Socialist Educational AssociationCONSTITUTION OF THE S.E.A.Formally adopted by the Annual Conference held on 19th June 1999 1. NAME The name of the organisation is the Socialist Educational Association 2. OBJECTIVES (i) To promote the learning society, and to develop the full potential of each individual by aiming for a non-selective education service, which has equality of opportunity and lifelong availability of adequate provision throughout the UK within which compulsory education free and suitably resourced (ii) To promote an international and multi-cultural perspective to education through a curriculum with a global dimension and liaison with relevant organisations, particularly those in Europe (iii) To assist in the development and monitoring of the educational policies of the Labour Party in accordance with these objectives and to enlist the support of the Trade Union and Co-operative movements accordingly (iv) To enable all socialists interested in education to assist in formulating a socialist educational programme for the Labour Party (v) To encourage support for a socialist vision of education among teachers and their educational and professional associations (vi) To make available to the education service and the general public comment and information on educational issues 3. MEMBERSHIP (i) Full individual membership of the SEA shall be open to anyone eligible to join the Labour Party who subscribes to the above objectives (ii) Application for membership shall be by an application form (iii) The procedure for suspension or removal from membership is shown in Appendix 1 (iv) Annual Conference may award Life Membership to any member who has given outstanding service to the SEA. 4. AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONS (I) Organisations eligible for affiliation to the Labour Party at national or local level may apply for acceptance as an organisation affiliated to the Association at national level. Branches of such organisations together with Constituency Labour Parties and Labour Party branches, may also apply for affiliation nationally and, on acceptance, shall automatically be affiliated to the relevant branch of the Association. Members of affiliated organisations may attend and take part in the business of the meetings but each affiliated organisation shall have only one vote (ii) Any person representing an affiliated organisation shall be subject to Article 3 (i) above. 5. POLICY FORMATION The members shall control the Association. Its policies shall further the objectives as in paragraph 2. Resolutions passed at Annual or Special Conferences shall be implemented by the National Executive Committee (NEC). Matters requiring decisions between conferences shall be determined by the NEC, wherever possible following consultation with members. The NEC shall submit a written report to Conference on its activities during the previous year. 6. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (i) The affairs of the SEA shall be administered by a National Executive Committee which shall be elected annually (ii) Composition of NEC : (a) The officers: who shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, General Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Recruitment Officer, Organising Secretary and Editor of Publications The desirability of having gender balance amongst the officers should be recognised. (b) Other members of the NEC shall be: 1) Eight men 2 ) Eight women 3 ) A representative of any branch with 35 or more individual members, (who must live or work within the Branch area). Any Branch with more than 100 members may have a second representative 4) Any national affiliated organisation (paying the full subscription) may appoint (elect) one member 5) The local/regional affiliates (the regions being coterminous with those of the Labour Party) may elect one member from within their region (c) A President and up to six Vice-Presidents who shall be members of the Association, shall be appointed each year by Annual Conference (d) The NEC has the right to co-opt members as deemed advisable (e) Any member of the SEA may attend meetings of the NEC as an observer. Any affiliated organisation may also send one observer. An observer may take part in discussions but shall have no vote. The NEC may require observers to withdraw for a specific item. (iii) Other matters: a) Membership of the NEC shall be dependant upon the outcome of annual elections which shall be held for each place, (see Appendix 2 for the conduct of elections) b) The NEC shall appoint a Finance and General Purposes Committee which shall meet at least twice a year to oversee the financial affairs of the Association and to action administrative matters referred to it by the NEC. Its membership shall be the Officers plus three members from the NEC elected by the NEC. Other sub- committees or working groups may be set up by the NEC for specific purposes as appropriate c) Officers shall not serve for more than five years in any one position or for more than ten years in succession in two or more positions except that a year’s extension may be granted by the NEC to one officer if two or more are standing down in the same year d) The roles of officers are given in Appendix 5 e) Standing orders for the conduct of the NEC are set out in Appendix 7 and shall be reviewed annually 7. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FINANCE (i) Membership of the Association shall commence upon acceptance by the National Membership Secretary of the appropriate subscription or direct debit authorisation application form (ii) Membership of the Association shall entitle the member to receive the Association’s Newsletter and such other publications appearing from time to time as the National Executive Committee shall determine (iii) The annual individual subscription shall be determined by the Annual Conference (iv) Affiliated organisations shall be liable to pay the subscription as decided by Annual Conference (v) Membership normally runs from 1 January to 31 December and members not renewing by 31 March are deemed to have lapsed. People joining or re-joining the Association after 31 August pay the next year’s subscription rate and are members from the date of joining to 31 December of the following year (vi) A proportion of the subscription to be determined by the National Executive Committee, but not less than 10% on individuals and 50% on affiliates, shall normally be paid to local branches (vii) The financial year shall run from 1 January to 31 December. Audited accounts shall be presented to the next A.G.M. 8. BRANCHES (i) Any local group of normally 10 members or persons eligible and intending to become members may apply to the National Executive Committee for recognition as a Branch of the Association. Branches may be coterminous with the boundaries of one or more LEAs, but may put forward proposals for branch areas to be on a different basis. The National Executive shall have the power to define the area covered by any branch. Branches shall have local autonomy subject only to the provisions of the constitution and policy of the Association as decided at Annual or Special Conferences. A member is eligible to join the Branch covering his/her workplace or place of residence. Enquiries on forming branches should be sent to the General Secretary (ii) Procedures for the setting up, conduct, suspension of and withdrawal of recognition from Branches shall be determined by the National Executive Committee and set out in "Rules and Standing Orders for Branches" to be reviewed annually by the National Executive Committee after Annual Conference (see Appendix 4) 9. ANNUAL CONFERENCE / ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM shall receive an annual report from the NEC, elect Honorary President and Vice -Presidents, consider any constitutional amendments, discuss policy papers on education and other matters submitted by the NEC together with issues raised by branches and individuals and decide on any resolution to be submitted to the Annual Conference of the Labour Party. The arrangements for and conduct of the AGM are in Appendix 6 10. SPECIAL CONFERENCE A special Conference shall be summoned either (i) by decision of the National Executive Committee, or (ii) by the request in writing of not less than ten per cent of the membership, setting forth the terms of the matter to be considered. At least four weeks’ notice of a Special Conference must be sent to all members. 11. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION Alterations to the Constitution may be made by ordinary motion and single majority at Annual Conference, provided that notice of the proposed change is received by the General Secretary by 31 March. The General Secretary shall, after 1 April, notify all members of any proposed changes that have been received.
APPENDIX TO THE CONSTITUTION
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