PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS - FRIDAY 11 MAY 2007 ““YOUR CONCERNS – OUR PRIORITIES” I became an SSTA member 35 years ago in 1972, at a time when probationer teachers were arriving in schools in considerable numbers, without already having signed up to membership of any professional association and I suspect that unlike the majority of members I made a conscious and reasonably well-researched decision to do so. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that this was at least…

CONGRESS 2007 MOTIONS PASSED The following motions were approved at the Association's 63nd Annual Congress, 11-12 May 2002 , Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore. The following motions were approved by Congress. MOTION 1This Association believes that employers of teachers in Scottish schools should ensure that every time a pupil is excluded from school for violent behaviour, a Risk Assessment is carried out, as a matter of course, before that pupil returns to school. MOTION 2This Association expresses grave concern about misuse of…

63rd ANNUAL CONGRESS 2007 - 11/12 MAY 2007 The Association's Annual Congress was held on the 11 & 12 May at the Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore. Details of motions passed, President's Address and the General Secretary's Report are now available for your information

GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT - FRIDAY 12 MAY 2006 President, Colleagues,I rise today to present to you the report of the General Secretary. I now do this for the 10th time, re-enacting my first speech to you here in Aviemore in 1997. You may recall that day well, but it will almost certainly be for reasons other than the perspicacity and erudition of my peroration. Yes, it was the day when Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, aged 14 ¾ first ascended to…

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS - FRIDAY 12 MAY 2006 “SUPPORTING TEACHERS PROFESSIONALISM” Since becoming SSTA President in May last year, I have been privileged to represent the Association at a wide variety of events throughout Scotland, the UK and Ireland and occasionally in Europe, and, on such occasions, I have been tremendously impressed and encouraged by the respect and goodwill shown towards the Association. The SSTA enjoys a well-deserved and hard-won reputation both within Scotland and the wider education community for a…

The following motions were approved at the Association's 62nd Annual Congress, 12-13 May 2006 , Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore. EMERGENCY MOTION The Association welcomes the publication by Audit Scotland of “A Mid Term Report – a first stage review of the cost and implementation of the teachers' agreement ‘A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century'”, and commends the analyses which it provides.Congress deplores, however, the misleading inferences, being drawn from the report by certain commentators, which imply that ‘value for money'…

62nd ANNUAL CONGRESS 2006 - 12/13 MAY 2006 The Association's Annual Congress was held on the 12 & 13 May at the Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore. Details of motions passed, President's Address and the General Secretary's Report are now available for your information

General Secretary's Report Congress 13/14 May 2005 President, Colleagues, My text for today can be found in the 10th book of Bill Bryson, modestly entitled “A Short History of Nearly Everything”. For those of you who have read Bill Bryson's works, this magnum opus would have come as a bit of a shock. First of all, it is not a history book but a science book. Secondly, it is not the “book at bedtime” genre but a challenging read, to…

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS - FRIDAY 13 MAY 2005 “MAKING SCHOOLS WORK” Sometimes in rare opportunities of introspective reflection or when under the latest moment of crisis, one is impelled to ask the ultimate question of existentialism - WHY ARE WE HERE? Whether it is a question that creeps into your consciousness during an interminable committee meeting or when you are representing a member in school and everything seems to be going pear shape, it remains a critical question that lies at…

The following motions were approved at Congress, 13-14 May 2005 , Peebeles Hotel Hydro. MOTION A This Association deplores the attempts being made by some Local Authorities to maximise class sizes and class contact time in an effort to make budget savings, whilst simply ignoring the 35 hour working week for teachers. MOTION B This Association requests that the Scottish Executive takes immediate action to ensure that all Scottish local authorities implement, as a matter of urgency, all provisions of…