REPORT OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS FAIRER FUTURES PROJECTBASELINE SURVEY OF DIVISION SECRETARIES OCTOBER 2008
INTRODUCTION
The division secretary survey was produced in consultation with: the South East Regional Secretary; the Principal Officer Gender; the Principal Officer Race; and the Independent Evaluator for the Fairer Futures project. The survey was devised to establish baseline information in relation to a range of the project objectives, including:
- increase the number of equal opportunities officers in post;
- measure the diversity of local officers by gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability;
- revise the example job description for equal opportunities officers;
- develop and publish a Skills Handbook/DVD for equal opportunities officers.
A copy of the project objectives is attached as Appendix 1.
The format of the survey includes sections seeking information regarding the division, the Equal Opportunities Officer role, the challenges of the role and how to get Union members involved in equality work, liaison with the local authority and an equal opportunities monitoring form.
The survey was distributed to division secretaries initially at a headquarters meetingof division secretaries as well as at the annual Division Secretaries Briefing and also through a circular. The response rate was forty four per cent. Surveys were returned from all regions and Wales and report produced for each. A copy of the survey and overall data collected is attached as Appendix 2.
Section A: About your division
Q1.Does your division have an equal opportunities officer (EOO)?
Eighty four per cent of those that responded to this question stated that the division had an EOO. The proportion of divisions with an EOO indicated by information currently held at NUT headquarters for divisions and associations is seventy two per cent. This finding is therefore encouraging in terms of reaching a full complement of EOOs across the Union.
Contact details for the EOOs were also collected under this section of the survey, which will contribute to the EOO network being developed as part of the project.
Q2.If you are a multi association division:
Fourteen Divisions Secretaries (sixteen per cent of respondents) indicated that they represented a multi association division. In response to how many associations there were within the division the answers ranged from two to eleven. In response to how many of the associations have an EOO the responses varied from none to all, although only one responded ‘all’ and eight responded one or none. The two divisions with eleven associations had a low number of EOOs: one and five.
Q3.If the post of equal opportunities officer is vacant, please indicate what barriers exist to encouraging members to take up the post:
Respondents indicated that lack of facilities time and members being too busy were the key barriers that exist to recruitment of EOOs. Lack of clarity regarding the EOO role was also indicated to be a problem.
Several division secretaries suggested other barriers and made general comments. Difficulty in recruiting officers overall was stated to be an issue, particularly as many committee members are retiring and in small rurally based associations. Lack of time to undertake training for the role was also an issue. One respondent stated that the ‘role is thought to be huge’.
Section B: About your equal opportunities officer
Q4.What, if any, of the activities below does your EOO carry out?
Responses were evenly spread over the activities listed. Almost forty per cent of responses indicated that EOOs raise awareness of equality laws and the impact of discrimination amongst members. EOOs work in relation to local authorities and ensuring equality is on the bargaining agenda received twenty seven per cent of responses.
Ninerespondents stated that the EOO was newly appointed.
There was a range of other activities noted, in particular training reps and promoting equality events. A couple of comments suggested that the role was one which supported the division secretary, for example ‘advise general secretary on above rather than do casework herself’. The range of other activities was not as wide as the activities provided by EOOs when surveyed.
Q5.What do you find useful about having an equal opportunities officer?
There were fifty five responses to this question. Respondents indicated that theEOO role was supportive and provided a greater focus on equality issues within the division. One respondents stated ‘not so much useful but important to have an individual with this specific interest and expertise’.
The benefits stated by several division secretaries also included strengthening casework and lending credibility in working with the local authority.
Q6.How would you like your equal opportunities officer to develop the role?
There were sixty responses to this question. The key areas that respondents indicated they would like the EOO to develop the role in were casework, liaising with local authorities and enhancing membership. Working with schools was referred to in terms of training reps and raising awareness amongst members.
In terms of working with the local authority to assess equality work one division secretary stated they would like the EOO ‘to move the local authority into the twenty-first century’. One division secretary stated that they would like the EOO to ‘use knowledge to add to membership’.
Several respondents reiterated that lack of time was a barrier to development.
