Campaign Policy

The ATL is currently supporting two key campaign policies.

1.  Teaching to learn

The Teaching to learn campaign aims to put learning back at the heart of education policy and shift the debate about schools and schooling away from targets, tests and league tables, towards learning and the learner.

ATL is calling for:
an end to relentless testing.
recognition that learning is not just for meeting targets.
freedom for educators to enthuse and inspire learners.
So, learning – and learning about learning – is a priority for ATL. The focus will be on learning and the learner, with ATL using every possible opportunity to remind the powers that be that learning is for life – not just for league tables.

2.  ATL campaigns against the raising of the retirement age

In December 2002, the government issued a Green Paper entitled ‘Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement’. This proposed, among other things, that the retirement age for teachers, lecturers and other public servants be raised to 65 for new entrants to the profession.

The government also stated that in respect of future service it planned to change the retirement age for existing public servants sometime after the retirement age is changed for new entrants.

The government has now stated that the change will be introduced for new entrants to the profession with effect from 1 September 2006. For existing teachers/lecturers it will be introduced as from 1 September 2013 in respect of future service. Therefore, those teachers/lecturers who reached age 50 by 31 August 2003 will not be affected and will still be able to retire at age 60 without suffering any reduction in their pension benefits.

In its comments on the Green Paper, ATL strongly opposed the proposal that new entrants to the profession would only be able to draw their pension in full at age 65. ATL said that it believed that this would discourage people from entering the teaching profession. Nor would it encourage people to remain in teaching/lecturing, as they may leave teaching/lecturing earlier in order to establish another career.

Key elements of ATL's work in 2003 policies
ATL strongly promoted its Teaching to learn campaign - with its key message that too many young people are being disenfranchised from a curriculum which does not inspire, challenge or change them.

ATL campaigned against the current over-emphasis on testing, warning ministers and their advisers about the negative effects that the publication of school league tables, based on high-stakes test results, is having on students’ rights to a broad and balanced curriculum.

ATL conducted a major piece of research on the experience of children and their teachers in the foundation stage which demonstrated that many reception teachers, because of the pressure to prepare children for key stage 1 SATs, feel unable to provide the kind of curriculum which their professional expertise tells them is right for young children.

ATL supported the government in its drive to establish a new relationship with schools - a relationship which should give schools greater freedom to focus on raising standards of teaching and learning and enable them to spend less time on sending data to government departments and to LEAs.