mention of the need for Fortunately we don't have to wait for the Labour Jeadership. Local Labour Party branches can begin now to get orgunised for LMS. Up till paign now to arm its supporters in the tactics to resist the Tory offensive in education. Of course it will do no such thing. It is symptomatic that the after a Labour govemment is elected, resistance now to the most reactionary onslaught on education for sixty motion from the Socialist Education Association to this year's Party con- ference, which is invariably passed, is concered only with education policy the schools with the arguments and SUPPLEMENT ing in larger classes. How many of agents, however reluctant, of the sive is the threat that governors will try to solve their financial dilemmas at the expense of jobs and conditions. Already one teacher union is talking these will be redundancies and how many natural wastage remains to be thousands who are Lahour supporters - will be compelled by the irresistible combination of national cducation policies and the laws of the education market to act as the transmission The spearhead of the LMS offen- of 30,000 teaching jobs at risk, result- Tories' gamble is that school gover- including those Torics' educational aims. arguments and campaign now the tactics to supporters in "The Labour organising a the schools leadership to arm its should be with the national Party
25% of the delegaed budget thal is portant political roles for Labour have the responsibility of allocating the education hudget. We need to demand that no school suffers a cut in its budget as a result of LMS; that maximum advantage is taken of the Labour councillors then refuse de carry our their legal obligation to sep in and take over tire management of the school from the governors in order to make the cuts needed to Finally, there still remain two im- councils after LMS. First, they still the rod and campaigning for more money from the LEA and the govem- ment I means demanding that balance the school budget bers. The first step is to identify them, and then to bring them together on a peripheral to thic mainstream of Labour Party politics. The Torics branch, has school governors in it. whether as Party nomances. Or parenis, or teachers, or coopted mem- constituency and a city wide hasis. support groups can over- is probably the largest single area of involvement by labour movement representatives in the state apparatus, it has hardly featured on the agenda of the left. Being a school governor is have changed that. Every CLP, every now, though being a school governor educational reformism, and a key task for the left is to develop a convincing But it is also true that there is real But LMS is a gamble. The Tories a certain popular dissatisfaction with education, and try to claim the banner of parental power against town hall bureaucracy and teacher dominance. Essentially this is the legacy of the Tast thirty years of social-democratic radical altemative to that tradition. vice will worsen: temporary contracts will become the nom, workloads will increase, equal opportunities will be can undoubtedly base themselves on seen. In addition, conditions of ser- resist the Tory education. Of course it will offensive in do no such thing"
up a Govemors Support Unit to provide not just initial training bot Secondly, they läve to recognise the now situation, and palise that Labour councils have to respond to the shill of power to goversors by putting hig resources into politically and lechnically supporting them. Every Labour LEA should be setting ongoing coordination, briefing and back-up on a socialist baris. Every not decided simply by pupil numbers to discriminate as much as possible in Favour of working class schools: and vices ure retained centrally and not that insolar as possible essential ser- to resist Tory policies is by basing of teachers and other school workers on the one hand, and parents and the community on the other. This is the strategic albance that will have to be built in the bitter local struggles that will occur at school level as LMS is Without that the Tory agenda, and af worst sacking trade unionists to The only way govemors can begin themselves on the collective strength come isolation and help give ordinary working people on govering bodies the arguments and the confidence to stand up to Tory sympathisers and Labour governors will end up rubber- balance the Tories' books. manipulative heads. grassroots action at school level. For the unions, defending their members entail stronger and more autonomous workplace organisation, with a consequent undermining of the hold of their new realist leaderships. oppose Tory policies at the LEA belief that the Tories are not spending enough on the schools. The question is, can that potential opposition be tumed into an effective alliance for LMS, while gravely weakening the ahility of the labour movement to level, paradoxically opens the door to popular support for many of the gains prehensive education, and certainly a of progressive primary and Support Unit to "Every Labour LEA should be setting up a provide not Governors
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 18, October 1989 most entirely absent for the past Richard Hatcher working class involvement in the politics of education that has been al- could stimulate the sort of direct ting up procedures for coordination parents, school workers and local Labour councillors on the Education district Labour Party should be set- Labour Parties can be buil a key role in huilding that coalition of - for industrial action by school staff, teachers have to reach out beyond Govemors are well placed to play riculum and national testing get under parents trying to solve their problems at cach others' expense. The bottom port by parents - and school students but that can't be taken for granted: introduced and the national cur- way. The alternative is teachers and line of such alliances has to be sup- seek to construct common under- their sectoral interests and standings and objectives. make of LMS a Trojan horse for the should be organising a national cam- around common objectives, they can The Labour Party leadership coopted govemors) and to Labour governors means more power to parents, to community activists (as governing bodies, not just as Labour Puty nominees. If they can unite with Party supporters, of whom there must be at least a hundred thousand, mayhe twice or three times that number, on teachers and other school workers powers of school The increased: coordination, back-up on a briefing and training but just initial socialist ongoing Page 18 basis"
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