Education ‘facing onslaught’

PAST and present branch secretaries Tony Harrison (right) and Bryan Beckingham

TONY Harrison, new branch secretary of Oldham NUT, said his priority would be facing the biggest onslaught on state education in his lifetime.

Mr Harrison (63), who is married with two children, was a civil servant before becoming a teacher in 1976.

He worked at Alder Hill School, Rochdale, and then moved to Radclyffe School, Chadderton, in 1980. After teaching history for most of his career, he took semi-retirement four years ago and continued to work as a supply teacher. He has held a number of branch roles, including president and public relations officer. He has also served as joint branch secretary with Bryan Beckingham, who retired this month, for the past 10 years.

The NUT has 1,450 members in Oldham and fought Oldham Council’s plans to replace five schools with three academies run by sponsors.

It also opposes the Government’s proposals to allow many more across the country to become academies based on the Swedish free schools system.

“My priority over the next two years is to fight the privatisation of schools, to ensure out members are as little affected as humanly possible by the Government’s attack on education and on the public sector in general,” said Mr Harrison.

“This is the biggest onslaught we have had on state education, certainly in my lifetime.