Further education teachers in dispute over IfL's m

0370 270 6000

Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Browne Jacobson home

Home

Insights

Blogs

Further education teachers in dispute over IfL's membership charge

26 July 2011

The University and College Union (UCU) has threatened legal action if the Institute for Learning (IfL) are to go ahead with proposed plans to lapse membership for those who refuse to pay a new £38 membership fee. Under current regulations, all Further Education teachers must be members of the IfL, but the UCU contends that banning teachers from the classroom is not only potentially unlawful, but also “wholly unreasonable and irrational”.

The outcome of this dispute is unclear as both sides have begun to gain significant support from other parties. The UCU gained a considerable boost when the Worker’s Education Association also began boycotting the IfL, and the IfL in turn was strengthened by comments from skills minister John Haynes who stated that he had no power to stop the IfL setting their own membership fee.

At a time of vast public sector cuts it is odd that the IfL have put up so much resistance to the UCU’s comments, and the looming crisis begs the question: are we on the verge of seeing huge educational deregulation?

Related opinions

A level results: what this means for schools and higher education?

This year’s A Level results have been a resounding success and demonstrate the commitment and resilience of students, schools and school staff during these unprecedented times. However, there will inevitably be some students who are disappointed with the teacher assessed grade.

View blog

Allegations of abuse in schools, colleges and universities

The website “Everyone’s Invited” is a movement which is “committed to eradicating rape culture” and describes “rape culture” as “all the ways that different forms of aggressive and violent sexual behaviour are normalised, encouraged and even admired by society”. Find out more.

View blog

Lateral flow daily contact testing paused

Following last week’s Guardian article about the concerns over lateral flow daily testing for those identified as having been a close contact of a person testing positive for Covid-19, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS Test and Trace (NHSTT) have published a position statement to recommend that daily contact testing in schools will be paused.

View blog