'Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers' member survey

As part of the 'Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers' member survey we asked about teachers workload. You have shown how much 'Free Overtime' you give in the interests of the children and the school. Nearly 1,700 members have responded within a few days of the survey starting and it has shown the importance of getting a reduction in class contact time. 

At this point we can share some of the early findings

In answer to the question how many hours over the 35 hour contractual week? 

• 18% said up to 5 hours extra,
• 43% up to 10 hours extra,
• 25% said up to 15 hours and
• 14% beyond 15 hours extra per week.

When asked how many hours for planning, preparation and correction do you use during the school day (7.5 hours is the maximum per week)?

• 31% less than 2 hours
• 24% less than 4 hours
• 14% less than 6 hours
• 31% were receiving their contractual 7.5 hour

In addition Are you asked to teach and cover beyond your maximum 22.5 hours maximum class contact time?

• 48% said never
• 49% said occasionally 
• 3% said regularly

This clearly shows teachers are working beyond their contractual hours and offering huge amounts of 'free overtime'. This information will be used at meetings with the COSLA and the Scottish Government to deliver the 90 minutes reduction in class contact time.

Reducing class contact time is a crucial step in addressing excessive teacher workload. Despite this, employers have failed to recognise the significance of the promised 90 minutes for teachers’ wellbeing and effectiveness. 

The SSTA is seeking the following:

• That agreement is reached, at the SNCT, ensuring that the full 1.5 hours resulting from the promised reduction in weekly class contact time is used to increase weekly “preparation and correction” time to a minimum of 9 hours, as a key step forward in addressing unsustainable levels of workload.
• That agreement is reached, at the SNCT, on the timescales and practical implementation of the reduction in weekly class contact time to a maximum of 21 hours per week.

 
All members are being encouraged to complete the 'Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers' survey to help resolve the ongoing dispute with the employers. Further findings from the survey will be shared in due course.
 
Reminder - Members are urged to check their personal details to ensure they receive the link to the survey. Email invitations for the consultative survey have been sent to members 'preferred' email address. SSTA recommends using a personal email address as their 'preferred email address' to avoid employer security controls.