NEU Leader Critiques Government Education Policies
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), the UK’s largest education union, sharply criticized the government’s record on schools, accusing it of failing the nation’s children and not fulfilling its education promises.
Speaking to delegates at the NEU’s annual conference in Brighton on Thursday, Kebede was particularly critical of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s policies.
Support for Greens Grows Among Teachers
This criticism followed closely after Green Party leader Zack Polanski received a standing ovation on the conference stage, where he pledged significant reforms including abolishing the school inspectorate Ofsted, injecting substantial funds into schools, and ending academisation.
“It’s not because we agree with him on everything,” Kebede told delegates in a stirring 35-minute speech before going on to praise the Greens’ approach as one “built on possibility rather than scarcity”.
In a direct challenge to the Labour Party, Kebede stated:
“It should surprise no one that the Greens now command the greatest support among NEU members. People are not volatile – they are responding to what they see, and to what they do not.
“Sixty-five per cent of NEU members who voted Labour in 2024 now tell us they will not do so again. That is not a statistic to be dismissed or explained away. It is a warning. And history teaches us that warnings ignored become consequences.”
Kebede emphasized that he does not want the Labour government to fail but urges it to listen and understand its shortcomings in order to meet the expectations of those who voted for change.
Concerns Over Education Policy Details
Referring to recent government initiatives such as the new SEND framework, curriculum and assessment review, the children’s wellbeing bill, and the schools white paper, Kebede acknowledged that while the headline rhetoric was positive, the policy details were insufficient.
He described changes to Ofsted as merely a “rebranding” exercise, noted that children remain caught in a culture of high-stakes testing, and warned that the government’s overhaul of the special educational needs system would fail without increased investment.
Inclusion Funding and Challenges
A central part of the government’s SEND reforms is to improve and extend inclusion in mainstream schools, which will be tasked with assessing pupils and creating individual support plans.
The Department for Education (DfE) has committed £1.6 billion over three years to enhance inclusion in schools and colleges, alongside £1.8 billion allocated to local authorities for hiring specialists accessible to schools, and £200 million for additional teacher training. However, education unions argue that this funding is inadequate.
“You cannot promise inclusion whilst you starve the services that make inclusion real,” Kebede said, warning that schools are “running on empty” and classrooms have become “the frontline of every unresolved crisis in our society.
“Hunger walks in with the children. Anxiety takes a seat at the back of the room. Unmet special educational needs raise their hands every morning and are told to wait and wait again.”
Potential Industrial Action and Social Media Concerns
Kebede cautioned the government that the union would consider national industrial action if necessary. NEU members are currently participating in an indicative strike ballot, which is due to conclude later this month, concerning teacher pay, workload, and school funding, though any strike action remains a distant prospect.
The NEU general secretary, who supports banning social media use for under-16s, also highlighted the detrimental impact of social media platforms. He described how schools are left to address the harm caused by platforms owned by what he termed “sleazy degenerates,” designed to keep children addicted, amplify misogyny, and treat humiliation as a business model.
Addressing Far-Right Influence and Book Censorship
Another significant issue discussed by delegates was the influence of the far right, including allegations of book censorship in school libraries. This followed reports that a Salford school ordered the removal of dozens of books considered inappropriate from its library shelves.
On Wednesday, delegates voted in favor of a motion urging the union executive to oppose such censorship and to promote the NEU as a union for librarians.
“Any move to censor books in school libraries, based on misinformation and fearmongering, should ring alarm bells for all of us.
“The USA and Hungary are examples of countries which have implemented book bans in schools, primarily targeting books by women, Black and LGBT+ authors, and the NEU is clear that this is not a path we are prepared to follow in the UK.”
