The June 2025 SSTA Newsletter is available for members to download. The newsletter contains information on:
Press Release – 23 June 2025
As part of the SSTA’s campaign to reduce teachers’ class-contact time by 90 minutes, the “Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers” member survey was launched last week. Within days, the SSTA received nearly 1,700 responses.
Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary, said:
“The survey shows that all secondary teachers work beyond their 35-hour contractual week and provide huge amounts of ‘free overtime’. Yet the employers (COSLA) fail to recognise the significance of the Scottish Government’s promise to reduce contact time by 90 minutes for teachers’ wellbeing and effectiveness. Despite government funding, COSLA continues to ‘fiddle while teachers burn,’ watching teachers leave the profession exhausted and burnt out.”
Seamus added:
“The teaching profession in Scotland is in crisis. The failure to recruit in the secondary sector—and the exodus of many teachers before retirement—are a massive indictment of COSLA’s inability over the past four years to implement a ‘no-brainer’ solution to retain and recruit teachers. The survey also shows the strength of feeling among members: 92% are prepared to take industrial action (the survey is still live).”
Peter Brandon, SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Convener, said:
“Scottish teachers teach well above the OECD average, yet our employers seem unable to understand how much better teaching and learning would be with less-exhausted teachers. Reducing class-contact time is vital in addressing excessive teacher workload. Our children suffer daily while this situation continues unchanged.”
[ENDS]
Early Survey Findings
Member Comments
‘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?
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)?
In addition Are you asked to teach and cover beyond your maximum 22.5 hours maximum class contact time?
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:
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.
Relationships and Behaviour Action Plan – Welcomed by SSTA
The Scottish Government published the Relationships and Behaviour Action Plan in August 2024. The 3-year action plan was developed by the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) Improving relationships and behaviour in schools: ensuring safe and consistent environments for all Joint action plan 2024 – 2027
As part of the action plan the following documents have been published.
As part of the next stage of the action plan on the 17 June the Government published Fostering a Positive, Inclusive and Safe School Environment guidance (the ‘consequences’ guidance) and the Violent, Aggressive and Dangerous Behaviour Risk Assessment guidance.
The SSTA met with Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary Education and Skills on 18 June and welcomed the developments in the action plan. As it ensures a national approach to pupil behaviour in schools. The SSTA emphasised for the action plan to be successful it was important that additional professional support in schools such as school counsellors, school nurses, school social workers, etc. as an essential component and must be provided for all secondary schools. The SSTA pushed for protected Government funding for this purpose and for the additional staffing not to be left to the discretion of local authorities.
Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities – Education Scotland
The SSTA has been working with Education Scotland’s Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities team to meet the evolving needs of learners and educators. The team has asked that we circulate the following message and survey.
In order to continue strengthening our support and driving positive outcomes, we are inviting you to complete a short, 10-minute questionnaire. Your insights will directly inform how we shape future support for learners and practitioners across Scotland, helping us better align with the needs of the system. We would be grateful if you could consider taking part in our short questionnaire, to ensure Scottish education system’s vision of achieving equity and excellence for all learners.
Please follow the link to the questionnaire for Educational Practitioners (frontline, middle and senior system leaders).
The questionnaires will close on the 30 June 2025.
SPPA – Teacher Pension Benefit Statements
The SPPA has been busy attempting to complete the ‘Remedial Service Statement (RSS)’ for those members who have service prior to April 2022. To ensure you receive your benefit statement or any communications regarding your pension you must ensure you are registered with the SPPA. It is recommended that you check your details and use your personal email address.
Members who have started since April 2022 will be members of the CARE scheme and should normally receive your benefit statement in September.
To register and check your details please go to https://pensions.gov.scot/teachers
Expected High Temperatures
With the expected high temperatures in the next few days, members may find the ‘Heating Regulations and Ventilation‘ section from the SSTA Health and Safety Handbook useful. If you require specific advice, please contact SSTA HQ at info@ssta.org.uk.
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. Alongside other teaching unions, the SSTA has reached the limit of its patience and will now ask members whether they are prepared to escalate the dispute and move toward industrial action.
The SSTA is seeking the following:
The ‘Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers’ members survey will ask members their preparedness to take both action short of strike action and strike action to resolve the ongoing dispute with the employers. The survey will commence on Wednesday 18 June and close on Thursday 28 August.
Reminder – Members are urged to check their personal details to ensure they receive the link to the survey. Email invitations for the consultative survey will be sent to members ‘preferred’ email address. SSTA recommends using a personal email address as their ‘preferred email address’ to avoid employer security controls.
Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, attended the SSTA 80th Congress at Stirling in May. The Cabinet Secretary addressed Congress and answered questions from delegates. Ms Gilruth spoke on school funding, protecting teacher numbers, ASN, reducing class contact time, pupil behaviour and consequences, mobile phones and SQA. View the Cabinet Secretary address Congress.
As no progress has been made toward the long-promised reduction in class contact time, the SSTA National Executive has sanctioned a consultative survey of members for industrial action. The reduction of 90 minutes class contact time was promised by the Scottish Government four years ago and COSLA has baulked at every turn to progress the promise. The reduction of class contact time is a small step in addressing teacher workload and the employers have failed to acknowledge the importance of the 90 minutes to teachers. The SSTA together with other teacher unions has reached the end of their patience and now will be asking members to progress the dispute and move towards industrial action.
The ‘Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teachers’ members survey will ask members their preparedness to take action short of strike action and strike action in resolving the dispute with the employers. The survey will commence the week beginning 16 June and close at the end of August. For the avoidance of doubt this is an informative survey for national executive to gauge members views before moving to a formal official postal ballot for industrial action. Further information to follow.
Members are urged to check their personal details to ensure they receive the link to the survey. Email invitations for the consultative survey will be sent to members ‘preferred’ email address. SSTA recommends using a personal email addresses as their ‘preferred email address’ to avoid employer security controls.
Any member who wishes update their details can do so by completing a form at www.ssta.org.uk/updatedetails or by emailing info@ssta.org.uk with the change or details.
The SNCT Extended Joint Chairs met on 4 June with the Teacher Side(SSTA and EIS) expecting an improved pay offer, after rejecting the initial 3% offer in March. The COSLA Leaders met on 30 May and failed to progress a new offer. Consequently, this has reduced the time to reach an agreement before the end of term (25 June). The COSLA Leaders are due to meet again in the coming weeks and the Teachers’ Side has urged a follow-up meeting to receive a new offer. The Teacher Side said it would be difficult, but it would be prepared to process a suitable offer before the end of term.
The SSTA Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee held an online meeting to explain the process of ‘Health and Safety Walkaround in Schools’. The session was led by the Convener Grant McAllister and Iain Glennie Assistant General Secretary who explained the importance of H&S school inspections in a straightforward and interesting way (no jargon). Please follow the link below to see the presentation. If you would like more information about being a SSTA Health and Safety Rep, do contact the SSTA Head Office at info@ssta.org.uk
SNCT Pay Claim 2025-2026 ‘Doubt if it will be delivered on time’
The SNCT Teachers’ Side continues to await an improved pay offer, following the rejection of the initial 3% offer in March. The SSTA, alongside the EIS, has engaged with employers (COSLA) and the Scottish Government in efforts to reach a fair and timely settlement before the end of term.
The Teachers’ Side has consistently reiterated its position that any revised pay offer must:
While both COSLA and the Scottish Government have publicly stated their desire to reach an agreement before the end of term—allowing a salary increase to be implemented by the scheduled date of 1 August—time is rapidly running out. Unless a new and significantly improved pay offer is presented in the coming days, the likelihood of meeting this deadline appears increasingly remote.
Teachers have heard these reassurances before. Promises without action do little to restore confidence. Although the settlement date was already deferred from April to August to allow for negotiations, a further delay now seems inevitable.
Reduction in Class Contact Time – Unions need to act
Little progress has been made toward the long-promised reduction in class contact time, despite an agreement to establish an SNCT working group—including union representation—to move implementation forward.
To date:
Meanwhile, the employers and the Scottish Government continue to meet independently, without union involvement—a clear breach of the SNCT’s constitutional procedures. This exclusion is unacceptable and undermines the principles of partnership working.
It has now been four years since the government pledged to reduce teacher class contact time. Continued delays and lack of meaningful engagement have left the teacher unions with little choice but to take further action.
The SSTA, together with other unions, is preparing to escalate efforts and seek direct support from members to increase pressure on decision-makers. The SSTA National Executive will meet next week to determine the union’s next steps in pursuing this critical issue.
Centre for Teaching Excellence
The University of Glasgow has been announced as the host of Scotland’s new Centre for Teaching Excellence and will be formally launched in the coming weeks. The Centre of Teaching Excellence is intended to support research and innovation in teaching practice for all children and young people, with the aim of making Scotland a world-leader in teaching practice. The centre is to be developed in partnership with teachers and professional associations as part of ongoing work to reform Scotland’s education system. To support the development of the centre a ‘National Teacher Survey’ has been released and we have been asked to encourage members to participate in the survey.
To access the survey please follow the link to the survey here.
