Kevin Courtney
@cyclingkev
Followers
36,365
Following
4,158
Media
4,370
Statuses
43,890
Chair of @CubaSolidarity . Previously Joint GS of National Education Union, Int’l spokesperson for TUC General Council.
United Kingdom
Joined September 2010
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Wasit
• 265362 Tweets
$EIGEN
• 132717 Tweets
Scotland
• 126666 Tweets
Uzbek
• 101477 Tweets
Mufasa
• 63714 Tweets
Jerome
• 62992 Tweets
#محمد_بن_سلمان
• 59344 Tweets
Arhan
• 51029 Tweets
Lion King
• 48037 Tweets
Madonna
• 40784 Tweets
Olimpiade
• 39429 Tweets
ARMY ARE FOREVER BEHIND BTS
• 35193 Tweets
Ridho
• 33808 Tweets
Rock in Rio
• 28056 Tweets
Seinfeld
• 26690 Tweets
Tyson
• 26351 Tweets
Nadal
• 23897 Tweets
Medina
• 20669 Tweets
HBD PP KRIT 25th
• 19448 Tweets
Sananta
• 17871 Tweets
gracie
• 16564 Tweets
Shen Yinhao
• 15494 Tweets
Jake Paul
• 12315 Tweets
Zeke
• 11248 Tweets
Tekno
• 10831 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
Over 80% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Hundreds of teachers have been killed. Thousands of school students.
UN experts are raising the question of whether Israel is deliberately seeking to destroy Palestinian education in the strip.
5
75
91
Truss must go.
But who should elect the next prime minister?
⛔️ Not the 18 members of the 1922 committee,
⛔️ Certainly not the 180 thousand members of the Tory Party,
🆘 It must be all of us. The 46.5 million voters in the UK
It’s called democracy.
General election now.
148
2K
10K
Our letter to Michael Fabricant, completing the circle of complaints from RCN, NAHT and ASCL.
“Teachers were in bubbles not drinking them”
Fabricant should withdraw his allegations and apologise immediately.
164
3K
10K
Dear Grant Shapps,
We would like a minimum level of service in the NHS, on non strike days.
But you aren’t providing one.
Can we sue you?
Asking for a nation.
Kevin
66
2K
8K
Dear Dominic Raab
@DominicRaab
I see you say schools should be open tomorrow, so children can learn.
Good. A couple of questions:
1. Can they have the air con from your office?
2. Have you ever tried to get children to learn in a classroom at over 30C?
1/2
356
1K
8K
Part of my interview with Kay Burley this morning. She asked me about an attack line being promulgated by Gillian Keegan’s advisors, I assume with her knowledge.
I think I countered it quite well, which is easy because we have truth on our side.
What do you think?
386
1K
5K
Apology not accepted.
I’m with some teachers at a school in Chichester this morning.
They say “we are the union”.
1/3 - Further to reports in the Telegraph and other outlets, I wish to clarify that these messages were about some Unions and not teachers.
3K
53
158
43
697
5K
Becoming very irritated by reporting that “faulty software” was the root of the problem in the post office scandal.
Software often has faults.
But the root of the problem was senior managers in the Post Office & Fujitsu who lied and lied; and who had no care for the postmasters
73
1K
5K
BBC Breakfast interviewed Prof Calum Semple, a virologist and member of Sage, who when asked if he could say why early years settings were remaining open when schools were not, said ‘No, I can't’, and said the decision to do so may be ‘political’ as it was not ‘a scientific one’.
80
2K
4K
Compared with last year England’s schools have 137,000 MORE pupils but:
😱5,400 FEWER teachers
😱2,800 FEWER teaching assistants
😱1,400 FEWER support staff
😱1,200 FEWER auxiliary staff
Children have one chance to go to school - and the Govt is letting them down.🤯
Please RT
143
5K
4K
Fourth member of SAGE breaks ranks
Professor Calum Semple says, “Essentially we’re lifting the lid on a boiling pan and it’s just going to bubble over,”. “We need to get it down to simmer before we take the lid off, and it’s too early.”
1/3
43
2K
4K
I’ve just agreed to be on Good Morning Britain tomorrow morning at around 8:15 am - with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. I’m told one of the ex-education secretaries will also be on with me.
459
699
4K
Dear journalist,
I am not a union boss; not the “boss” of any member of the NEU.
I am an elected representative of NEU members.
Why do you call union leaders “bosses”?
Why do you call company chief execs “leaders”?
Why union “barons”?
Why “captains” of industry?
Kevin
43
988
4K
Big news: The British Medical Association writes to the NEU.
