A warm welcome to all our members who are reading this latest edition of the life members’ newsletter.
It seems we sadly lurch from one crisis to another; we manage to be successfully tackling covid-19 and then the world must face the challenges of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This will undoubtedly impact us all, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Ukraine. Hopefully, sanity will prevail, and a resolution will be found.
Life members’ matters may seem somewhat trivial at the present time, but your life sector council and its officers continue to meet and plan, working hard to fully support all our life members. I was sensitively reminded by one member that we have life members in Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England, and we have taken this on board with some of the articles in this edition. As I have previously stated, we welcome articles from all life members, not only those who sit on the sector council representing their nations and regions. We are always interested to hear what hobbies and pastimes our members engage in.
The life member sector council (LMSC) has followed up with officers on the request to see and publicise what support is available to our members who leave their jobs prematurely, because of adverse inspection outcomes or challenges from their employers. Hopefully, in the coming months, you will see the range of free and valuable support that is readily available in newsletters and other NAHT communications. We, as a council, want to hear from you when you feel there are issues that need addressing. We are also keen to hear if NAHT could be providing other services that you would value and that support your retirement.
It would be useful to know from life members who have retired in the last year how well prepared they felt for this step, and whether NAHT could have done more for you in the months leading up to your retirement?
Our most recent sector council meeting took place at the end of March at the new office at Millbank Towers in London. Millbank Towers is a pilot and allows the organisation the time to see how best to support members going forward. We planned for the life members’ contributions to Annual Conference in Telford from 29 April to 1 May 2022 where there will be a life members’ stand in the exhibition hall, and where we look forward to meeting life members attending and members who might be thinking of taking the next steps in planning for retirement.
Wishing you and your families safe and hopefully happier times.
John Killeen
Life member sector council (LMSC) chair
Click on the links below to read more on these topics
A message from Paul Gosling, NAHT vice president.
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As I am writing this article, storm Eunice is raging outside. My school is closed today because Friday 18 February is the date we chose to close in lieu of the Queen’s Jubilee holiday, but most schools in my community have had to close anyway today due to the weather. Next week is half-term, and, as it would be unwise for me to go for a walk or a cycle, I am safe inside and reflecting back on one of the most challenging terms in my thirty-year career in education.
When my school opened in September 2021, everyone in our community was looking forward to a return to normality after nearly two years of dealing with covid-19. My school is in Exmouth in Devon, and it was only mildly affected by the waves of covid-19 that caused so much disruption elsewhere. However, after welcoming many visitors to Devon over the summer, September brought very high rates of infection in our community. So, although the national restrictions were relaxed, we decided to limit cross-school mixing. We did not plan to have any in-person assemblies, and we abandoned our usual Christmas events, like nativities, the Parent Teacher Friends Association (PTFA) Christmas fair, and the carol service. As the term progressed, we had infections from the covid-19 delta strain in our community and a few staff absences, but the situation was manageable.
Then Omicron hit. Two weeks before the Christmas break, we started to get multiple numbers of staff self-isolating, making the run-up to the end of term even more tiring than usual as the staff and I had to cover a range of roles. My staff team pulled together to ensure the school continued to stay fully open; many staff members, from the kitchen staff to the leadership team, undertook roles that were not part of their usual job. Planning, preparation and assessment afternoons were given up, leadership time was abandoned, extra break duties were undertaken, and, sometimes, teachers taught more than one class. All of this was done without complaint; there was a real feeling of solidarity.
The day after the autumn term finished, I tested positive for covid-19. Although, thanks to my booster jab, I did not get very ill, I did miss the social events pre-Christmas and my birthday, which is 26 December. It has been challenging in school pretty much for the whole of the first part of the spring term 2022, but it feels that we are over the worst. What a term.
And yet, in schools, there is always joy to be had. In the middle of the autumn term, our community warmly welcomed 26 children of Afghan refugees into our one-form-entry school. Every year group, from nursery to year six (except year one) accommodated at least one Afghan child into their class. The joy has come from watching these children, who were nervous and frightened at first, grow in confidence and develop friendships with the rest of the children in our school. On the cold, dark days of January and February, watching the children play together, even without a commonly spoken language, brings home the warmth and humanity that exists in many schools across our nations.
This year, NAHT Annual Conference in Telford seeks to celebrate the best of what happens in schools and what the NAHT stands for: compassion; humanity; solidarity: 125 years at the heart of education.
