McAvoy's letter Roy Leach NUT natlonal executive personal capacity DAVID Blunkett has declared open season on comprehensive education. In a highly publicised speech he accused progressive teachers who refuse to di. vide pupils by ability for the failures of comprehensives.
The outpourings of Labour's education spokesperson go even further than the Tones, it is an histonc orcak from The Conservatives have used league tables, opting out and OFSTED inspections to encourage selection between schools.
Labour wants bigger and better league tables, an extension of specialisation (with inevitable selection), more rigorous inspections and an imposed end to mixed ability teaching.
The tille of the latest policy statement excellence for everyone disguises the fact that equal funding for schools reinforces inequality.
Schools need equitable funding. with more resources allocated to those in arcaiest neco Labour must target the chronic underfunding of state education. The refusal to enter into spending commitments-and the necessary tax increases for the rich-coupled with Blair's obsessive courting of the mid. die classes inexorably drives Labour down the same road as the Tories.
McAvoy is the only union leader to back the proposals. Both Blunkett and Shephard are to be given a platform at the Easter NUT conference in Cardiff. FACE is not even invited to send an observer.
Despite thousands of redundancies and an insulting pay award the leadership have made "extending democracy" the key debate of conference. McAvoy and the Broad Left leadership are trying to force through rule changes which will centralise power in their hands.
But they are not certain of victory. despite engineering a mandate through a slanted ballot.
Opposition goes beyond the left in the Socialist Teachers Alliance and the CDru to a broad layer of acovist and local lay officers. A tabloid Campaign Teacher has been launched.
McAvoy has responded by writing to every delegate claiming the STA and CDFU are trying to "dissuade, through distortion and dishonesty, conference delegates from agrecing reforms".
With the right wine majority on the executive looking increasingly shaky and unable to answer the challenges of the left he realises that his time may be running out.
The gloves are off. It looks set to be a hot Easter in Cardiff.
INTENTO SECRETARY OF STATE TO ADDRESS IN NOTIAL 15 Petreaty 19 .........