Q7. Do they have any facilities time in connection with the equal opportunities officer role?
Eighty three per cent of those that responded to this question indicated that the EOO role did not have facilities time. Six of the fourteen EOOs that did have facilities time had half a day a week. A couple of respondents stated that time was available as and when required.
Q8. Have they attended the Union’s national training course for equal opportunities officers?
In the majority of divisions EOOs had not attended the Union’s EO training course (forty three per cent) or the division secretary did not know whether they had attended the course (twenty per cent). One respondent stated that the EOO was unable to attend a weekend course and two that the EOO was planning to attend.
Section C: Challenges in carrying out the Equal Opportunities Officer role
Q9.What are the main barriers to the equal opportunities officer carrying out the role?
There were one hundred and fifty one indicators in categories one and two (greatest barrier being category one and smallest six), thegreatest barrier indicated was lack of facilities time, with fifty seven indicators in categories one or two. Lack of interest among members and the role being unclear were also indicated to be significant barriers.
This question was similar to question 3 and received a very similar profile of responses. Lack of interest among members about equal opportunities was indicated to be a barrier in a higher proportion of divisions on this occasion however.
Respondents were also asked to state any other barriers to carrying out the role. There were sixteen responses to this, some reiterating that lack of time was the key issue. One division secretary stated that the geographical area was large and a third of schools had two or less NUT members. One mentioned that there was a lack on funds within the division to support the EOO role. Another stated that the EOO was likely to have an interest in one equality strand and prioritise this.
Q10. Does your division:
Division Secretaries were asked whether the division: invites speakers on equal opportunities topics to local meetings; includes items on equal opportunities in newsletters; includes items on equal opportunities in local training.
Eighty six per cent of respondents indicated that the division include items on equal opportunities in newsletters and sixty five per cent include equal opportunities in local training. Thirty seven per cent indicated that they invited speakers on equal opportunities to local meetings.
In response to this question several division secretaries indicated that they did not know whether these activities were carried out, eight per cent did not know if equal opportunities were included in local training.
Q11.What was the last topic on equal opportunities that was considered at a division meeting?
All division secretaries answered this question. Twenty stated that mental health issues had been the last topic on equal opportunities that had been considered at the division meeting. The most common topic indicated, with forty responses, was the forthcoming equality conferences, in particular Love Music Hate Racism. This is likely to reflect the timing of the survey and the information circulated about the conferences. Two respondents stated that overseas trained teacherswere considered.
One division secretary stated that there always seem to be ‘more pressing topics e.g. pay campaign, academies, workload’.
Section D: Getting Union members involved
Q12.How frequently is the division/association contacted by members in relation to the employment issues below?
In response to the list provided ‘Teachers with mental health conditions’ was indicated to be a weekly issue. Issues relating to managing work/life balance were also weekly issues for many divisions, including maternity rights, flexible working, part time or fixed term contracts, job sharing and parental leave.
Disability discrimination and reasonable adjustments were a weekly issue for two divisions and race discrimination for one.
Division secretaries were also asked whether there were any equality issues that should have been included in the list provided. A couple of respondents stated that issues relating to religion were common, one mentioned bullying of teachers and another male teachers facing false allegations.
Q13. Division and equality conferences
Division secretaries were asked to indicate whether members were sent to the Union’s annual Black Teachers Conference and LGBT Teachers’ Conference and whether members were made aware of the Union’s disabled members’ network. The responses indicated that half of divisions were active in engaging members with these provisions and half were not active or didn’t know.
Forty five respondents sometimes or each year sent delegates to the Black Teacher’s Conference and forty did not or did not know. Thirty five respondents sometimes or each year sent a delegate to the LGBT Conference and fifty one did not or did not know. Forty nine (including five that stated ‘yes’) indicated that they made members aware of the NUT’s disabled members network, thirty seven did not or did not know.
Q14.Below are some statements. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with them?
Division secretaries were asked to indicate whether the division has achieved high levels of active participation from women, disabled teachers, LGBT and black members in NUT activities. The responses indicated that while divisions had achieved high levels of active participation from women members (with sixty nine of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing with this statement), only twelve divisions had achieved high levels of active participation from disabled members. The level of active participation achieved from black and LGBT members was also low.