Anytime is a great time to look at your lifestyle and the daily habits that impact your health. If there’s one thing we have learnt in the past two covid-19 years, it’s that you can never take your health for granted.
Thankfully, making some simple modifications to your lifestyle can have a major impact on your long-term health. The best approach is to make small changes over time that will help maintain your motivation and commitment.
Top five tips for improving your health
1. Regular exercise
- Exercise is one of the most important factors in maintaining good health. We need to undertake planned exercise, which includes aerobic exercise, strength training, balance training and stretching
- Being fit and healthy is one of the best ways to protect yourself against disease and injury, and is a key to prevention
- We should also consider getting as much incidental movement as possible, like parking a bit further away from the shopping centre so that you get in some extra walking time
- Exercise as you get older – NHS.
2. Healthy nutrition
- The old saying ‘everything in moderation’ is actually really helpful when we are looking at our nutrition and food intake
- We need to ensure we are getting all major nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals
- The Mediterranean diet is still considered to be a very well-balanced eating plan
- There is room for some indulgences, but it is also crucial to focus on consuming mostly unprocessed natural foods.
- Eat well – NHS.
3. Monitor hydration
- Fluid balance is very important for good health
- As our bodies contain approximately 60% water, our basic cellular functions rely on sufficient water intake to maintain good health
- Even very minor dehydration can produce physical symptoms that can make us feel unwell. These include fever, headache, loss of focus and dizziness
- Monitoring hydration is crucial as we age, for our physical and cognitive health
- In the warmer months, it can also be useful to include an electrolyte supplement if we have been active, to replace electrolytes lost in sweat
- Hydration – NHS.
4. Sleep well
- Many people struggle to maintain good sleep habits, so if you are in this group there are a few key things to try to improve your sleep quality and quantity
- These include ensuring that you are not consuming caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime. Ideally, you would want to avoid these for several hours before bed
- Another key factor is the temperature of your bedroom. It has been shown to be more effective to have a cooler environment rather one that is too warm
- We often struggle to get to sleep if it’s too hot, so having a fan or leaving the window open for fresh air are good options to consider
- How to get to sleep – NHS.
5. Prioritise your mental health
- Monitoring our mental health, mood and emotions is essential for good health. We have seen higher levels of stress and anxiety across all age groups in the past two covid-19 pandemic years, so we need to consider what truly makes us happy and fulfilled
- Relationships are essential, and spending time to keep them healthy and strong is time well spent
- Having a realistic expectation and sense of self will help maintain balance
- Having a good look at our thoughts and opinions is always helpful
- Are we considering the opinions of others or simply being rigid on our own? This is a really good question to assess well-being and our potential for happiness
- NHS England well-being apps.
In conclusion
- Keeping a regular check on these five key areas will certainly enhance our health
- We don’t need to make drastic changes every day – just be mindful of their importance and constantly work on small steps to progress
- Too often we get frustrated or disillusioned when we set ourselves big health goals that require a major change
- Small steps still get you to your destination
- Better health – NHS.
Important legal information
- This article is of a general nature and for your information only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions
- That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied on as if it is
- Remember it is very important that before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the information is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice from your GP or professional accredited medical practitioner.
The National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) is the campaigning organisation for older people in the UK.
Elderly Social Care (Insurance) Bill
Lord Lilley has raised a bill to establish a publicly owned body to provide insurance for homeowners at cost against selling their homes to pay for elderly social care and connected purposes.
- Lord Prem Sikka’s briefing note does not support the bill, which says it will at best only benefit a few wealthy individuals – see https://www.npcuk.org/post/elderly-social-care-insurance-bill
- The state is being mobilised for their benefit and not for the benefit of providing social care to all, regardless of income and wealth
- Through this bill, the government may well be testing the waters to see how insurance-based Americanisation of healthcare is received
- No doubt, in due course, similar ideas would be advanced for the NHS
- You can get full details of the bill at https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2872.