The BMA notes the “publication of your 5 tests, and we stand in full support of you”.
Thank you
@TheBMA
93
2K
4K
Wow! Just watch this.
Thousands and thousands of NEU members standing up for what is right.
Be proud.
We are standing up for our children and we can win.
Strikes and demonstrations in GB: Teachers, junior doctors und Tube workers walk out and fight for higher wages.
Streiks und Demonstrationen in GB: Lehrer, Assistenzärzte und U-Bahn Fahrer legen die Arbeit nieder und kämpfen um höhere Löhne.
275
3K
6K
122
970
4K
1 Michael Gove
2 Nicky Morgan
3 Justine Greening
4 Damian Hinds
5 Gavin Williamson
6 Nadhim Zahawi
7 Michelle Donelan
12 years - 7 SoS.
What a revolving door
Not a teacher amongst ‘em.
AND: Schools funded worse than in 2015. Big problems in teacher retention. etc etc
82
1K
4K
Why are teachers feeling hard up?
Why can’t schools recruit the teachers they need?
These numbers explain a lot.
Please watch and RT
80
2K
4K
What those WhatsApp messages confirm (a 🧵):
December 2020 - a new variant was tearing through the pandemic, especially through school children. Vaccination had only just got started.
101
830
3K
NEU zoom this morning. Figures in:
- 100k watched the whole meeting.
- 400k watched at least part of it.
Is this the biggest meeting in UK political history?
52
513
3K
“The Government has already lost the battle on strikes, all it can do now is concede gracefully”
- with a quote from me for National Education Union.
63
673
3K
From a friend
Warwick Uni have less than 50 PGCE students enrolled for 23/24. My cohort in 16/17 was about 300-350.
Those numbers are for the entire cohort by the way, primary secondary and early years.
#SaveOurSchools
102
810
3K
A constant Government line on nurses’ pay, and on teachers’ pay is:
“We have followed the recommendations of the independent pay review boards”
Sounds good.
But are those boards independent?
Consider these 3 points…
46
1K
2K
Quick video message:
When we met Gillian Keegan before Easter, she told us we shouldn’t ask for a pay rise because inflation was falling.
Today we see in the papers that she and Rishi Sunak say we shouldn’t ask for a pay rise because inflation is increasing!
#SaveOurSchools
59
1K
2K
Andy Burnham, Metropolitan mayor of Manchester says it’s too early to lift lockdown. Because, he says contact tracing is not yet working and because the R is too high.
He is right.
37
626
2K
All London primaries now online (except key worker/vulnerable) until 18th Jan earliest.
Astounding last minute decisions from the DfE
But they need another – for all primaries nationwide.
Sage say so. The Imperial College paper today says so.
#ProtectCommunities
#MakeSchoolsSafe
83
799
2K
Conservative
@JamesCleverly
is asking us to take down the school cuts website!
We aren't going to do that, but we have asked if he wants to meet to discuss the damaging effects school cuts are having.
91% of schools face cuts between 2015 & 2020.
Pls RT
104
3K
2K
Two schools in Barnet received notifications of OFSTED inspections tomorrow!
Seriously?
@amanda_spielman
@JamesCleverly
You want to add more stress into tomorrow?
DfE and OFSTED out of touch and not taking school concerns seriously.
127
460
2K
You can’t see your friends.
You must go to work.
You can’t use public transport.
You must go to work.
Your boss will keep you safe, ignore the unions.
You must go to work.
Got it?
70
967
2K
When a team of doctors, scientists and engineers at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge placed an air filtration machine in COVID-19 wards, they found that it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2.
66
1K
2K
I support head teachers marching today because Govt smoke & mirrors on school funding can’t hide these facts:
Last year there were
✔️66,000 more pupils
But
❌5,400 fewer teachers
❌2,800 fewer TAs
❌1,400 fewer support staff
❌1,200 fewer auxiliary staff
RT
#StillNotListening
47
2K
2K
This is disgraceful child abuse.
34% of 11 yr olds have been sent letters saying they have not reached an “expected standard”. Politicians
- Made up this standard.
- Ignored academics.
- Failed to fund schools or prepare teachers.
- Then blamed children.
They should resign
190
2K
2K
EXCLUSIVE: Sting backs teachers' strike and brands Tories 'a disgrace' over pay dispute
The 71-year-old was a primary school teacher before he found stardom, and he says educating children is too important to skimp on.
18
559
2K
Please play this tweet from Esther McVey with your sound on.
Looking out from my window in Westminster…
Striking teachers…
5K
1K
6K
333
834
2K
Remember how the Govt told us Review Bodies were “independent” and they accepted their recommendations in full?