Q15. Where you think the division has achieved high levels of active participation from one or all of these groups, please explain why you think this is:
Sixty one division secretaries responded to this question. The majority of the comments emphasised the fact that the active participation of women had been achieved in many divisions. Comments ranged from ‘it has just happened – it is not by design’ to ‘we have worked hard to involve members from minority groups in the work of the committee/division. We approach suitable candidates offering support/training.’ Indications regarding the participation of women members should be seen within the context that just over thirty per cent of Division Secretaries are female, with a membership of seventy six per cent women. Some respondents mentioned that they had convenors for LGBT and black members. One respondent stated ‘by changing structures of meetings and making them more welcome/friendly’, in contrast one stated ‘…having a female secretary helps. However one or two bullying men are putting people off – they insist on formal approaches’.
Q16. Where you think the division has not achieved high levels of active participation from one or all of these groups, please explain why you think this is:
Sixty eight division secretaries responded to this question. Difficulties in engaging and identifying disabled and LGBT members was an issue for many, one respondent stating that these members were ‘still fearful of prejudice’. Some respondents suggested that the level of participation reflected the demographic profile of the area.
In terms of the level of participation of black members there were a range of comments that indicated some activity had taken place, for example ‘tried to facilitate a black members network but wouldn’t resource it’ and ‘we did set up a black teachers section previously and it collapsed… last year we attempted a local conference but only three turned up’. Another respondent stated that ‘I know some gay and black members do not wish to have a high profile – they also feel in general that the Union is addressing their issues’.
Some respondents felt that they had tried, for example ‘tried very hard but struggle to get members interested’ while others felt that ‘we could put more effort into this’.
Q17. Does your region/division have any local networks for black teachers, LGBT teachers, disabled teachers or for women teachers? If yes, please describe the network/s:
There were sixty one responses to this question. Almost forty division secretaries stated ‘no’ in response to this question. Three respondents stated that networks exist for black teachers and LGBT teachers. Many respondents did not know whether such networks existed within the division.
Section E: Liaison with the local authority
Q18. Has your divisionbeen consulted on drafting or reviewing any of the following Local Authority policies:-
The majority of respondents indicated that the division had been consulted on the local authorities equality policies, however just thirty one per cent had been consulted on policies to increase diversity in the teaching workforce. The level of awareness was high, for example just six per cent indicated that they did not know whether the division had been consulted on the local authorities equal opportunities policy.
The comments that a few respondents added illustrated the range of activity overall, from ‘these are embedded in policiessuch as recruitment and retentions… they are not separate policies’ to ‘the LEA is currently reviewing all of its policies on a rolling basis … we are involved in this’.
Q19. Has your division been involved in reviewing or improving any other Local Authority policies or agreements on equal opportunities issues?
Eighty nine per cent of division secretaries responded that the division had been involved in reviewing or improving any other local authority policies or agreements on equal opportunities issues, seventy provided examples.
The most common example was reviewing maternity rights, paternity and adoption leave was also referred to by some. Bullying and harassment policies were also stated to have been reviewed and improved by many respondents. Other specific examples included ‘made the local authority discuss disability leave… to take disability leave separately from sickness’.
Many respondents commented that good working relationships existed with the local authority, including ‘excellent dialogue at the highest level… and proactive on diversity issues’.
Q20. Please tell us about any EO campaigns, events or surveys (including meetings or negotiations with the authority) which the division or association has undertaken in the last 24 months:
Forty five division secretaries responded to this question, although four simply stated that they did not have any examples to report. Some stated that the division had campaigned in relation to casework, for example flexible working on return from maternity leave and discrimination relating to ethnic minority teachers being subject to capability procedures.
Some respondents indicated that the division had carried out surveys, for example identifying racial balance in the teacher workforce and in leadership roles, as well as monitoring TLR and UPS progression.
In terms of events examples included a social event to celebrate the anniversary year of women getting the vote and a meeting on mental health with John Illingworth.