{{Short description|British trade unionist (1943–2025)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} '''Nigel Ronald Anthony de Gruchy''' (28 January 1943 – 29 November 2025) was a British trade union official.
==Early life and career== De Gruchy was born on Jersey, Channel Islands, on 28 January 1943.<ref name="garner" /> He attended De La Salle College on Jersey, then the University of Reading, where he graduated with a BA in economics and history. After a few years teaching English in Spain and France, during which time he received qualifications in French from the University of Paris and the Alliance Française, he completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of London. He became a teacher at St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath in London, rising to become its head of economics, and also joined the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), first being elected to its national executive in 1975.<ref name="whoswho">"[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U13382/de_GRUCHY_Nigel_Ronald_Anthony de Gruchy, Nigel Ronald Anthony]", ''Who's Who''</ref>
===NASUWT=== In 1978, de Gruchy became the full-time Assistant Secretary of the NASUWT, then in 1983 he became Deputy General Secretary, and in 1990 was elected as General Secretary of the union.<ref name="garner">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20100227085105/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/nigel-de-gruchy-the-teachers-leader-who-spoke-in-sound-bites-655741.html Nigel de Gruchy: The teachers' leader who spoke in sound bites]", ''The Independent'', 28 March 2002</ref>
As leader of the union, de Gruchy opposed the introduction of the National Curriculum. His opposition was a major reason why the Labour Party, on coming to power, commissioned the Dearing Report into education. De Gruchy also opposed the introduction of literacy and numeracy hours, and rejected a mooted merger between the NASUWT and rival teachers' unions.<ref>"A flawed leader", ''The Guardian'', 5 April 2002</ref> He retired as General Secretary in April 2002,<ref name="garner" /> but maintained connections with the union, writing ''History of the NASUWT 1919–2002: the story of a battling minority'', which was published in 2013.<ref name="whoswho" />
===Politics=== On retirement from the NASUWT, de Gruchy served for a year as President of the Trades Union Congress. In 2007, he was chosen as secretary of the Orpington Labour Party.<ref name="whoswho" /> He fought Orpington as the Labour candidate in both 2015 and 2017, being defeated on both occasions by the Conservative incumbent Jo Johnson. In 2015, at 72 years and 3 months, he claimed that he was the oldest first-time candidate to stand in the election, whereas in fact Ian Sanderson (Liberal Democrat, Romford) was the oldest at 73 years and 8 months.)<ref>Richard Vaughan, "[https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/former-nasuwt-leader-nigel-de-gruchy-stands-labour-candidate Former NASUWT leader Nigel de Gruchy stands as Labour candidate]", ''Times Educational Supplement'', 1 May 2015</ref>
===Death=== De Gruchy died on 29 November 2025, at the age of 82.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigel de Gruchy, teachers’ union leader who championed old-fashioned values in education |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2025/12/04/nigel-de-gruchy-teaching-union-leader-died-obituary/ |access-date=4 December 2025 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=4 December 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/1911096.stm Describing politicians as 'self-seeking, self-opinionated rogues' in April 2002]
{{s-start}} {{s-npo|union}} {{succession box|title=Deputy General Secretary of NASUWT|years=1983–1990|before=Fred Smithies|after=Eamonn O'Kane}} {{succession box|title=General Secretary of NASUWT|years=1990–2002|before=Fred Smithies|after=Eamonn O'Kane}} {{succession box|title=President of the Trades Union Congress|years=2003|before=Tony Young|after=Roger Lyons}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Gruchy, Nigel}} Category:1943 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Alumni of University of London Worldwide Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Alumni of the University of Reading Category:Jersey people Category:General secretaries of NASUWT Category:University of Paris alumni Category:Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Category:Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Category:People educated at De La Salle College, Jersey Category:British expatriates in France