MOST organisations get upset when they find someone else is using their title but not, it would seem, the Professional Association of Teachers, which has found itself sharing its acronym with the Government’s new computer system, the Pupil Achievement Tracker.
Jean Gemmell, general secretary of the tiny union, says she feels all publicity for the name will be good publicity. “The PAT has a tendency to be squeezed out by other unions, so it could help raise our profile,” she says. And what of Charles Clarke’s comment that “PAT will help teachers improve the life chances of every one of their pupils.” A contented sigh from Mrs Gemmell. “We’ve always thought that,” she says.
