HOW times change. Public-sector union Unison, which represents classroom assistants, invited Eamonn O’Kane, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, to a fringe meeting with Christine McAnea, its head of education. The two now see eye to eye over the future role of assistants. Thankfully, nobody mentioned the fact that Mr O’Kane‘s predecessor ,Nigel de Gruchy, now TUC president had caused great offence by appearing to refer to them as “pig-ignorant peasants”. Ms McAnea believes ministers’ desire to give heads’ local control over pay is putting at risk hopes of a national pay structure for support staff. She said heads would be tempted to use extra money to employ extra staff rather than reward skills and experience gained by those already in post.

Tony Blair this week turned his back on the school his party once cherished. Jon Slater and Warwick Mansell report from Blackpool