Workforce anniversary

It seems hard to believe that 15 January was the fifth anniversary of the signing of the National Workforce Agreement.

To commemorate the date, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State Ed Balls sent a letter to ASCL and the other organisations in the social partnership with thanks for the work and effort that has gone into the last five years.

As the letter rightly said, the agreement has brought about a culture change in the way schools and teachers operate.

Because of the manner in which partners have worked alongside the DCSF to reach agreement on issues, it has been possible to move forward in unprecedented ways. Certainly it contributed to the approval of the recent multi-year pay award for teachers.

A copy of the letter is on the ASCL website at www.ascl.org.uk