The policy, backed by West Sussex County Council, outlines best practice for schools in supporting staff experiencing menopause symptoms; this includes access to reasonable adjustments, awareness training for line managers, and clear communication about legal rights. It’s part of a wider campaign by West Sussex NEU to challenge what it says is a growing pattern of gender-based inequality in schools and colleges.
“The feedback we’ve had from members has been powerful,” said Yasmine Talebian, joint assistant secretary of the West Sussex NEU district. “Too many women in education are being pushed out of the profession through misuse of capability proceedings when what they need is support, understanding, and lawful adjustments. Brain fog is real. So is the Equality Act 2010. And so is the union standing behind you.”
The menopause campaign is just one part of a bigger programme of organising by West Sussex NEU’s women’s network, which has seen policy development, action meetings, and new reps’ training materials rolled out across the district over the past year. A recent networking day in Brighton (attended by guest speaker Mairead Canavan, the NEU’s national lead on equalities) highlighted the twin issues of menopause support and discrimination against women overseas teachers. The day also featured a guided walk on the radical women of Sussex, rooting the fight for dignity in the workplace in a longer local tradition.
“There’s a saying in Sussex: We wunt be druv, and West Sussex district women are living up to that local motto,” said Jackie Baker, the union’s district women’s officer. “We’re not just raising awareness, we’re acting together to make schools better, fairer places for the women who work in them.”
Other key priorities have included championing the rights of the part-time workforce (the majority of whom are women) and fighting back against local authority policies that penalise women returning from maternity leave. West Sussex is one of the few local authorities in the country to impose an ‘exceptional circumstances’ test on keeping in touch (KIT) days, a move the union describes as outdated and discriminatory.
Many women still feel isolated when their rights are denied, and some leave the profession rather than risk the stress and stigma of fighting alone. Jennifer, who recently left teaching, described how economic pressures and inflexible working patterns pushed her to walk away:
“I didn’t push the part time as I knew that even with part time, teaching is still so inflexible. With my husband away so much, him being the breadwinner, the cost of childcare, the pittance I’d have left of my pay cheque vs the stress levels, it was the end of the road. Anecdotally, female teachers who I have spoken to have had similar reasons and circumstances for leaving; pay versus child care costs being a major factor, the majority of men still being higher earners, plus the emotional toll of parenthood and teaching. I think also the feeling has been that at this point in life was the best time to get out as there was ‘still time’ to retrain, try another career.”
Figures from the Department for Education show women in their 30s remain the largest group leaving the profession, and local union reps say these stories are often hidden behind neutral-sounding HR language. “Professional autonomy and dignity are being eroded,” adds Beth Gudgeon, Yasmine’s fellow joint assistant secretary. “But when we act collectively, we remind employers that equality isn’t optional - it’s the law.”
The NEU’s work is ongoing, and district officers say they will continue to push West Sussex County Council to scrap the ‘exceptional circumstances’ barrier to KIT days. Meanwhile, they urge women members to talk to their reps and join collective efforts to assert their rights; not just as individuals, but as part of a movement.
As Jackie Baker puts it: “West Sussex’s women members are really living up to that local motto; We Wunt Be Druv.”