AIMS & CONSTITUTION

HISTORY & STRUCTURE

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

MEMORIAL

LECTURES

OFFICERS

The S.E.A. is an independent socialist educational organisation, affiliated to the Labour Party.  For 75 years until after the 1997 general election the S.E.A. was the Labour Party's think tank on educational matters.  Today, following the changes in the structures of the Labour Party,  we are committed to promoting the S.E.A. as a critical friend of the Labour Party. Our journal, Education Politics, gives the views of the S.E.A. on the latest developments in education and reflects the experience and expertise of our members. The CONSTITUTION OF THE S.E.A. is here.

The AIMS of the S.E.A.

• 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 is free and suitably resourced

• 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

• 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

• To enable all socialists interested in education to assist in formulating a socialist educational programme for the Labour Party

• To encourage support for a socialist vision of education among teachers and their educational and professional associations

• To make available to the education service and the general public comment and information on educational issues

HISTORY

The Association has a proud history. Since its inception as the National Association of Labour Teachers in the 1920s, it has grown into a broader church and been re-named the “Socialist Educational Association”. Over the years the SEA has fought and won many battles for a socialist perspective on education within the Labour Party. Today, with the Labour Party in government, it remains "a critical friend".

STRUCTURE

The Association is organised on a structure of Branches, each Branch being loosely based on an LEA area. The Association has a National Executive Committee which meets 8 times a year at different venues throughout the country - any member of SEA is eligible and welcome to attend NEC meetings. The NEC is comprised of nationally elected members: Officers, plus 8 women and 8 men; together with delegates from the branches.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Association has its own Annual conference usually held in June each year. All SEA members are encouraged to attend, either as part of their branch delegation or as individual members. Conference is held at a different venue each year. 

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS

The S.E.A. Constitution prescribes that "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."

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 2007

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 2006

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 2005

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 2004

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 2003

THE CAROLINE BENN MEMORIAL LECTURES

are given annually in honour of the SEA president from 1973 to 2000 and its inspiration for many years. Caroline died on 17th November 2000. The lectures are accessible in the archive below:

2001 : Geoff Whitty gave the first lecture.

2002 : Clyde Chitty

2003 : Sally Tomlinson

2004 : Richard Pring

2005 : Melissa Benn & Fiona Millar

2006 : Peter Mortimore

2007 : Terry Wrigley

S.E.A.  Officers  2007 - 2008

PRESIDENT

Professor Richard Pring (see Biography below)

VICE PRESIDENTS 

Kelvin Hopkins,M.P., Max Morris, Michaela Oddy, Eric Robinson, Joanna Tait 

GENERAL SECRETARY  

Richard Sidley, 16 Meadow Avenue, Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 4NX

ORGANISING SECRETARY
Martin Doré, 6 Preston Avenue, Highams Park, London E4 9NL  tel: 0208 531 9836

CHAIR 

Tony Pearce, 33 North Castle Street, Stafford ST16 2EH. tel: 01785 244558; 

07808 767403

VICE CHAIR

 Sheila Doré, 6 Preston Avenue, Highams Park, London E4 9NL  tel: 0208 531 9836

TREASURER

Debbie Burton, 6 Whalley Avenue, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3FD. tel: 0161 224 0591; 07717 443003

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

Kath Fry, 90 Neston Street, Higher Openshaw, Manchester M11 1HZ.  tel: 0161 2856460; 07762 388011

RECRUITMENT SECRETARY   
Malcolm Horne, 43 Orchard Grove, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks. SL9 9ET tel: 01753 883739

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR

Allan Houliston, 2 Shillington Mill, Shillington Road, Gravenhurst, Bedford MK45 4JE

 tel 01462 711506 

Biography of our President, Professor Richard Pring 

Richard Pring is currently leading the Nuffield review on 14-19 Education and Training for England and Wales - £1 million funding from the Nuffield Foundation.  This raises all issues concerned with 14-19:  aims of education, cultural and economic context in which young people today have to learn, the performance of the system in terms of achievements and failures (and the reconciliation of conflicting statistics), the curriculum and qualifications, the quality and training of teachers, the institutional provision and funding, the preparation for work and the involvement of employers.  The four years of what he says is hard but worthwhile work, terminates next March with a major report.

In 2003 he retired from being Director of the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies after 14 years, the pride of which was the innovative Internship Scheme of teacher education and the much improved research profile in the Research Assessment Exercises.  Prior to that he had been professor of education at the University of Exeter, lecturer in Curriculum Studies at the Institute of education in London and at Goldsmiths College and a teacher in London comprehensive schools.

However, he says he increasingly looks back to the two years as an Assistant Principal at the Ministry of Education in Curzon Street, when, as a member of the Curriculum Study Group, he was involved in the setting up of the Schools Council.  It was there that he first met Max Morris, as the Ministry negotiated delicately with the teachers' unions, the representatives of the local authorities and others over the setting up of the Schools Council. That was a model of collaboration and democratisation in educational policy and curriculum practice which has sadly been forgotten but which continues to be an inspiration.

He has rejoined the Labour Party, having resigned over Iraq and academies. He feels strongly that there needs to be a return to greater democratisation of educational decision making at the local level - the return to some sort of local control and responsibility in the face of the creation of independent and differentially funded academies.  The termination of local education authorities is something which he believes is to be deeply regretted, and he says it should be a major task of SEA to explore how that might in some way be restored.

Jackie Lukes' sketchbook