Click on the links below or scroll down to see the motions in full.
Annual Conference motions 1 to 4d
Funding: motion 1, motion 2, motion 3
Climate change: motion 4a, motion 4b, motion 4c, motion 4d
Annual Conference motions 5 to 10e
Equality, diversity and inclusion: motion 5
Structures: motion 6
Global education rights: motion 7a, motion 7b, motion 8
Early years: motion 9a, motion 9b, motion 9c
Inspection and accountability: motion 10a, motion 10b, motion 10c, motion 10d, motion 10e
Annual Conference motions 11 to 18
Recruitment and retention – pay and conditions: motion 11, motion 12, motion 13, motion 14a, motion 14b
Recruitment and retention – pensions: motion 15
Recruitment and retention – teacher apprenticeships: motion 16
Recruitment and retention – workload and well-being: motion 17, motion 18
Annual Conference motions 19a to 27
Pupil support and safeguarding – support services: motion 19a, motion 19b, motion 20, motion 21, motion 22
Pupil support and safeguarding – safeguarding: motion 23a, motion 23b, motion 24a, motion 24b, motion 25, motion 26, motion 27
Emergency motions
Emergency motion 01
Annual Conference motions 1 to 4d
Funding
Professional Committee – motion 1
Conference notes the increasing financial pressures faced by schools due to insufficient government funding for essential education provisions. Schools are being forced to divert money away from core educational priorities, leading to growing budget deficits, inequity in student support and financial instability across the sector.
Conference believes that all students deserve access to the resources necessary for a high-quality education. However, without full government funding, schools are struggling to meet the fundamental needs of their students, particularly the most vulnerable.
Conference calls on governments across the nations to provide sufficient funding to fully cover the costs of essential education provisions, including:
- universal and free school meals for all eligible children to combat food insecurity and support learning,
- SEND meals to ensure children with additional needs receive appropriate dietary support,
- breakfast clubs to promote attendance, concentration and well-being,
- priority developments that enhance learning environments and facilities,
- full teacher costs for initiatives and training to ensure staff development is not compromised, and
- SEND support for vulnerable learners to guarantee equal access to education for all students.
Conference highlights the consequences of insufficient funding, including:
- diverting money away from core education provision, limiting resources for teaching and learning,
- growing budget deficits, leading to long-term financial instability in schools,
- inequity, as pupils are not receiving the support they need to learn and thrive,
- schools losing the ability to support their students effectively, impacting educational outcomes, and
- detrimental effects on the health and well-being of school leaders and staff, exacerbating stress, workload and retention challenges.
Conference therefore resolves to:
- petition governments to fully fund essential education provisions so that schools can meet the needs of all students without financial compromise,
- advocate for sustainable funding models that prevent schools from operating at a deficit, and
- campaign for equitable investment in education to ensure every child, regardless of background, receives the support they need to succeed.
Conference calls on governments to prioritise education funding as a fundamental investment in the future, ensuring that all students, staff and school leaders have the resources they need to thrive.
Proposer: David Pattison (Professional Committee)
Seconder: Graham Frost (Professional Committee)
Cymru – motion 2
Under the Barnett Formula, the Welsh government receives an amount of money as a consequential of additional education funding in England. Conference believes that, in the interests of transparency and equity, education consequential funding should be ring-fenced for spending on education at Welsh government and local authority level, ensuring that children and young people in Wales are not short-changed. Funding mechanisms should be transparent, equitable and sufficient to meet the needs of all learners.
Conference calls on National Executive to use its bargaining and lobbying strength to ensure that all consequential funding received by the Welsh government as a result of additional education funding in England is likewise spent on education in Wales and that the distribution of said funds is on a transparent and equitable basis across Wales.
Proposer: Dean Taylor (Newport branch)
Seconder: Rebecca Penn (Newport branch)
Swansea branch – motion 3
Small and rural schools are an integral part of the education system in Wales. For many communities across the nation, the school is the heart of that town or village. The Welsh government has a Community Schools Initiative to support such schools, but this sits at odds with the reality that small and rural schools are not fairly funded and valued.
Swansea branch calls on National Executive to campaign for the reintroduction of the small and rural schools grant by the Welsh government, to ensure the value of small schools is recognised when it comes to discussions around school reorganisation and that the educational experience of learners be valued above all else.
Proposer: Kerina Hanson (Swansea branch)
Seconder: Chris Parry (Caerphilly branch)
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Climate change
International Committee on behalf of the Just Transition Group – motion 4a
In the face of escalating natural disasters at home and abroad, worsening working conditions due to rising temperatures and growing eco-anxiety among our pupils, this Conference recognises that there is a climate emergency.
Conference recognises the urgency in transitioning to a green economy, which must be a just, worker and community-led transition to ensure workers, pupils and our communities are not left behind. Conference further recognises the education sector as offering the opportunity for a rapid transition through procurement, the school estate and policy.
Conference calls on National Executive to embed the support for a just transition into all relevant areas of work. National Executive should ensure that a just transition approach is not only a discrete area of policy but is also centrally coordinated across all areas of policy, industrial activism, advice and governance, using all the leverage of NAHT – from social partnership to local activism – to ensure meaningful social dialogue and an effective just transition.
Conference further calls on National Executive to instil the following four objectives into the work of NAHT:
- Campaign with sister unions across the TUC and internationally to ensure a transition is led by workers and communities, delivering meaningful, well-paid, greener jobs across sectors
- Explore a cross-directorate approach for a just transition under the oversight of National Executive
- Ensure from the outset of all relevant work across the nations represented by NAHT that just transition and environmental sustainability implications are considered
- Empower members throughout the UK to affect local and regional change through campaigning activities and opportunities.
Proposer: Dave Woods (International Committee)
Seconder: Jonny Gray (International Committee)
International Committee on behalf of the Just Transition Group – motion 4b
Procurement has been identified as the biggest contributor to emissions from the school estate, equating to 1% of total carbon emissions in the UK. There have been international calls for schools to disentangle their finances from fossil fuel companies (Education International manifesto). Whilst this is a sentiment we support, the burden, both financially and administratively, for compliance with environmental due diligence cannot fall to individual school leaders.
