The Group Executive Council (GEC) and I met in Slough in early March to set out priorities for the union’s Education and Children’s Services Group (ECSG).

We wanted to build on the previous two-year plan which guided the work of the outgoing GEC and Full Time Officers, and we identified what our priorities were going forward.

These priorities can be put into two broad groups; individual and collective trade union support to members, and policy areas that reflect our role as a professional association for education professionals.

As your trade union:

• We will maintain a professional group of officers to provide confidential advice and formal representation when members need it up to and including providing legal assistance.

• We will negotiate and consult with employers collectively on pay, terms and conditions, redundancies, transfers.

• We will communicate with members through a variety of methods.

• We will publicise Standard and Principles for education and children’s services professionals.

• We will provide a range of other services including for self-employed members.

• We will seek to attract new reps and members.

As your professional association:

• We will respond to policy initiatives and calls for consultation where these affect our members, and the children and young people they support.

• We will seek to work with other organisations, particularly where we have common interests and values.

• We will look to gather and share good practice.

• We will seek to engage members in this policy work.

• We will focus on the policy areas - Schools Improvement initiatives; SEND; Attendance, Inclusion and Exclusion; Devolved Assembly work.

• We will assess these policy areas and also reflect the impact of policy on mental health, leadership management and governance, curriculum and assessment.

Clearly, coronavirus will have a significant impact on all of this and more, however the GEC wanted to share our priorities with you.

We will also reviewing all this in-line with the results of the Members Survey we undertook in February and March, so thanks to all that took part.