on their staff are likely to be ongoing for some time and to ensure staff morale and goodwill at this time.

There are currently hundreds of workers at the Students’ Union working in the bars, cafés, shops and kitchens on zero hour contracts, with no access to sick pay, being paid just the minimum wage. They are mostly students who must work to pay their rent and continue their studies. The combination of low pay, an insufficient student loan, and high rent forces casual workers to scrape by in poor quality housing. Being close to maxing out your overdraft is, for many, normal. Their work generates significant income for the Students' Union and is hugely important for the University's reputation. The improvements they are asking for would transform the lives of hundreds, and would cost less than the University's Vice Chancellor earns in a year. We call on the University of Sheffield Students' Union to do the right thing, and show their casual workers that they are valued, that their health and wellbeing matter – that they are #BetterThanZero.

Boris Johnson is a right wing symbol for attacks on the most vulnerable sections of our society. Unelected, with no mandate equates to a free hand in decimating the Rights of workers, the NHS, the Climate. All our communities are in danger from this.

The University of Sheffield has been a global leader in East Asian Studies since its inception as the national centre for modern Japanese Studies in 1963. Korean Studies was introduced in 1979 and maintained as a small, specialist unit until the boom in interest in Korea over the last decade has seen an explosion in student and research interest. Chinese Studies also has a multi-decade history of excellence in teaching and research at Sheffield. And increasing numbers of our staff work across linguistic and other divisions to consider relations across and beyond the region. Increased student numbers, particularly at postgraduate level, along with growth in research income has also seen a slow, but persistent, growth in staffing. This has begun to compensate for long standing inequalities in staff-student ratios that saw EAS having the lowest staffing levels per student in the university for many years. We now have a team of about fifty academic, teaching and research staff working across the region and covering many major disciplines from the humanities and social sciences, including political economy, literature, history, international relations, anthropology, sociology, language pedagogy and film and media studies. We also have a wide range of partners from industry to government to the arts and community sectors. This makes Sheffield the largest and most diverse concentration of East Asia expertise in the UK, and one of the most significant in Europe.  That diversity also provides a unique platform for investment and growth to sustain our position as one of the major centres of East Asia expertise globally, should university leaders see the unique potential of Sheffield’s strengths. Learning about East Asia has merits on its own terms - greater cultural competency, deepening knowledge of rich and diverse cultures and societies and so on - but is also a key priority for governments of all stripes. As the University of Sheffield was finalising plans to reduce capacity, the UK Prime Minister was announcing plans to grow the UK's capacity in the Indo-Pacific. This follows on increased funding to build China capacity across the UK, and live plans to renew policy in relation to various countries of East Asia, which Sheffield staff have and will continue to inform. Reducing capacity now will make Sheffield less able to play the leading role it has played for many years in important areas of life that are deeply important to British society - from politics to culture.  In the School of East Asian Studies, we taught a record 500 masters' students in the academic year 2023-24 and have nearly 300 masters' students enrolled on degrees and modules in the current year. Many of these are international students. Sheffield is proud of its place as home of the #weareinternational campaign and the university must deliver on this message in the content of its scholarship as well as in student experience. We believe ​t​hat radical reductions in capacity ​c​reate significant ​r​isks to Sheffield's world leading reputation in East Asian Studies, our deep and meaningful partnerships in the region and beyond, and the future of East Asia expertise in the UK​.​ In a world that is potentially both more connected and more uncertain, we must cherish the area expertise that allows us to meet global challenges.  ​I​n this difficult year for universities across the UK, we must not lose sight of our core mission: to understand the world better, and to communicate that understanding. We need ​t​o recognise that the future success of the University of Sheffield relies on a strong East Asian Studies, and that East Asian Studies globally needs a strong University of Sheffield.