NAHT’s Just Transition Group heard from experts on approaches to procurement across the UK. The Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 aims to promote long-term sustainability by ensuring decisions today benefit future generations. It emphasises well-being, environmental protection, social justice and economic resilience. Public bodies must collaborate and consider long-term impacts in all policy decisions, including procurement. Although not perfect, it provides a blueprint and a series of lessons learned. If similar commitments in domestic legislation were implemented throughout the UK, in collaboration with school leaders, this would provide a starting point for joined-up, climate-conscious reform of school procurement.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- lobby governments across the devolved nations to embed principles of sustainability into school procurement,
- campaign for the introduction of an equivalent The Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 across all UK nations,
- support a system of procurement that does not force school leaders to choose between short-term cost savings and long-term sustainability and climate impacts, and
- work with the TUC to embed a sustainability dimension in their calls for mandatory supply chain due diligence.
Proposer: Dean Taylor (International Committee)
Seconder: Dave Woods (International Committee)
International Committee on behalf of the Just Transition Group – motion 4c
The school estate across the UK is in poor condition and this is contributing to significant environmental harm. The National Audit Office has found that education settings produce 37% of public sector building emissions in England. NAHT has repeatedly expressed significant concern over inadequate funding for school building maintenance. Research has shown that 83% of school leaders lack the necessary funds to adequately maintain, let alone adapt and modernise, their school buildings. Many have resorted to raising external funds to cover estate management and building repairs. It is essential, not only for the well-being of staff and pupils, but also to reduce carbon emissions that the capital investment crisis is addressed. Fully supported strategies to increase education sector building efficiencies, including a shift to renewable energy sources, should also be introduced.
The government must also invest in environmentally conscious school transport schemes and effective waste management strategies for schools.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- lobby the government to develop strategies to end the school estate’s reliance on fossil fuels; such strategies must ensure the reduction of emissions does not negatively impact the effective running and accessibility of schools, nor disproportionately impact protected communities or rural areas,
- campaign for the urgent implementation of a sustained, centrally funded and effective capital development programme by 2030, in line with global sustainable development goals, and
- lobby government(s) to integrate sustainability meaningfully into the renewal and expansion of the school estate, taking full account of the benefits of investing to save long-term costs and the UK’s mandatory carbon reduction targets.
Proposer: Jonny Gray (International Committee)
Seconder: Graham Frost (International Committee)
International Committee on behalf of the Just Transition Group – motion 4d
Conference recognises that climate change is a global emergency that goes beyond national borders. Conference further recognises that the climate crisis brings to the forefront the importance of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the importance of engagement in democracy for all citizens.
As a union, we want to organise and enable the climate activism of our members at a local, national and international level. We want to ensure that NAHT as a union has a responsible and sustainable approach in all that we do, and that we are accountable to our membership.
Pupils see climate change directly affecting their world and their future, and the crisis is ever deepening, which often leads to feelings of anxiety and helplessness. Research shows that extreme climate events are disrupting the education of nearly 40 million children a year worldwide. The UK is one of the world’s greatest contributors to global warming. The UN has stated that climate change exacerbates long-standing inequities. Students, especially those in disadvantaged communities, disproportionately suffer the impacts of emissions, extraction and environmental degradation, which limits their access to education.
NAHT’s Just Transition Group has highlighted that school leaders and the children and young people in their schools must be supported to develop resilience, agency and leadership so that they can pioneer the necessary solutions to the climate crisis.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- ask International Committee to explore the viability of building climate advocacy into the wider work of NAHT,
- empower local activists to embed sustainability and just transition work into local and regional campaigning and organising plans,
- lobby the government to uphold pupils' right to advocate for climate action, in accordance with Article 12 (the right to be heard) and Article 13 (freedom of expression) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and
- work with the TUC and the international education union movement to recognise the immense threat climate change poses to working lives and develop strategies and cross-national working initiatives to address this.
Proposer: Graham Frost (International Committee)
Seconder: Dean Taylor (International Committee)
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Annual Conference motions 5 to 10e
Equality, diversity and inclusion
South east region – motion 5
Conference notes that reports, supported by data published in 2024, clearly demonstrate persistent inequalities within education and society. At age 5, two ethnicities stood out as having large gaps compared with White British pupils – Gypsy Roma pupils (a gap of 8.3 months in 2023) and Irish Traveller pupils (a gap of 8.2 months). The gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers at the end of primary school was 10.3 months. By the end of secondary school, the largest disadvantage gaps within ethnicity groupings were for White Irish pupils (30 months), White British pupils (23 months) and White and Asian pupils (22 months). White working-class pupils and students eligible for free school meals (FSM) persistently underperform compared with their peers.
Similarly, Black pupils face attainment gaps at key stages 1 and 2, as well as in GCSE outcomes. Higher exclusion rates, particularly among Black Caribbean pupils, indicate systemic issues within UK schools. Black children are disproportionately affected by fixed-term exclusions and may have their behaviour misinterpreted as deviant rather than as an indication of an additional need or special educational needs. Higher education parallels early years foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary phases in its inequalities. We do not need to mention SEND; it speaks for itself, loudly.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- insist that the government removes the blatant inequalities in educational provision and educational outcomes for many groups within the protected characteristics,
- pursue the government to include an in-depth analysis of curriculum inequalities while undertaking the curriculum and assessment review chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, and
- press the government to identify local authorities (LAs) and multi academy trusts (MATs) where they contradict the data, identify good practice, disseminate examples of ‘truly’ inclusive practice and report to improve EDI practice generally.
Proposer: Mark Warner (West Sussex branch)
Seconder: Natalie Hill (Kent branch)
Amendment Proposer: Andy Mellor (Blackpool Branch)
Amendment Seconder: Neill Oldham (Blackpool Branch)
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Structures
Coventry branch/Bromley branch – motion 6 (composite 01)
Conference believes that schools that are currently academies or part of multi academy trusts (MATs) should be able to return to local authorities (LAs) if they believe it will be in the best interests of their pupils to do so.
