NASUWT appoints new national president
Over his career, Wayne Broom has been an advocate for teachers, serving as a school representative, health and safety representative, and in multiple leadership roles within the NASUWT
Teacher’s Union NASUWT has appointed Middlesbrough College maths teacher Wayne Broom as the new national president.
Wayne brings a wealth of life experience and an unwavering commitment to the teaching profession, having journeyed from the depths of South Yorkshire’s coal mines to the top of the teaching union.
Raised in the village of Norton, South Yorkshire, his early career saw him working as an apprentice electrician at Askern Colliery, following the footsteps of his father and uncles.
In the 1980s he dug coal as well as his job as an apprentice electrician and for seven years continued his education on day release at Doncaster College where he gained qualifications in Electrical Engineering and worked underground and on the surface as a Class 1 Electrician.
During the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike he stayed out on strike with his fellow miners, but nearly a decade later Askern was closed as part of the Conservative Government’s policy of shutting the majority of the nation’s pits and Wayne was made redundant. It was this event that saw him take the steps he needed to start his second career as a teacher.
He initially taught in West Yorkshire schools before relocating to the North East, where he currently teaches at Middlesbrough College.
Over his career, he has been an advocate for teachers, serving as a school representative, health and safety representative, and in multiple leadership roles within the NASUWT. He was elected junior vice president in 2023 and has been a familiar face at NASUWT events across the country.
Wayne said: “At the end of the day, I’m Wayne Broom, a proud NASUWT member, just like all our members. I’ve walked in their shoes and shared their challenges. It’s a privilege to serve as their president.”
“For too long supply teachers have been let down by government after government. Having been a supply teacher for seven years, I know first-hand how it has been. In many areas there is a lack of work for supply teachers as schools, due to lack of funding, are covering lessons with the teachers they have and teaching assistants, this can’t go on.”
He continued: “There is too much accountability on teachers, who are constantly observed through learning walks, and drop-ins, supposedly for support, but it is often used as another way of finding faults. There are too many teachers leaving the profession due to this and adverse management practices. Teachers need to be respected, they need to have their autonomy back.
“The academy program has left the system fractured, there is no accountability on those at the top, leading to teachers and students suffering. They see it as a business where costs need to be kept down on staffing and resources.”