By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor
Nicky Morgan was the first Tory Education Secretary to address the NASUWT since 1997, but it all went wrong, which seems to be the way things go for Morgan at the moment.
She was viciously heckled by teachers angry at the Conservative plans for academy schools.
Teachers shouted out “rubbish” at her as she tried to sell them he plans for the academisation of state schools.
This follows on from the Chancellor, who announced in the Budget that all remaining local authority schools will become academies by 2022.
There are fears that this will mean that the state will give away property to the private sector and teaching to individual interests; which can’t be controlled by education authorities.
Ms Morgan did initially tried get the crowd onside.
“Teachers are the pinnacle of the community, charged with the greatest of responsibilities, moulding the next generation,” she said.
“It isn’t for me or officials in Whitehall or Ofsted to decide how best to teach or run schools, it’s for you, the teachers who know better than anyone what works in the classroom.”
But things quickly turned against her as she had a pop at the unions, not the wisest choice considering the crowd she was addressing
She said: “The teaching unions have a choice – spend the next four years doing battle with us, doing down the profession you represent or stepping up, seizing the opportunity provided by our White Paper.”
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates, said of Morgan: “Don’t allow yourself to become the next Iain Duncan Smith; listen to the concerns being raised.”
Watch the video here