Record inflation is a life-or-death disaster for pensioners
The government must reverse the pensions triple lock axe to stop millions from falling further into poverty
- Older people will suffer life-threatening ‘eat or heat’ decisions this winter unless the government reverses its decision to axe the pensions ‘triple lock’
- As inflation hits a 30-year high of 5.4%* – pushing up prices of food and fuel for heating – the National Pensioners’ Convention is calling on the government to urgently reinstate the triple lock that safeguards the annual pension rise
- The triple lock, which ensures pensions rise by the highest of either wages, inflation or 2.5%, was suspended because wages hit an artificially high 8.1% last autumn. The government judged it could not afford that increase, so pensioners are set to get a meagre 3.1% rise in April. But by that time inflation could be hitting 6%* or 7% – adding nearly £500 a year more to each retiree’s bills
- Contrary to mistaken public perception, millions of pensioners have to survive on basic pensions of either £137.60 (for those retiring before 2016) or £179.60 per week
- Many who also have a small occupational pension find it takes them just over the qualifying level for pension credit, which means their finances are being squeezed to the limit.
- The NPC discussed the tsunami of policy decisions that are converging to cause misery for millions at the Dignity Action Day webinar on 1 February 2022. You can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaOS6x3u6pTyeFNb6usGDVg
- Many older people – still reeling from the pandemic that hit their generation the hardest – feel recent government policy changes are unfairly targeting them.
Jan Shortt, NPC general secretary, said: “Our members are already telling us they are terrified of hefty bills for food and heating – with worse to come, and just a paltry increase in their state pensions come April. This is a shameful way to treat our oldest and most vulnerable. But there is still time for the government to reverse its decision to suspend the triple lock and give our members a decent increase. It’s a real life or death emergency for millions of older people, and we plead with the government to reinstate the triple lock so pensioners have a half-decent rise to help them buy food and keep warm.”
“This is a disastrous situation for low-income families of all ages. But the government can do something about it, starting with reinstating the state pensions triple lock and offsetting the fuel prices free-for-all caused by the lifting energy cap. Inflation hit a record 5.4% in December, with the Bank of England predicting the consumer prices index (CPI) could hit 6% by April. Other analysts say it could be nearer 7%."
Independent Age has released a new report titled: Poverty in later life – how people in older age move in and out of poverty, and what should be done to reduce it.
After historic falls in the 2000s, later-life poverty is again on the rise. It has been steadily rising since 2012 and is now at its highest rate since 2008.
This report summarises the results of commissioned research on income dynamics by city by the University of London, which analysed data from a survey that tracked the financial status of people at state pension age and above across nearly a decade between 2010 and 2019
The report takes these findings and puts them in the wider context of poverty in later life. It ends with calls on decision-makers to take specific and necessary action to combat poverty in later life
This report is part of NPC’s wider work on poverty in later life. It also links to the NPC Credit Where It’s Due campaign, highlighting the low uptake of the vital benefit pension credit.
Key messages
- Poverty in later life is a growing problem in the UK
- There are stark inequalities in later life that greatly increase the chances of entering poverty past retirement age for some groups, including private and social renters, Black and Asian older people, and single women
- Though older people’s income fluctuates less than in younger groups, some of them still move in and out of poverty, with 40% of pensioners spending at least one year in poverty in a nine-year period
- Changes in social benefit income are the biggest single cause for older people entering and exiting poverty
- Tackling poverty in later life requires an ambitious strategy to tackle poverty at all ages, while maximising the effectiveness of existing programmes.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: the government must fulfil its commitment to restore the State Pension triple lock from April 2023
Recommendation 2: the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should conduct a wider review of the adequacy of the State Pension, with the government setting out at what level it wants the State Pension to be valued relative to average earnings
Recommendation 3: the government should commit to protecting vital benefits for older people that are currently under threat, including by reversing its proposal to scrap free prescriptions for 60- to 65-year-olds
Recommendation 4: the DWP must release a written action plan to increase the uptake of pension credit. This action plan must include realistic, measurable targets and scheduled and continuous awareness-raising activity, as well as explore more fundamental solutions such as a name change and full or partial auto-enrolment
Recommendation 5: the government should pilot an auto-appointment system for the Pension Wise service
Recommendation 6: the government must keep its promise to introduce the Renters Reform Bill in this parliament. This bill must include commitments to scrap section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and introduce secure and standardised ‘lifelong deposits’, which can be transferred from tenancy to tenancy without having to be repaid every time
Recommendation 7: the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (secretary of state: Michael Gove) should build on the Renters Reform Bill by publishing a green paper on affordable, secure tenancies. This should include consultation on the popular and effective local rent controls in place in countries like Germany, and longer tenancy agreements
Recommendation 8: the government should take up the recommendations made by the Good Home Inquiry, set up by the Centre for Ageing Better and chaired by David Orr. This includes a new national strategy to improve England’s existing housing stock led by a ministerial good home champion, as well as a fully funded Good Home Agency to facilitate home improvements for both homeowners and landlords and administer the Disabled Facilities Grant
Recommendation 9: the role of an older people’s commissioner should be established in both England and Scotland, with associated legal powers to hold the government and other organisations to account
Recommendation 10: the DWP should expedite its work on developing a new measure of poverty, which was scheduled to be introduced in 2020. This work must build on the developments made by the Social Metrics Commission and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and be accompanied by a firm commitment and action from the government to tackle poverty at all life stages
Recommendation 11: the DWP must develop a meaningful strategy to address poverty in the UK, including those who experience poverty in later life.