Every year, a number of schools from across the country find themselves in the position that ‘nobody wants them’. These schools are often in areas of significant disadvantage and are deemed as needing to be re-brokered to another MAT; this can take years! Other schools, for a variety of reasons, find that having joined a MAT, it did not meet their needs or expectations and they regret going through with the process. Where school leaders are faced with these challenges, they should be able to approach their LA and discuss whether they could return to them. Conference believes government should provide a process/procedure for a school to leave one trust and either join another or re-join the local authority, to suit the schools needs.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the government to amend current legislation preventing academies from returning to LA control.
Proposer: Alasdair Black (Coventry branch)
Seconder: Patrick Foley (Bromley branch)
Amendment Proposer: Lynn Thorneycroft (Staffordshire Branch)
Amendment Seconder: Emily Jones (Staffordshire Branch)
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Global education rights
International Committee – motion 7a
At NAHT, at the heart of what we do is child-centred education. We are dedicated to supporting school leaders in ensuring every child has access to high-quality, inclusive learning. Central to this mission is our commitment to enabling school leaders to uphold the right of all children, at home and globally, to realise their full human rights. With this in mind, as a union, we want to formally adopt the rights of the child, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This convention and the values contained within it will provide a guiding framework for all that we do.
The UNCRC guarantees fundamental rights to education, safety, health and protection from harm for all children. These rights are crucial in ensuring every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive. However, the rise of right-wing political movements has threatened international human rights laws established after WWII to protect democratic freedoms.
International agreements overseen by organisations like the United Nations and International Labour Organization play a key role in protecting trade unionists and the communities they serve. These agreements safeguard against exploitation, ensure fair working conditions and uphold the right to organise. However, as right-wing populism grows, these institutions face increasing pressure and delegitimisation, making it harder to advocate for workers, children and young people. Defending these agreements is crucial to preserving the protections that allow communities to flourish.
Conference believes that:
- every child has the right to quality education, free from discrimination, with the necessary support to meet their individual needs,
- children must be protected from all forms of harm, including neglect, exploitation and violence, ensuring their well-being and safety,
- governments, schools and educators have a responsibility to uphold and advocate for children’s rights in all aspects of education and policy,
- the best interests of the child must be at the heart of all decision-making, ensuring that policies, funding and practices prioritise children’s welfare and development, and
- children’s voices should be heard and respected in matters affecting their lives, particularly in education and school governance.
In the wake of fresh threats to international frameworks of human rights-based protections for our children and young people, Conference therefore resolves to call on National Executive to:
- formally adopt the UNCRC and commit to upholding its principles in all aspects of education and policy,
- lobby governments to fully implement the UNCRC in education systems, ensuring children’s rights are embedded in law, policy and practice,
- challenge, through international trade union efforts, the delegitimisation of international human rights law and institutions, and
- advocate at all times for the education and welfare of children during times of humanitarian crisis.
Proposer: Jonny Gray (International Committee)
Seconder: Nazma Jassat (International Committee)
International Committee – motion 7b
The UK has seen an alarming rise in support for far-right politics and anti-immigration rhetoric. This is a trend that we are also seeing internationally. Recent elections in European countries have shown seismic gains for far-right parties. The rise of right-wing politics is also clear to see in North and South America, and their international strategies in the face of the conflict in Ukraine have fostered fresh fears of security threats to Europe more widely.
Conference recognises that:
- governments dominated by far-right political parties have suppressed fundamental freedoms, including the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively for fair terms and conditions,
- such governments undermine the right of all children to access a properly funded education system; evidence from across Europe shows that investment in education and essential services for children and young people decreases under far-right administrations,
- anti-immigration rhetoric and the targeting of minorities create a culture of fear, which threatens the peaceful and prosperous future of a generation of school pupils, and
- the trade union movement is the largest civil society movement in the world and, as the largest leadership union in the UK, we have prominent role to play in standing up to hate.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- signpost support on how to counteract hate spurred on by far-right political sympathies,
- work with education leaders and their unions internationally to develop collective strategies to counteract hate,
- further develop relationships and solidarity links with European and international education unions to counteract hate,
- work with NAHT’s International Network to promote and foster on-the-ground initiatives to support this work, and
- work with UK sister unions and the TUC to tackle the global threat of the far right, defend workers’ rights and build stronger unions.
Proposer: Dave Woods (International Committee)
Seconder: Martin Vayro (International Committee)
Greater London region/Northern Ireland – motion 8
Conference welcomes and endorses the decision of many UK schools to sign up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and fully agrees that every child has the right to access education.
Conference notes with extreme concern the near-total destruction of Gaza’s education infrastructure following the lengthy period of hostilities and how this destruction is currently denying Palestinian pupils their right to education.
Conference stands in full solidarity with the General Union of Palestinian Teachers and calls on National Executive to:
- send a letter of solidarity and support to the General Union of Palestinian Teachers, and
- work with all UK sister education trade unions and the TUC to take all possible actions to provide support and assistance for the rebuilding of the Gazan education system as a priority to ensure education for pupils can restart in Gaza as soon as possible.
Proposer: Dave Woods (Ealing branch)
Seconder: Jonny Gray (Northern Ireland)
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Early years
Northern Ireland – motion 9a
The NAHT(NI) Nursery Committee has produced a report considering some of the key challenges currently faced by nursery schools in Northern Ireland. It outlines the current context as experienced by school leaders and defines how the context around each key challenge needs to change to allow nursery schools to flourish for the sake of children. This report stands as a solutions-based document for early years settings across all regions.
Conference calls on National Executive to endorse and promote the NAHT(NI) report ‘What parents, pupils and schools require’ and commit to lobbying for the solutions outlined in the report to be implemented in schools.
