The post Congress 2016 newsletter is now available for members to download.

SSTA Newsletter Congress 2016

Printable Version

SSTA members have consistently highlighted the need for a reduction in teacher workload in the senior phase of secondary education. A survey of members in December 2015 clearly found that the SQA requirements and processes had added considerably, and in many cases unnecessarily, to teacher’s workload. The SSTA Council resolved to conduct an indicative ballot of members on cutting bureaucracy in National Qualifications.

The Government established the ‘Assessment and National Qualification working group’ in January and was tasked to produce a report, by the end of March that would reduce teacher workload in the 2016-17 cycle. The SSTA participated in the working group and pushed hard for the recognition of the importance of the teachers’ professional judgement in the process. The working group report was completed on 21 April and has been circulated to members of the CfE Management Board. Until the CfE Management Board meets the report cannot be published to teachers in schools.

The SSTA National Executive has considered the report and is seeking clarifications of the measures proposed within the report to reduce teacher workload. As part of that process SSTA will be meeting with SQA to identify the measures that will reduce teacher workload in the 2016-17 cycle. The SSTA National Executive will prepare a report for members of the proposals and will seek members’ views on the extent of the workload reductions.

Please ensure the SSTA Head Office has your current email address as the indicative ballot will be conducted on-line.

Printable Version

Printable Version

The working hours and duties of teachers are negotiated nationally and form part of the agreed conditions of service for teachers (SNCT-Part 2 Appendix 2.7)

The individual and collective work of teachers should be capable of being undertaken within the 35 hour working week.

Working Year and Working Week (SNCT-Part 2 Section 3)

• The working year for teachers shall consist of 195 days of which 190 days will coincide with the school year for pupils with the remaining five days being worked by the individual teachers on duties as planned by the council.
• Teachers shall have a 35 hour working week. The working week shall apply on a pro rata basis to teachers on part-time contracts.
  Within the 35-hour week, a maximum of 22.5 hours will be devoted to class contact.
• An allowance of no less than one third of the teacher’s actual class contact commitment is provided for preparation and correction. The use of remaining time will be subject to agreement at school level within LNCT guidelines,
• All tasks which do not require the teacher to be on the school premises can be carried out at a time and place of the teacher’s choosing: teachers will notify the appropriate manager of their intention in this respect.
• Teachers have a contractual requirement to complete a maximum of 35 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) per annum. Teachers on part-time contracts will complete CPD per annum on a pro rata basis

In the School

Each educational establishment will prepare a school plan in accordance with the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000. The plan will reflect establishment, local and national priorities. Plans will take account of staffing and other resources required.

Each educational establishment will prepare an annual programme of activities, which require the involvement of teachers. The use of the remaining time (that is, time beyond the combined class contact and preparation/correction allowance- approximately 190 hours) will be subject to agreement at school level and will be planned to include a range of activities, such as:

• additional time for preparation and correction;
• parents meetings;
• staff meetings;
• preparation of reports, records etc;
• forward planning;
• formal assessment;
• professional review and development;
• curriculum development;
• additional supervised pupil activity; and
• Career-Long Professional Learning.

Individual teachers will use their professional judgement in relation to the prioritisation of tasks. In exercising their professional judgement, teachers will require to take account of objectives determined at school, local authority and national levels.

For most teachers, preparation and correction will be the most time-consuming activities outside class contact time. This needs to be reflected in the way that a teacher’s working time is deployed. In terms of the remaining time, teachers will be available for meetings and other collective activities during the course of the 35 hour working week. If a teacher is not required to be on the school premises for certain duties, for example preparation and correction, these may be undertaken at a time and place of the teacher’s own choosing. Teachers will be expected to notify the appropriate line manager of their intentions in this respect.

The SSTA recommends that all members ‘use their professional judgment in relation to the prioritisation of tasks’ and work within the contracted 35 hour week.

Printable Version

The Post-Congress 2015 newsletter is now available for members to download.

Congress 2015 Newsletter

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to open the newsletter. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader it can be downloaded from http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/.

Printable version

SSTA has always recognised that Supply Teachers are an important and essential part of the education service. Schools are unable to function without an experienced and professional group of teachers. SSTA insists that the supply teacher shortage has been as a direct result of the lack of understanding and respect of the importance of supply teachers. A short term fix in 2011 is now causing severe problems in schools.

Supply teachers take this career path for a number of different reasons that includes time for caring responsibilities, returning to the profession after a period away, flexible engagements to allow time for other activities, and those seeking experience to gain further experience before taking-up a permanent teaching position.

All teacher release from school is dependent upon the provision of supply teachers. Access to Professional development, changes in school qualifications, changes in curriculum, school visits and the internal school development priorities are not possible without supply teachers. This is without the normal staff absences such as long and short term sickness cover, maternity and paternity leave, public responsibilities/duties.

The supply teacher should be a valued member of the school community and not just the poor relation for whom nobody wants to take responsibility. Supply teachers have an entitlement to proper contracts of employment and salary that reflects the importance of the role.

SSTA is seeking

• a restoration of supply teacher pay levels
• a national coordinated register of qualified supply teachers that are GTCS registered
• a single PVG check for all supply teachers
• an entitlement to Continuing Professional Development

Working with local authority employers, the Scottish Government needs to ensure that the register is centrally managed on behalf of all local authorities to address the crisis that exists today and protect the service for the future. The SSTA is totally opposed to the privatisation of education by introducing private supply agencies that exploit teachers by paying as little as £50 a day with no contribution to the teachers’ pension scheme.

Schools need to be reminded that

• When cover is used, limits on class sizes still apply
• Senior classes with pupils under 16 need to supervised by a teacher
• Grouping classes together in a hall is a potential health and safety risk when teacher:pupil ratios are compromised.

The latest edition of the SSTA Newsletter is now available for download using the link below.

January 2015 Newsletter

The latest edition of the SSTA Newsletter is now available for download using the link below.

Congress 2014