Here you can see Sunak, Barclay & Shapps saying so & Gillian Keegan nodding on the front bench.
Now they plan to ignore 6.5%
Not on!
#SaveOurSchools
#DoYourJobGill
51
1K
2K
We are balloting more than 300,000 teachers and support staff in more than 23,000 nurseries, schools and colleges.
We are demanding FULLY FUNDED pay rises which AT LEAST match inflation.
66
507
2K
We cannot afford to not give a pay rise
📉 47,496 nursing vacancies
🏥 7.2 million people waiting for treatment
❤️🩹 363,000 people out of work due to long-term illness
Share this if you agree🔁
#PayUp
#RCNStrike
50
1K
2K
I’m looking forward to meeting Gillian Keegan as new Secretary of State for Education.
What should be priority for that meeting?
Choose one of the options or like for ALL THREE.
RT for a bigger sample.
Add more thoughts in replies.
School Funding
7029
Pay
2095
Ofsted reform/abolition
1314
155
315
2K
Today is my last day in NEU head office & I am full of emotion.
I have really enjoyed 40 years as an activist & a union officer: helping those who work in our schools and colleges and the children they teach.
Being part of a movement to shift the balance towards working people
166
143
2K
Just talking with a parent; her son is in year 11 and had 6 lessons today. 5 were taken by supply staff.
The level of disruption in education and for exam classes must not be ignored.
84
389
2K
Please RT if you think the Govt in England should at least follow the Scottish Govt’s rules on Covid in school: on mask wearing and on isolation of very close contacts until a negative PCR.
56
1K
2K
The Daily Mail says we are standing in education workers way. NEU had 7.5k new members in last 3 days; 2.4k reps on a call yesterday & 100k response to a survey in 2 days.
Our members want to get back to wider opening. When it’s safe.
Our
#FiveTests
are responsible & sensible.
94
701
2K
just met two science teachers, delegates to our annual conference.
The biologist told me her department, at quite a nice grammar school, has just advertised for a biology A-level teacher. No candidates with a degree in biology came forward.
140
606
2K
Don’t be a hypocrite Rishi.
You said you’d honour Review Bodies even if they were more than you wanted.
Now you plan to give teachers even less.
It’s not on Rishi.
#PayUpRishi
#SaveOurSchools
37
719
2K
“If only teachers grew on trees, like education secretaries.”
12
262
2K
What’s behind the success of the vaccination program?
“Capitalism and greed”
Or
✅ A well organised public service like the NHS
✅ Thousands of citizen volunteers
✅ Salaried scientists working for the public good

17
432
2K
Superb. So many thanks to
@LoyleCarner
@glastonbury
for his support for striking teachers; including his mum and his girlfriend!
#SaveOurSchools
#DoYourJobGill
12
435
2K
The NEU stood up for community.
We should all be proud
I’m incredibly proud of the union’s actions over those days, and my role in them.
We should all be proud of the stand we collectively took.
#proudtobeNEU
76
156
2K
The Queen has two birthdays - the real one in April, an official one in June. A good idea.
So I’m starting a campaign for an ‘Offical Christmas’ bank extra holiday and family get together in June.
All vaccinated, a real party.
Who’s with me?
64
200
2K
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) called for the Government to move all schools to home learning for a “brief and determined period for most children”, adding that the new strain had created “intolerable risk” to schools,
32
489
2K
Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson were more concerned with opposing the NEU than they were with public and school safety.
We continually pointed to the science, sought to understand it, proposed the best actions on that basis.
They played games.
BREAKING 🚨| The Conservative government IGNORED Covid safety warnings in schools because ministers 'didn't want to give an inch to unions'.
Released WhatsApp messages at the Covid Inquiry have revealed:
Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson REJECTED calls for masks in schools…
430
5K
10K
38
542
2K
Teacher vacancies are growing.
Teacher retention is getting even worse.
Teacher recruitment is the same
Where is Gillian Keegan?
Where is the STRB report?
#TellGill
#PublishSTRB
#StartTalks
44
656
2K
This is what we think needs to happen in Early Years.
1. Early years open for Key Worker and Vulnerable children only: to get cases down.
2. No financial loss for Early Years settings: we will need them coming out of lockdown
3. Furlough for parents who have to stay home.
37
505
2K
This is why the speculation on opening schools should now cease.
75
782
2K
A rumour on Twitter that the schools announcment is tomorrow.
We have asked Gavin Willimson directly and he told us its not true and said we were free to tweet that this was the case
50
590
2K
What the Prime Minister said about pay review bodies only last December…
What a hypocrite.
