Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Association of Teachers and Lecturers | |
| Founded | 1884 (as Association of Assistant Mistresses) |
|---|---|
Members | 123,813 (2006 figure)[1] |
| Affiliations | Education International, Trades Union Congress, Irish Congress of Trade Unions |
| Website | www.atl.org.uk |
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is a trade union, teacher's union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education. Approximately 123,000 individuals belong to the union (apart from those professions included in the name, education support staff and teaching assistants are also members), making it the third largest teaching and education union in the UK.
They work in collaboration with the Association of University Teachers which represents educators in higher education.
Governance and administration
ATL is led by a President and Executive Committee who are assisted by a General Secretary. All senior officers and officials are elected by an Association wide ballot and the overall direction is determined by the Annual Conference which had delegates from each branch.
The President serves a one-year term and since September 2007 has been Julia Neal. The current General Secretary is Dr Mary Bousted.
History
The origins of ATL go back to 1884 when 180 women met to create the Association of Assistant Mistresses (AAM). These women worked in schools founded for higher education of girls. Their concern for primarily for the pupils. However, in 1921, the AAM appointed representatives to the newly-formed Burnham Committee on Salaries in Secondary Schools.
In 1891 saw the formation of the Association of Assistant Masters in Secondary Schools (AMA). Its purpose was to protect and improve the conditions of service of secondary teachers. Between 1899 and 1908 it played an influential part in obtaining security of tenure for assistant teachers through the Endowed Schools Act.
Then in 1978 AAM and AMA merged to form the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association (AMMA) with a membership of approximately 75,000.
The name was changed in 1993 to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
General Secretaries from 1978
- 1978: Andrew Hutchings and Joyce Baird
- 1979: Geoff Beynon and Joyce Baird
- 1988: Peter Smith and Joyce Baird
- 1990: Peter Smith
- 2003: Mary Bousted
References
http://www.atl.org.uk/atl_en/about/history/
See also
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