Proposer: Clare Majury (Northern Ireland)
Seconder: Jackie Bartley (Northern Ireland)
Kent branch – motion 9b
The reduction in EYFS SEND funding is having a negative impact on the quality of EYFS training for staff and the number of staff now employed in EYFS classrooms. The post-pandemic rise in complex needs coming into school, as well as the lack of school readiness, is exacerbating the crisis. Leaders and teachers report that the lack of adequate funding in EYFS is impacting high-quality teaching and learning. This, in turn, has a detrimental effect on achievement in later key stages. Additionally, the rise in dysregulated behaviour and the lack of resources to effectively support children have resulted in an unwanted increase in suspensions and exclusions in the early years.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- request NAHT Early Years Sector Council to work with the SEND and AP Sector Council to ensure early years is represented in conversations with the government,
- request that the education secretary communicates a robust, clear vision for early years education, and
- seek reassurance from the education secretary that EYFS SEND is adequately funded to ensure children are able to learn in a safe and appropriate environment; this includes appropriate funding to enable other agencies, such as health visitors, to support parents in making their child ready, physically and emotionally, for school.
Proposer: Nicky Brown (Kent branch)
Seconder: Louise Davidson (Kent ranch)
Bristol branch – motion 9c
Children’s early childhood development is blighted by the impacts of food poverty. This exacerbates many of the issues currently facing children, both in their earliest years and beyond. We must provide children with the best possible start in life and reduce the gap between children experiencing disadvantage and their peers. This requires a coordinated national response to food poverty and increased support for maintained nursery schools and early childhood education and care settings to ensure all children have their basic needs met. National policymaking, which aims to reduce barriers for children experiencing disadvantage, should not wait until children are four years old and starting primary school. We need to address these issues much sooner, and focusing on maintained nursery schools is a proven way to support the most disadvantaged children. When children are fed, they can learn.
In addition, children in maintained nursery schools should have access to free fruit and breakfast club provision. Maintained nursery schools are schools and should be supported in the same way as primary schools to address food poverty and support healthy physical and brain development.
Conference calls on National Executive to address the inequity of provision between children in maintained nursery schools and children in primary schools. National Executive must call on the secretary of state to use the power allowed by section 106 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to extend universal infant free school meals to children in maintained nursery schools as a priority. This should then be extended to all children in early childhood education and care settings.
Proposer: Jon Barr (Bristol branch)
Seconder: Sam Williams (Bristol branch)
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Inspection and accountability
Professional Committee – motion 10a
Conference notes the government’s proposal to introduce Ofsted report cards with five-point graded judgements across 8-10 evaluation areas as a measure of school accountability. While transparency and school improvement are vital, this approach oversimplifies complex educational environments, reduces schools to a number of graded labels and increases pressure on staff, students and school leaders.
Conference believes that:
- Ofsted report cards with five-point graded judgements for 8-10 evaluation areas will only prove to exacerbate the high-stakes accountability culture, further driving the recruitment and retention crises by increasing workload and stress among staff,
- the continuing pressure of high-stakes accountability inherent within this model poses a real and present danger to the mental and physical health of school leaders and staff,
- a report card cannot reflect the diverse challenges and successes within schools, particularly those serving disadvantaged or SEND pupils,
- such a system will encourage further teaching to the test, narrowing the curriculum and disadvantaging creative, pastoral and inclusive aspects of education, and
- the focus should be on supportive, developmental approaches to school improvement rather than punitive, reductive grading systems.
Conference therefore resolves to:
- oppose the introduction of Ofsted report cards with five-point graded judgements for individual evaluation areas as a measure of school accountability,
- call on the government to engage with educators, unions and stakeholders to develop a fairer, research-based approach to school evaluation,
- campaign for accountability systems that support schools, staff and students, rather than punish them through reductive, misleading judgments, and
- fully explore the legal and industrial options available in order to protect the mental and physical health and well-being of school leaders and staff.
Conference calls on the government to invest in school improvement strategies that focus on professional development, funding and collaboration rather than high-stakes grading systems that demoralise and destabilise the profession.
Proposer: Martin Vayro (Professional Committee)
Seconder: Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson (Professional Committee)
North west region – motion 10b
Conference believes that Ofsted should take better care of school leaders. For Ofsted to have the power to re-inspect after poor inspectors have visited should not impact our workforce, but theirs. An urgent review of why this is permitted must happen.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby Ofsted to publish clearer, more transparent guidance, information and complaints handling information related to gathering additional evidence for incomplete inspections.
Proposer: Donna Taylor-Smith (Lancashire branch)
Seconder: Nicola Kearney (St. Helens branch)
Durham branch – motion 10c
The ease with which parents and carers can submit a complaint to Ofsted is flawed. All complaints are accepted, whether the school’s complaint policy has been followed or not. Our members have experienced multiple Ofsted complaints, which have been vexatious and malicious in nature. The additional workload and stress on school leaders is significant.
Ofsted does not communicate with schools the outcome of a complaint. This creates an overwhelming state of anxiety for school leaders, who do not know what information Ofsted retains and whether it may trigger an inspection or influence a future inspection.
Conference calls on National Executive to request an urgent review of Ofsted’s policy and procedures in managing parental complaints, which includes:
- a review of the online complaint form, ensuring it is fit for purpose and deters vexatious and malicious complaints,
- creating a robust complaints system that confirms and evidences that the school’s complaint policy has been followed before a complaint can be escalated to Ofsted,
- for Ofsted to be transparent in its management of parental complaints and communicate outcomes to the school, LA and heads of trusts within an agreed and reasonable time frame, and
- for Ofsted to be transparent and share the system so that unfounded complaints are erased from the system.
Proposer: Tracey Wilson (Durham branch)
Seconder: Julie Craggs (Durham branch)
Blackpool branch – motion 10d
Conference believes that the inspection and accountability system in England has many flaws, but when the same schools are repeatedly in a ‘category of concern’ or judged as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ for at least one key area, under different academy trusts and LA support systems, it speaks of problems wider than the school itself.
