for September 1999 and LEAs which have not put in bids have received hand written notes asking to explain why they haven't. The writing is on the wall for LEAs as democratically accountable providers of state education.
McAvoy himself recognised this when he confessed to the Union's executive that LEAs will only be needed where schools are in difficulties and "the Government's agenda is to increase the number of EAZs [where schools. are in difficulties]"
When the Tories introduced opting out the NUT maintained a principled opposition to this, fighting every opt-out ballot whilst ensuring representation for members in GM schools.
At the confererice the left will have to ensure that this policy is adopted in relation to EAZs - it won't be possible to stop the creation of the first ones but, as with opting out, the process can be brought to a standstill before all education is delivered though profit making EAZs.
Set piece
Other 'set piece' battles at the conference will be around the issue of 'capability procedures. Here, an ambiguous wording agreed by a full-timer at a series of ACAS meetings with the employers (subsequently rubber stamped by the executive) has opened up the route to the introduction of 'fast track' dismissal where from raising a concern about performance to dismissal may take only 4 weeks.
NUT branches which have sought to hold out for less draconian procedures have been undermined by full-timers, whilst sympathetic LEAs have been warned by Schools Minister Stephen Byers that they may be 'named and shamed' and have even worse schemes imposed.
The anti-union laws will also split the conference down the middle as the right-wing 'Broad Left seek to head off a call for Labour to repeal the Tory laws.
• 1995 81.50 TITERNATIONAL SOLIMRITY FUR FREEDOM SUCIALISN CAC-SWEDEN Teacher, which goes on to explain that girls doing better in examinaLabour is doing nothing to tackle the much more severe problem of Get your copy of Socialist Teacher now from John Yandell, 96