The Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference offers a safe space to explore key issues and challenges you face in your career, share experiences with other young members and contribute ideas for the future of your Union.

These events are FREE to eligible members and provide you with the opportunity to take part in seminars and workshops.

Events will be listed in this section as they become available. Tap/click for details of the event and how to book.

NASUWT conferences and events are strictly for adults only due to the nature of the content shared and no children will be permitted into any areas of the conference.

Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference 2025

The 2025 Young Teachers’ Consultation Conference was held at the NASUWT Conference Centre on Saturday 21 June under the theme ‘Young Teachers, Bold Voices: Activism in Action’.

Chairing the Conference, NASUWT President Wayne Broom welcomed General Secretary Matt Wrack to give the keynote address.

Matt Wrack began by outlining the recent history of teaching that has led to the difficulties within the profession today. Fifteen years ago, the implementation of ‘austerity’ measures meant pay freezes and lack of investment.

Mr Wrack said, ‘Young teachers have joined the profession at a particular time in history. During a period spanning half of your lifetime, education has dramatically changed.

‘The workload issues you face and the job losses you see are part of this bigger picture. The attempts to undermine TPS with detrimental changes and offering alternative less beneficial schemes also stem from the lack of respect teachers have been shown.’

Mr Wrack pointed to the welcome political change that happened in 2024, saying that NASUWT is committed to holding the new government to their promises and that 2025 must be the year of real delivery of a New Deal for Teachers.

He said that the Union is dedicated to making the UK the best place in the world for children to learn and for teachers to work.

‘NASUWT members stood together through a year of action and a year of change - now we expect action from policymakers and we will continue to fight for educators and pupils.’

‘NASUWT is demanding full restoration of teachers’ pay to pre-austerity levels as part of the New Deal,’ said Mr Wrack.

‘We will not accept half-measures - if a pay offer isn’t fully funded or falls short of true restoration, the Union is prepared to ballot members for industrial action because teachers deserve nothing less.’

On workload and working hours, Mr Wrack said that the Union is campaigning to curb excessive workload and enforce limits on working hours, pushing for a contractual limit of 35 hours a week and at least 20% PPA time as protected non-contact time.

He continued, ‘We are calling for inspectors to police workload compliance and ensure that teachers spend time on teaching, not endless admin and unpaid extras.
Reducing workload is critical for the wellbeing and retention of new teachers.

The Union also asserts every teacher’s right to a safe workplace free from violence, abuse and undue stress. We are calling for urgent action on pupil indiscipline and for the authority of teachers to be backed by robust measures to restore order in classrooms.

Mr Wrack said that teacher wellbeing is at the heart of the Union’s work. With teachers reporting a crisis of burnout, schools must take teachers’ mental health seriously by providing support services and practical help.’

‘Education must not come at the cost of teachers’ health.’

Highlighting NASUWT’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the profession, Mr Wrack went on to say, ‘Equal rights are not optional extras, but essential not only for fairness, but also for retention.

He said, ‘An inclusive, respectful school environment for staff and students is non-negotiable. We have pledged to defend teachers’ rights in law by fighting for better support and recognition of equality issues in workplace policies.’

Turning to teachers’ pensions, he went on to remind young members that a decent pension is deferred pay and must be safeguarded.

‘We oppose any further rise in the pension age that would force teachers to work into their late 60s and will oppose any move to diminish pension benefits to ensure every teacher can retire with security and dignity - a particularly vital promise for young teachers looking ahead.’

Issues that predominantly affects young teachers, such as the prohibitive cost of housing, the use of temporary contracts and expensive childcare, are inhibiting young teachers from starting a family.

Barriers to parenthood will form a key element of our future advocacy to government.

Mr Wrack summed up by saying, ‘Young teachers are at the heart of our union. We celebrate the role of our young members as the next generation of NASUWT.

‘The Union is committed to supporting early career teachers by expanding training, mentoring and guidance for new teachers, alongside a range of programmes tailored to young teachers, from this Consultation Conference to courses and events for young teachers.

‘We exist to empower you in your career, to bring fresh ideas, energy and a bold voice to shape the Union’s future direction. Our annual Young Activist Award recognises an outstanding contribution as a valued and essential part of the Union’s growth.

‘So, get involved, stand up and be active, whether it’s becoming a School Rep, participating in local campaigns or simply speaking out on issues that matter to you and your colleagues.

‘Your engagement can drive real change in making 2025 the year of delivery.  The future of the profession is in your hands and the Union’s strength comes from members like you stepping forward.

‘Through solidarity and activism, we will secure the New Deal teachers and students deserve.’

Mr Wrack’s address was followed by an open Q&A session.

Interactive workshop

Chris Weavers, NASUWT Campaigns and Communications National Official, led a workshop session entitled Shape the future: Young teachers taking the lead.

Working in small groups, attendees were asked to consider the question ‘What change do you most want to see in education?’ Sharing ideas and planning actions, they identified key workplace issues that particularly affect young teachers and how they might seek to address those issues collectively.

A number of parallel themes emerged from this session when a spokesperson from each group presented their findings and members were challenged to find one union-related task that they would commit themselves to so that everyone left the conference with at least one concrete step to take in their workplace.

Presentations

  • Navigating your path to leadership

    • Gilroy Brown, Educational Consultant

  • Optimising energy, mental health and wellbeing for young teachers to succeed and create a lasting impact

    • Anna Reddy, Workplace Health, Wellbeing and Performance Coach

The day was rounded off with an opportunity for young teachers to socialise and network to continue the important conversations they had begun during the day.

Next steps

NASUWT recognises the importance of engaging and consulting with young members on the importance of activism and how the Union needs to ensure that their experiences are reflected in our organising and capacity building priorities.

The outcomes of this event will be used to inform our work on young member engagement and strategies for retaining young teachers in the profession.

Don’t miss out

If you’re not yet a member but want to attend our Young Teachers’ Consultation Conferences, and get access to other exclusive member benefits, why not join today?

You can find out more about why you should join us or go straight to our Online Joining site to take full advantage of our wider programme of events, training and discount scheme.

Want more influence?

The NASUWT is a member-led Union, which means you getting actively involved in your Union to support your colleagues and fellow teachers at work.

Getting active in the Union can take a variety of forms and will mean you get access to FREE training, support, and personal and professional development: you can be proud in the knowledge that you are undertaking a role that helps teachers in their workplaces.

Find out more

Calculate your travel carbon footprint

As part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, particularly at our conferences and events, we'd like to share a tool allowing you to understand the environmental impact of your journey and identifying low-carbon door-to-door travel plans that help you towards net-zero travel.

Try the You.Smart.Thing travel planner.

 


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