It is vital that the government and Ofsted understand and acknowledge that these schools are struggling, not because of a single school or trust failure, but because of a system failure. Schools cannot be continually passed from one governance structure to another. This does not solve the problem and indeed can easily make it worse, as it can be detrimental to the well-being of the pupils and staff in those schools, and exacerbate the recruitment and retention challenges that those schools face.
Conference calls on National Executive to work with the government to create a new approach for these schools by incorporating all relevant agencies, such as health, social care, police and housing, to eradicate the wide-ranging barriers to learning that pupils in these schools experience. This new approach must include compulsory engagement by other agencies to work with schools in a collaborative approach to improving the school offer, and thereby, increasing the life chances of the children and young people in these communities.
Proposer: Andy Mellor (Blackpool branch)
Seconder: Rachel Younger (Blackpool branch)
West Midlands region – motion 10e
Conference notes with concern the growing accountability placed on school leaders for pupil attendance, despite the many external factors affecting school attendance, including the impact of the pandemic, mental health challenges, SEND provision gaps and the cost of living crisis.
Conference believes that tackling attendance requires a multi-agency approach that includes families, LAs and wider social services, rather than making school leaders solely responsible for attendance rates. The increasing pressure on leaders to manage attendance, without sufficient resources, risks undermining their ability to focus on teaching and learning.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- campaign for fairer attendance accountability measures, ensuring that attendance policies reflect the shared responsibility of schools, families and LAs,
- advocate for increased resources and funding for attendance-related support, including early intervention programmes, family engagement services and mental health provisions, and
- engage with policymakers and stakeholders to shape attendance strategies that are evidence-based and realistic for school leaders to implement.
Proposer: Russell Bond (Dudley branch)
Seconder: Lana Duffin (Dudley branch)
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Annual Conference motions 11 to 18
Recruitment and retention – pay and conditions
Birmingham branch – motion 11
Performance-related pay in England has been removed for everyone except those on M6. This cannot be right. M6 teachers still have to apply for the Upper Pay Scale and be subject to a judgement.
Conference calls on National Executive to work with the DfE to remove this remnant of performance-related pay. National Executive should work with the DfE to ensure adequate funding for a new fair and equitable pay system for all.
Proposer: Amy Lassman (Birmingham branch)
Seconder: James Hawkins (Birmingham branch)
Amendment Proposer: Graeme Dow (Blackpool Branch)
Amendment Seconder: Andy Mellor (Blackpool Branch)
West Midlands region – motion 12
Conference recognises the benefits to our members of trade union recognition with employers for our members’ terms and conditions of employment. However, Conference notes that some multi academy trusts have no trade union recognition agreement.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the government so that all state-funded schools, as part of their funding agreement, have an automatic requirement for the employer to recognise trade unions through a recognition agreement.
Proposer: Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson (Birmingham branch)
Seconder: Amy Lassman (Birmingham branch)
Cymru – motion 13 (Composite 02)
Following our successful industrial action in 2023–24, the Welsh government committed to a review of the overly bureaucratic middle tier in Welsh education. We were pleased that the Welsh government accepted all 26 recommendations of the 2024 Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, and in particular, we were pleased that it accepted key changes to the pay and working conditions of our members. While these commitments were welcome, it has since failed to provide Local Authorities with sufficient, appropriate guidance to ensure future school improvement structures prioritise value for money, impact on learners and maximise the money going directly to schools, and do not merely replicate the previous ‘failed’ model. Additionally, it accepted that school leaders should have protected leave and that ALNCos should be paid on the leadership scale and are entitled to appropriate non-contact time. Since then, there has been little progress on both of these issues, and the latest pay policy only implements seven of the twenty-six agreed recommendations, omitting any mention of the key changes mentioned above.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the Welsh government to honour its commitment to implement the recommendations of the Independent Pay Review Body and provide a ‘fit-for-purpose’ school improvement service, maximising funding to the frontline and impact on learners.
Proposer: Dafydd Jones (Denbighshire branch)
Seconder: Tim Newbould (Wrexham branch)
Birmingham branch – motion 14a
Conference welcomes the secretary of state's intention to align all schools' pay and conditions. Parental/guardianship leave varies considerably from council to council, borough to borough and MAT to MAT, causing considerable inequality in parental/guardianship experience when on maternity, paternity, adoption and kinship leave. This cannot be right and needs to be included in the alignment. A race to the bottom must be avoided.
Conference calls on National Executive to campaign for parental/guardianship leave pay and conditions to be equitable and supportive of healthy pregnancies, early parenthood and adoption/fostering experiences for all.
Proposer: Annaliese Yafai (Birmingham branch)
Seconder: James Hawkins (Birmingham branch)
Kingston upon Thames Branch – motion 14b
Conference recognises the importance of supporting staff who are starting or expanding their families through parental or adoption leave. Conference believes that parental and adoption leave are essential for the well-being of staff and their families, allowing them the time and support needed to bond with their newborn or adopted child and adjust to their new family dynamics. Providing paid parental and adoption leave helps to attract and retain brilliant and often overworked staff, contributing to the stability and quality of education within our schools. Currently, the financial burden of providing paid parental and adoption leave falls on individual school budgets, creating disparities across schools, local authorities and regions. It is essential to ensure equitable access to paid parental and adoption leave for all educators, regardless of the financial resources of their employing school.
Conference believes that central government should allocate dedicated funds to cover the costs of paid parental and adoption leave for all school staff, ensuring consistent and equitable support across all schools and educational institutions. Conference believes that by shifting the responsibility of funding parental and adoption leave from individual school budgets to central government resources, we can ensure fair and consistent support for all staff, ultimately benefiting the entire education system and the well-being of our school communities. Furthermore, it would reduce the risks of discrimination for women, as the financial impact of maternity pay would be shifted to central government. This practice is commonplace across the continent.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the government to take responsibility for funding paid parental and adoption leave for school staff, rather than burdening individual school budgets.
