Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Pupil poverty and increased workloads have led to a mental health crisis for teachers
The government must recognise the impacts of its policies on school students and staff, says CHRIS KEATES
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
TEACHING has always been an intensely demanding job, but evidence collected annually by the NASUWT over the last seven years demonstrates that teachers’ physical and mental health and wellbeing have deteriorated dramatically as a result of their working environment becoming increasingly toxic.
The combination of ever-increasing workload demands, deteriorating pay and working conditions, excessive freedoms and flexibilities given to employers and the impact of the government’s austerity measures in reducing specialist support for schools are key contributory factors to the crisis in teacher supply.
Three out of 10 teachers say they have turned to medication in the last 12 months to deal with the physical and mental toll their job is taking on them.
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