#PayUpRishi
28
732
2K
Looks like we are going to have a defend a fundamental right - the right to strike.
Kwasi Kwarteng says he will stop strikes derailing our country - because he is unashamedly “pro business”.
84
499
1K
Wow! 40,000 teacher left teaching last year! That’s a huge 9% of all teachers. And 90% of those were pre-retirement. This is astonishing, a crisis.
What is Gillian Keegan doing about it?
#DoYourJobGill
43
764
2K
In one school the head was insisting that all staff travel every day in order to teach online lessons from empty classrooms.
This is clearly in breach of government guidance that you should work from home if you can.
1/3
63
426
1K
Gavin Williamson was useless. A liability. A danger to the community. He should be prosecuted for making Greenwich keep its schools open the week before Christmas when the virus was growing so rapidly there.
10
212
1K
Wow! MP launches shocking attack on headteacher for daring to speak about poverty & hunger some of her pupils face.
Pls RT & support this brave head.
#SpeakUpForOurPupils
.
190
3K
1K
The behaviour of
@AbbotsHill
school governors is like P&O. They’ve sacked their staff will only re-hire them without the Teacher Pension Scheme. Lots of teachers leaving the school. We are taking more strike action and asking parents for support.
#NoFireRehire
#AbbotsHillStrike
39
707
1K
The NEU is calling two days of strike on Wed 5 July and Fri 7 July.
A big reason we are striking this term is that we suspect Gillian Keegan intends not even to implement the 6.5% leaked from the STRB report.
1/3
52
450
1K
I asked an AI bot why teachers in England should NOT get a pay rise.
It’s answer is brilliant….
19
346
1K
I’m proud of every NEU member who came to our meeting this Sunday, of our reps, of everyone who took a stand for safety.
Now we have to fight together for education.
Demand our 10 point plan
60
398
1K
This horrible story is completely untrue.
Teachers & support staff are hard at work - making sure key workers children are looked after, supporting learning at home and efforts to support vulnerable children.
They want to get back to school as soon as it is safe to do so. 1/4
77
659
1K
What’s the truth about the 9% pay rise for teachers story?
The story this week is a confection designed by Govt to confuse the public.
Here is the truth.
Thread…
37
622
1K
shocking.
but not shocked.
all that blather about “get schools open because disadvantaged kids fall behind”
but no effort to deal with the disadvantage.
No.10 rejects calls for school free school meal vouchers (given in Easter hols) to be extended to the summer holidays. “The voucher scheme will NOT run over the summer.”
191
864
950
33
729
1K
Just hearing: Swale Academy Trust has moved all its schools to online, key worker and vulnerable only in schools across Kent and East Sussex.
27
323
1K
And Mr Raab,
where should the schools put the children, given your failure to invest in ventilation?
Asking for a profession,
12
200
1K
Professor Stephen Reicher of SAGE says we are in a real emergency.
We have more cases than in March & the new variant is more transmissible - but measures are weaker.
He says the definition of critical worker re schools is far too wide.
#ProtectCommunities
#MakeSchoolsSafe
43
603
1K
Just hearing of some secondary schools that, under public health advice, have had to send home the whole of year 11.
This is why the NEU argued for smaller bubble sizes - and smaller class sizes.
The Government should have listened.
65
456
1K
Wow!
Can the PM really ignore these figures?
The cases amongst secondary pupils are FIFTY times what they were on Sept 1st!
And these children live in families and in communities.
71
794
1K
I decided to come and see what the
@Womens_Place_UK
meeting was all about tonight.
The protestors outside are banging on the windows so loud that you can’t hear yourself think inside. That can’t be the right way to deal with the issue
#WPUKLab19
76
307
1K
A part of my speech to the huge, huge CWU postal worker strike rally yesterday.
All solidarity to the
@CWUnews
from
@NEUnion
All solidarity to postal workers from teachers and support staff.
#ThompsonOut
27
374
1K
RT if you agree!
Westminster Govt must AT LEAST match Scot school measures
✅ Isolation of very close contacts
✅ Masks
✅ Improvements in vaccination
✅ Investment in ventilation
✅ PM to advocate for LFT tests
45
918
1K
"Stop your strikes, so we can talk" said Gillian Keegan in Feb & March
Bear in mind that:
despite our dispute being about last Sept's pay rise
(of 5% when inflation was 12%)...
she didn't meet with us in person until 9 Jan when our strike ballot was nearly completed.