Proposer: Pip Utting (Kingston upon Thames branch)
Seconder: Fiona Lambe (Kingston upon Thames branch)
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Recruitment and retention – pensions
Greater London region – motion 15
Conference praises the work of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and welcomes the overturning of discriminatory changes made to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) following the Conservative government’s ill-conceived reforms to public sector pensions in 2011. Conference notes that, while the remedy is ultimately a positive development for many members, it may have potential tax implications for some members due to way in which the remedy process has been completed. It is wrong that any member should incur a tax liability due to these discriminatory changes caused by the government. TPS must give very clear, easily understood guidance to any member affected by the remedy process so they are able to make informed choices about how to respond to their remediable service statement.
Conference instructs National Executive to work with sister education unions to urge the government to ensure that TPS provides all members with information that follows UK government plain English guidelines with information that is clear, easy to understand and based on their own employment circumstances, Where appropriate, additional guidance on the implications for the remedy should be included, so no member faces tax liabilities due to the illegal age discrimination remedy process.
Further, Conference instructs National Executive to lobby the government to ensure that no members face HMRC tax liabilities due to the way in which the TPS remedy has been applied to individual member accounts, as the remedy was applied due to the illegal action by the High Court.
Proposer: Adrienne Wright (Redbridge branch)
Seconder: Chris Hill (Hounslow branch)
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Recruitment and retention – teacher apprenticeships
Professional Committee/Staffordshire branch – motion 16 (composite 03)
Conference notes the government’s push to expand apprenticeship models for teacher training as an alternative route into the profession. Conference broadly supports the principle of post-graduate apprenticeship routes, alongside existing teacher training provision.
However, while widening access to teaching is important, Conference believes that an honours degree is required for entry to a course of teacher training. NAHT has consistently opposed the so-called ‘teacher degree apprenticeship’, which is due to roll out from September 2025. This route envisages trainees with a minimum requirement of a L2 qualification in English and Maths as being sufficient for admission to an employed apprenticeship scheme, leading concurrently to a degree and qualified teacher status (QTS). The DfE’s specimen training plan suggests that the degree content would be limited to just 120 days over three years. Conference believes this is not equivalent to a BEd, a full degree plus a PGCE or a course leading to QTS. Moreover, NAHT believes the course is unworkable and undeliverable in a school environment. Conference believes that this model undermines the high standards of initial teacher education by prioritising on-the-job training over deep pedagogical knowledge and professional development.
Conference believes that:
- teaching is a highly skilled profession requiring strong academic and pedagogical foundations, which cannot be adequately developed through a non-graduate apprenticeship-based approach,
- the so-called ‘teacher degree apprenticeship’ model risks creating a two-tier system, where trainees in schools receive inconsistent support, inadequate training and excessive workload without the structured academic grounding provided by traditional routes,
- schools, already underfunded and overstretched, will struggle to provide the necessary mentorship and training, further reducing the quality of teacher preparation,
- the introduction of the teacher degree apprenticeship model is a cost-cutting measure that de-professionalises teaching, lowering entry standards and failing to address the real issues of teacher recruitment and retention, and
- high-quality, university-led teacher education ensures that new teachers enter the profession with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to succeed and stay in teaching long-term.
Conference therefore resolves to:
- oppose the introduction and expansion of non-graduate apprenticeship routes as a substitute for high-quality, university-led teacher training,
- call on the government to invest in properly funded, research-informed teacher education that upholds the professional status of teaching, and
- campaign for teacher training policies that attract and retain teachers through fair pay, manageable workloads and high-quality support, rather than short-term, underfunded training schemes.
Conference calls on the government to prioritise investment in evidence-based teacher education that supports new teachers in developing the professional expertise necessary for high-quality teaching and learning.
Proposer: Emily Jones (Professional Committee)
Seconder: Lynn Thorneycroft (Staffordshire branch)
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Recruitment and retention – workload and well-being
Kent branch/Northern Ireland – motion 17 (composite 04)
Conference recognises the increasing vulnerability of school leaders and teachers in an ever increasing technological world. We have a responsibility to ensure that employers fulfil their duty to protect members from the growing instances of online social media abuse and AI-generated deepfake exploitation.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the employing authorities and government to urgently update legislation and develop effective processes that criminalise the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake content, with stringent penalties for offenders, and to address instances of online abuse, to support school leaders in managing the wider misuse of technology in schools. National Executive should work with law enforcement agencies, legal experts and technology firms to develop robust strategies for identifying and reporting all instances of abuse of members. This includes developing and promoting AI awareness programmes in schools, ensuring that students and staff understand the ethical implications and risks associated with deepfake technology. Support should include immediate access to legal assistance, mental health support and crisis intervention services.
Proposer: Natalie Hill (Kent branch)
Seconder: Katrina Moore (Northern Ireland)
Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Sector Council – motion 18
Leading schools has become more and more pressurised, with leaders’ responsibilities extended to provide unsustainable social services, pushing some staff to crisis point and, crucially, leaving the profession. We need an urgent focus on supporting the mental health and well-being of school leaders through professional supervision.
Conference calls on National Executive to urge the new government, as part of its mission to improve retention, to fully fund an ongoing entitlement to professional supervision for school leaders.
Proposer: James Hawkins (Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Sector Council)
Seconder: Mel Collins (Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Sector Council)
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Annual Conference motions 19a to 27
Pupil support and safeguarding – support services
South west region/Derbyshire branch – motion 19a (composite 05)
Current proposed solutions to the challenges facing education are not ambitious enough. The urgency for change is clear; bold, transformative solutions are needed to address systemic issues, which hold back our most vulnerable learners plus have wider negative impacts on all children, families and our workforce. We must learn from our own legacy frameworks, such as Every Child Matters, and global best practice.
Education cannot exist in isolation. The government must take responsibility for aligning education with health, social care and mental health services as part of a long-term strategic plan and vision. This requires all government departments and agencies whose decisions impact children and families to work in partnership to build a national framework for multi-agency collaboration at all levels of the system. It must assign shared accountability across sectors for child outcomes, with joint funding streams. Transformative solutions should include a national platform for real-time sharing of student information across schools and services, reducing duplication and delays.