NAHT’s elected officials are the backbone of the union. They are central to shaping everything we do as a union and the profession in which our members work.
Our officials are both serving members and life members who have decided to take on this challenging but vital role. They have joined a dynamic community that’s working hard to champion the rights and concerns of school leaders across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and overseas.
We have more than 800 officials in elected positions, and we have a national training programme with a suite of courses designed to aid the development and accreditation of union officials to a level where they feel comfortable and confident to represent the interests of our members – both on a collective and individual level, and across regions and branches.
It follows a three-stage process that begins with individual and tailored coaching to help officials understand the basics of assisting members and ends with more detailed modules to facilitate officials becoming highly competent in workplace matters, so that they are ready to provide advice and guidance to our members.
All courses are certified by NAHT and recognised and accredited by the TUC. As part of the process officials also receive NAHT credentials demonstrating their official role within the union. The courses are all free and continue to demonstrate NAHT’s commitment to supporting and developing the lifeblood of the union, our officials. Our regional organiser and regional officer teams support officials in carrying out their roles.
Whether members are interested in backing school leaders experiencing difficulties at work, running and leading campaigns on the big issues in education, or ensuring their local community of school leaders offers support and networking opportunities, we have relevant opportunities for members to become more involved in NAHT across our branches.
Our national training programme brochure is available here.
If you are interested as a life member in becoming an NAHT official, then please email organising@naht.org.uk.
- 2022 LMSC Meeting Venues: TBC
- NAHT 2022 AGM and Annual Conference, Telford, 29-30 April 2022
- Executive committee, 23-24 June 2022; LMSC 22 June 2022
- Executive committee, 13-14 October 2022; LMSC 12 October 2022.
In each life members’ newsletter, you will find the name and email details of several members of NAHT’s LMSC. Each LMSC member is annually elected by the appropriate NAHT region’s executive committee or NAHT devolved nation (NAHT Cymru and NAHT NI) executive committee.
For full details about who's who on the LMSC, click here.
East Midlands
David Allen: david.allen@nahtofficials.org.uk
Northern Ireland
Harry Greer: harry.greer@nahtofficials.org.uk
Eastern
Chris Harrison: Chris.Harrison@nahtofficials.org.uk
Greater London
Kevin Baskill: Kevin.Baskil@nahtofficials.org.uk
Education Support is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting and improving the mental health and well-being of all teachers and education staff. It believes that better mental health leads to better education.
Its services can help you and your team improve your mental health and well-being. It works in partnership with organisations like NAHT to shape and change government policy to improve the well-being of teachers and education staff.
As an NAHT member, you can access a dedicated, confidential counselling and support helpline on 0800 9174055 provided by Education Support. Open 24/7, it is staffed by qualified counsellors and offers you emotional and practical support.
More teachers than ever are experiencing symptoms that can lead to anxiety and depression. Its 2020 Teacher Well-being Index, conducted annually with YouGov, revealed the following:
- 52%said they had insomnia in the last year
- >40% had difficulty concentrating.
Both of these are associated with poor mental health. Education Support makes a real impact on the lives and well-being of school leaders, teachers and education staff through our services. Last year, it provided direct support to 15,200 people working in education and worked with more than 1,000 schools and colleges.
Its research found that 57% of school staff would not feel comfortable disclosing unmanageable levels of stress at work. The Employee Assistance Programme provides staff access to confidential counselling support from qualified professionals 24/7 as well as a range of practical support.
Its financial grants service provides short-term aid to people working in education, who are experiencing a financial crisis. In the last four years it has provided £1.3 million in grants to 1,850 people, helping to keep them in their jobs and in their homes, and 95% of those awarded a grant said they would recommend Education Support to a friend.
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