1/5
9
381
1K
This day, keep in your mind the families & colleagues of:
Wendy Jacobs, primary head
Emma Clark, brilliant science teacher
Indro Sen, highly regarded maths teacher
Carole Flynn, learning mentor, heart & soul of her school
Kate Fox, much loved literacy teacher
RIP
#StayHome
15
385
1K
Just hearing: The Association of Kent Headteachers is pressing Kent County Council to move to all Primaries closed - as in London- rather than some in/others out ...
29
295
1K
Unanimous vote and standing ovation at NAHT conference for the motion calling for a ballot for strike action.
#Unity
#SaveOurSchools
16
211
1K
Urgent press release
National Education Union calls for schools and colleges to be closed during 4 week national lockdown
74
532
1K
Our mass zoom meeting on Sun 3 Jan 2021 - 40k in the meeting, 400k watching, was possibly the biggest political meeting in UK history.
Our advice to use Section 44 to refuse to attend work made the difference.
Hardly any schools opened; Johnson was forced to make the choice.
31
174
1K
Tell the truth
The Govt tells us there are 5.5% more teachers than in 2010 (24,000 more)
But they ignore the 13.4% more school pupils aged than in 2010 (930,000 more!)
So class sizes are up:
Primary the highest in Europe.
Secondary the highest since records began.
#SaveOurSchools
25
478
1K
Ive asked year 6 teachers about this year SATs
Here is one reply
My ‘best’ reader, who has achieved greater depth in every past paper this half term, didn’t get to the last 2 questions yesterday and was in tears.
71
234
1K
Covid cases amongst children at their highest during the pandemic.
Is Gavin on Holiday?
63
503
1K
I’m on my way to Parliament to talk to MPs and Peers about why we have profound concerns about the Oak National Academy.
Oak is a supposedly independent “arms length” body.
However…
48
351
1K
Please read this - and RT
If I were the Govt I would be very worried about this email that one of our members has sent:
“Dear Chancellor,
Having served in the Royal Marines for 28 years, I have always voted for your party believing you to have the nation’s interests at heart.
26
574
1K
The stakes are high around Gary Lineker.
If employers get the idea they can police your tweets outside work, not for obscenity or hate, but for political viewpoint, what then?
64
207
1K
1 Michael Gove
2 Nicky Morgan
3 Justine Greening
4 Damian Hinds
5 Gavin Williamson
6 Nadhim Zahawi
7 Michelle Donelan
8 James Cleverly
9 Kit Malthouse
12 years - 9 SoS for Education
A revolving door
Is there a serious commitment to education?
Notably, no teachers amongst ‘em.
41
329
1K
This is Royal Mail boss Rico Back.
He receives a £2.7 million pay packet.
He pays no UK tax on it because he is based in Switzerland.
He is trying every trick to stop the postal workers being able to exercise their right to strike.
I support the posties.
@CWUnews
#WeRiseAgain
34
773
990
The Govt is apparently going to pay overseas teachers £10k to come to work here.
This is no surprise. The Govt is doing so badly on its recruitment and retention of teachers here.
it’s happened before and overseas teachers have been treated very badly.
1/4
44
308
1K
The NEU actions over those days saved 1000s of lives - not mainly the lives of children or even most teachers - but of clinically extremely vulnerable teachers, parents and grandparents who hadn’t yet been vaccinated - & you couldn’t always tell in advance who was vulnerable.
22
130
1K
Wow - this is a worrying bit of data manipulation by the Government.
They’ve readjusted what gets a red rating - by a factor of 7.
Red was 30/100k.
Now it’s 230/100k.
Are they taking our lives seriously?
57
929
1K
Sensible news from Wales. The govt there will keep mask wearing in schools until the end of this term. SAGE think mask wearing, and mass testing suppress transmission in schools by one third. What a pity Gavin Williamson doesn't have the same sense as Wales.
42
312
1K
@Womens_place_UK
The
@women
’s_place_uk meeting is coming to an end.
I’m very pleased to have come. I’ve heard opinions that the protestors wouldn’t agree with. I haven’t heard any hate speech. When the speeches are put online in time I will share links so you can judge for yourself
#WPUKLab19
37
205
947
Brilliant from
@PeterStefanovi2
Every teacher, every
@NEUnion
member should watch this.
#DoYourJobGill
#SaveOurSchools
Rishi Sunak is preparing his Government’s latest shameless CON - this time against our teachers. Watch this in disbelief & if you share my anger RT it widely. If UK news shows can’t get the job done let’s damn well do it ourselves!
#FairPayForTeachers
120
4K
5K
6
604
970
Where is Gillian Keegan?
Why isn’t she answering questions about the fire state of teacher recruitment?
#SaveOurSchools
30
207
974