When rebuilding our system, we must begin in early childhood, ensuring that every child and family has access to high-quality integrated early health, education and care support. We must break down barriers to early childhood development and ensure that every child is able to make the most of their first 1,000 days. We must honour children’s differences while addressing developmental difficulties and delays. Parents and caregivers must be supported by a community of services around families. We know the importance of early intervention in preventing long-term negative outcomes and promoting healthier development and urge policymakers to prioritise funding, statutory guidance and legislative changes to support these initiatives.
Conference calls on National Executive to be at the vanguard of building, articulating and advocating a new long-term plan and vision for systems-wide, integrated, place-based children’s services and transformative solutions for education policy.
National Executive must work in partnership across the system, supporting the government to learn from models of systems leadership and service integration, which are working on the ground now, across our four nations. Government bodies and policymakers must begin by reinvesting in early childhood services, including rebuilding the health visiting service and reopening and funding children’s centres, ensuring the provision of accessible parenting support, advocacy and tailored intervention programmes for families in need. The system must ensure timely and equitable access to services for all children, particularly the most vulnerable, and enable continuity of support and relationships as children transition through their education and into employment.
Conference asks National Executive to work in partnership with leading organisations, government officials and decision makers, responsible bodies and a range of stakeholders, including children, families, teachers and support staff, to bring this into being.
Proposer: Sam Williams (Bristol branch)
Seconder: Jennifer Clarke (Derbyshire branch)
Coventry branch/Medway branch – motion 19b (composite 06)
Conference believes that the government’s current plans for breakfast clubs come with a raft of problems that will cause significant issues for primary schools if the scheme is rolled out without significant amendments. Issues include, but are not restricted to, the logistical challenges of running these clubs, staffing, funding levels, the workload of school staff and the impact on existing wrap-around provision.
Conference requests National Executive to lobby the government with the aim of seeking additional and urgent consultation to address the concerns of school leaders tasked with any future implementation of the programme and to amend the guidance accordingly.
Proposer: Alasdair Black (Coventry branch)
Seconder: Jane Shields (Medway branch)
Northern Ireland – motion 20
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby for the removal of restrictions that prevent workforce flexibility in our schools. Many schools are unable to deploy staff efficiently and effectively based on the needs, including supporting the medical needs, of the children they educate. The need for on-site multidisciplinary teams grows as children require immediate access to these services.
Proposer: Joanne Whyte (Northern Ireland)
Seconder: Jackie Bartley (Northern Ireland)
Gateshead branch – motion 21
In post-covid Gateshead, school leaders have identified, with alarm, the significant increase in the number of children presenting as having experienced trauma. In speaking with local colleagues, we know that this is a region-wide issue, and suspect it is a national – if not indeed an international – issue. Conference believes both the DfE and Ofsted must recognise and acknowledge the ongoing impact of the country’s response to covid on different cohorts of children and that, in many circumstances, this experience was traumatic.
Conference calls on National Executive to petition the government to:
- review and analyse existing research on the impact of the country’s response to covid on children’s social and emotional development, separately from the current ongoing covid enquiry, which has a significantly wider remit, and
- immediately release additional funding to ensure every school has access to trauma-informed training and that every school is equipped to support children affected by trauma by being trauma-responsive.
Proposer: Andy Ramanandi (Gateshead branch)
Seconder: Mustafaa Malik (Gateshead branch)
Practice Committee – motion 22
DfE guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2014)’, is widely being incorrectly interpreted and consequently used to pressurise education settings and staff to provide medical care in place of qualified clinicians. This is leading to a two-tier system and an unsatisfactory experience of healthcare whilst at school for the very young people whose quality of life relies on it; unlawful delegation of clinical tasks onto school staff; and potential issues with the insurance and liability of schools and school leaders. This situation is replicated in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- lobby governments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to update existing guidance to resolve the current tensions and inconsistencies between health, social care and educational legislation on which it draws,
- lobby health services across all nations to live up to their clearly articulated legal duties towards pupils in our schools, and
- equip members with the tools needed to advocate for our pupils, insisting that health and care boards across all nations commission and provide the quality medical care to which they are entitled, regardless of where they are.
Proposer: Marijke Miles (Practice Committee)
Seconder: Amanda Hulme (Practice Committee)
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Pupil support and safeguarding – safeguarding
Ealing branch – Motion 23a
Conference is alarmed by the continued rise of far right and misogynistic, racist rhetoric and groups and the negative impact this is having on young people. Conference also notes the current challenges highlighted with the Prevent referral system, which is supposed to support early identification of risks and provide ongoing support.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the DfE (England) and Education Authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland to:
- develop clear and concise statutory guidance to help schools understand what to do when they encounter these issues,
- develop targeted, high-quality training specific to schools and educational institutions, which is regularly updated to support all education staff in spotting the signs and identifying the current risks associated with far-right and misogynistic extremism, and
- provide LAs with enough resources to support all schools in dealing with these issues and managing the local context regarding Prevent risks.
Proposer: Jon Bailey (Ealing branch)
Seconder: Clare Rees (Ealing branch)
Newcastle upon Tyne branch – Motion 23b
Conference notes the positive work the union is doing in relation to addressing gender inequality and celebrates the establishment of the Women’s Network as a forum to raise women-specific issues. Globally, incidents of misogyny appear to be on the rise, with significant world leaders being able to portray overtly misogynistic views, opinions and actions with no rebuttal.
In 2024, UNISON conducted a study of school support staff, many of whom are under our care as school leaders. The results revealed that sexual harassment, sexist language and gender stereotyping are a major issue in schools.
Female NAHT members have expressed witnessing and experiencing a range of misogyny or low-level sexual violence against women throughout their lives in a personal and professional capacity, but have no idea how to tackle this behaviour.
