The teaching profession has lost one of its most formidable and controversial champions with the death of Nigel de Gruchy, the former general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union. He was 82.
A unionist who prioritised teachers over pupils
De Gruchy, who led the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers from 1990 to 2002, was a staunch advocate for putting the interests of teachers ahead of those of their pupils. While this stance was a logical position for a trade unionist, it frequently sparked public debate and placed him at odds with politicians and education officials.
He was not deterred by controversy, however, often relishing a public fight. He understood that media attention could bolster his campaigns. This approach won him few friends in Westminster or Whitehall, but it secured significant victories that improved conditions for school staff across the UK.
Key victories on pay, workload and discipline
Shortly after taking the helm at the NASUWT, de Gruchy played a pivotal role in persuading John Major's government to establish an independent teachers' pay review body. This was a major achievement for the profession.
Another landmark win came in 1993, following a legal battle with Wandsworth council. The union had advised members to boycott what they deemed excessive testing and assessment duties linked to the national curriculum. After initially losing the case, the NASUWT triumphed on appeal. This led directly to the 1994 Dearing review, which substantially reduced teacher involvement in pupil testing.
De Gruchy was a powerful voice against unsustainable workloads, coining his own famous trio of priorities in response to Tony Blair's "education, education, education". For de Gruchy, the mantra was "workload, workload, workload". He consistently argued that overwhelming demands were driving talented educators out of classrooms.
Perhaps his most publicised campaign focused on classroom violence and disruption. He fiercely defended his members' right to refuse to teach violent or persistently disruptive pupils. This policy came to a head in 1996 at The Ridings School in Halifax, where teaching was suspended after 60 pupils were declared "unteachable".
De Gruchy believed some children were not suited to mainstream schooling and used characteristically blunt language to make his point. "I'd rather see them on the streets wrecking cars than in the classroom wrecking lessons," he once stated.
A master communicator who grew union membership
Renowned for his sharp, media-friendly soundbites – one commentator said he "shot from the lip" – de Gruchy was a consummate communications professional. He ensured he was always available to the press, with ISDN lines installed at both his office and home.
This strategy proved highly successful for the NASUWT. Under his leadership, membership soared from 120,000 to over 200,000, cementing its position as the second-largest teachers' union. He served on the TUC General Council from 1989 to 2003 and was an executive member of Educational International, representing millions of teachers worldwide.
His pugnacious style did attract media criticism. His final conference speech in Scarborough attacked politicians of all stripes for creating classroom problems and then blaming teachers. This provoked a stinging Guardian editorial that accused him of the very vanity he criticised in others.
From Jersey to the head of the NASUWT
Nigel Ronald Anthony de Gruchy was born in Jersey on 28 January 1943, during the German occupation of the Channel Islands. He was the fourth of five children. His childhood was challenging; his father, a talented insurance salesman, struggled with alcoholism, and the family fell into poverty, at one point living in a disused convent.
Educated at De La Salle College, he refused to follow his brothers into priesthood training. He stayed in Jersey when his family moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1959, losing contact with his father for two decades after his parents' marriage ended.
He studied economics and philosophy at the University of Reading, graduating in 1965. His determination was evident from the start: upon arrival, he found his chosen course cancelled but insisted on studying it alone rather than transferring. After teaching stints in Spain and France, he gained a PGCE in London in 1969 and began teaching economics at St Joseph's Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Blackheath.
He joined the NAS (later NASUWT) soon after starting his teaching career, quickly rising through the ranks. He served on the union executive from 1975, became assistant secretary (effectively its press officer), and was deputy general secretary from 1982 until his election as general secretary in 1990.
In retirement, he played golf, joined the Labour Party, and stood as the Labour candidate for Orpington in the 2015 and 2017 general elections. He also authored a history of the NASUWT covering 1919 to 2002.
He is survived by his wife, Judy, whom he met while teaching in France and married in 1970, and their son, Paul. Nigel de Gruchy died on 29 November 2025.