Conference calls on National Executive to identify resources that will support leaders in challenging misogyny, including resources that highlight key steps and actions an individual can take if they witness or experience misogyny in the workplace, in the trade union or in society.
Proposer: Jenn Findlay (Newcastle upon Tyne branch)
Seconder: Julie Craggs (Durham branch)
SEND and AP Sector Council – motion 24a
Considerable sums of money and an inordinate amount of time have been wasted arguing about the meaning of inclusion, as it relates to children and young people who have SEN/D.
Therefore, Conference asks National Executive to urge the government to confirm publicly and unequivocally their support for maintaining a continuum of provision, rendering the endless arguments about the nature of inclusive education redundant. This would ensure the focus is on every pupil being meaningfully included in the environment where they are valued for the contribution they can make, have a peer group they can relate to and feel that their school community is a place where they belong.
Proposer: Rona Tutt (SEND and AP Sector Council)
Seconder: Amanda Hulme (SEND and AP Sector Council)
SEND and AP Sector Council – Motion 24b
Conference believes that all children, regardless of their needs, have the right to access a fully inclusive, supportive and high-quality education. To achieve this, teachers, support staff and school leaders must receive mandatory, fully funded, high-quality training to meet the needs of learners with complex SEND confidently and effectively. The absence of national standards for SEND training has led to inconsistent provision across schools, leaving many staff unprepared and pupils without the support they require.
Conference calls on National Executive to:
- lobby the government to clarify its position on the development and implementation of national standards for SEND training and to provide a timeline for action,
- insist on mandatory, fully funded, high-quality SEND training for all school staff, aligned with national standards, and to ensure this training is embedded in initial Teacher Training (ITT) and ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD),
- lobby the government to allocate additional funding for SEND training and resources, ensuring no school is disadvantaged in its ability to support pupils with complex needs,
- lobby the government to work with SEND experts, professional organisations and SEND charities to support the creation and delivery of evidence-based training programmes aligned with national standards, and
- challenge the lack of progress on developing national standards for SEND training and ensure accountability for addressing this gap in education policy.
Proposer: Rob Gasson (SEND and AP Sector Council)
Seconder: David Duncan (SEND and AP Sector Council)
Primary Sector Council/Eastern region – motion 25 (composite 07)
Inclusion is embedded in the ethos of most schools, which act with determination and resourcefulness in meeting special educational needs. However, both special and mainstream schools are over-stretched, resulting in over-subscription of special schools and an increasing number of children whose needs would arguably be best met in a special school, instead of being taught in mainstream schools. MP constituency surgeries are frequently dominated by questions from parents desperate for their children to receive the specialist education they need and deserve. The UK government needs to value and support inclusive practice for the majority, while also considering efficiency and sufficiency of provision for the more complex minority.
Conference calls on National Executive to urge the DfE to urgently commission a study to:
- identify the number of children currently taught in a mainstream school who actually require a place in a special school, and
- determine what must be done to provide sufficient places in both mainstream and special schools to achieve a resource-efficient and cost-effective system.
Proposer: Graham Frost (Primary Sector Council)
Seconder: Jan Hatchell (Suffolk branch)
Greater London region – motion 26
Conference fully understands the importance of safeguarding and is absolutely committed to protecting children from harm. However, Conference is concerned that the current approach within the safeguarding system has becoming a "tick the box" system that prioritises compliance over professional judgement and promotes a culture of blame rather than active learning when something goes wrong. Much can be learned from the approach to safety taken within the medical and aviation sectors in not blaming individuals but rather thoroughly and without fear investigating errors so that real improvements can be made.
Conference believes that the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) document requires an updated definition of safeguarding along with a change in the processes to ensure that the professional knowledge and agency of school leaders is at the forefront of decisions.
Conference calls on National Executive to lobby the government to update the definition of safeguarding and to ensure the professional decisions and judgements of school leaders are prioritised as part of safeguarding referral processes.
Proposer: Russel Abrahall (Havering branch)
Seconder: Michael Henry (Redbridge branch)
South Central region – motion 27
Conference acknowledges the invaluable expertise schools develop over time in understanding families and the critical insights they contribute to serious case reviews. Despite this, the absence of school representation in certain reviews has resulted in incomplete assessments and decisions, potentially affecting children – whether directly through their own experiences or indirectly due to harmful adult behaviours within their family environment.
Conference emphasises the importance of school input in safeguarding reviews to ensure decisions are thorough, informed and reflective of the realities families face. By securing effective legislative changes that encourage collaboration, we can improve the outcomes for children impacted by their own experiences or the behaviours of adults within their family setting.
Conference calls on National Executive to advocate for legislative changes that require serious case reviews to actively seek input from schools. While schools play a pivotal safeguarding role and possess long-term knowledge of families, this does not create an additional statutory duty for schools but rather aims to ensure their insights are appropriately valued and considered in the decision-making process.
Proposer: Martin Tinsley (Windsor & Maidenhead branch)
Seconder: Roz Sendorek (Windsor & Maidenhead branch)
Emergency Motion 01
Schools are inclusive spaces where diversity is embraced and celebrated – where every pupil and adult should feel safe and valued. We must ensure it remains that way. It is vital that one protective characteristic is never pitted against another.
The recent UK Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers is putting school leaders in a very difficult positions as they try to understand what it means for their staff and children. We should not expect school leaders to have to interpret new law themselves, particularly when they already have toadhere to complex laws and statutory duties; safeguarding responsibilities, the Equality Act 2010, upholding the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and now reacting to the very recent interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Conference instructs National Executive to:
- Write to the Secretary of State for Education to request urgent support and information for schools and colleges, and to lobby government to provide schools with non divisive and sensitive guidance so they can ensure our schools know what the law means for them and that they remain safe, inclusive spaces for all staff, children and families.
- Support the TUC Trade Unions for Trans Rights Network by publicising activities to members and encouraging participation.
Proposer: Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson (Birmingham Branch)
Seconder: Debra Walker (Sunderland Branch)
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