SSTA Congress 2025
The 80th SSTA Annual Congress took place on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May at the Stirling Court Hotel and a full report of proceedings with follow in the coming weeks.
Please follow the link to see the President’s and General Secretary’s address to Congress.
Report of the General Secretary
80th Annual Congress of the SSTA
Friday, 9 May 2025
Opening Remarks
Good afternoon, President, distinguished guests, and esteemed delegates of Congress.
It is with profound gratitude, and a deep sense of duty, that I stand before you today, having once again been entrusted with the role of General Secretary.
Over the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege of serving this organization through a time of significant change.
And as we look ahead, it is clear: even greater change lies before us.
The Challenges We Face
The challenges we face are complex.
They confront us as educators, as trade unionists, as parents, as community members, and as public servants.
Today, freedoms that many once thought were untouchable are at risk.
We see the rise of extremism.
We see the spread of misinformation.
And we see a disturbing erosion of mutual respect, understanding, and accountability.
These forces threaten the very foundation of our democratic society.
Freedom and Responsibility
It is vital, that every citizen, especially those in the public sector, can express their views without fear of censure or reprisal.
Freedom of speech and thought is not a privilege. It is a cornerstone of a resilient, healthy democracy.
This matters deeply to us, because we are in the business of shaping hearts and minds.
But educators cannot, and should not, carry that burden alone.
Support from parents, communities, and civic institutions is not optional.
It is essential.
Teachers must be trusted.
We must be given the space to educate with integrity.
To reason. To explain. To foster critical thinking.
This is how we pass on values of understanding, respect, and responsibility to the next generation.
Unity and Commitment
The road ahead won’t be easy. But it is a road we must travel together.
With unity.
With courage.
And with determination.
Let us reaffirm our values. Let us stand firm in our mission. Let us ensure that education, equality, and democracy prevail.
Our Identity as a Union
From the beginning, our focus has been clear:
Secondary teachers, and secondary education.
That hasn’t changed. It won’t change.
For more than 80 years, we’ve faced challenges. But we’ve stayed true to the values of our members.
We are a principled union, but also a pragmatic one.
We’ve never accepted that “nothing can be done.”
We’ve always worked to find solutions, even when the road was blocked.
What makes the SSTA different is this:
We don’t just highlight problems, we solve them.
We think differently. We challenge assumptions.
We understand the bigger picture.
Pay and the SNCT
Let me turn now to pay.
In January, the SNCT submitted our 2025–26 claim: 6% across all SNCT grades.
To date, an offer of 3% has been made, and quickly rejected.
Let me be clear: any deal must include a restorative element, not just match inflation. Teachers’ salaries must return to the value they once held.
We’re open to a multi-year deal, but the figures must protect teachers throughout.
We understand financial pressures. COSLA says it is at the limit.
But this delay, this refusal to act makes teachers feel undervalued and ignored.
Workload and Contact Time
Equally concerning is the failure to deliver on reduced class contact time.
An additional 90 minutes per week for planning, preparation, and correction is not an unreasonable ask.
Yet we hear: “What’s in this for us?”
Let me tell you what’s in it:
Reduced workload for teachers
Better-prepared lessons
Improved outcomes for our children
A real chance of retaining the teachers we have
That is what’s in it, for everyone.
We’re in a recruitment crisis.
Too many teachers are on temporary contracts.
Job-shares are being rejected. Phased retirements discouraged.
Over 50% of newly qualified secondary teachers can’t find permanent posts.
Just this week, a survey showed secondary schools are carrying on average two vacancies each.
That means fewer teachers to handle behaviour challenges.
Fewer teachers to support pupils with additional needs.
This cannot go on.
The Way Forward
The SNCT must work. And for that to happen, we need:
We also need education funding ring-fenced.
When the Scottish Government allocates money for education, it must stay in education.
Teacher numbers must not just be maintained, they must increase
We need time and funding for:
Let’s stop the wrangling.
Put children first, and let teachers teach.
Education in Flux
The education landscape in Scotland is shifting again. Some say it always is.
But this time, it’s fundamental. The changes will shape secondary education for a generation.
We’re talking about:
The Curriculum, especially the Senior Phase
Assessments and the role of Qualification Scotland
The structure of Education Scotland and the Inspection system
And all of this, in a time of austerity. When the only constant is cuts.
New initiatives arrive weekly, each relying on the goodwill of teachers. But that goodwill is wearing thin.
Real Reform, Not Change for Its Own Sake
Yes, change is needed. But not change for its own sake.
Let’s begin with the curriculum. It’s what we do.
The Curriculum for Excellence was meant to develop:
It promotes flexibility, transferable skills, and continuous assessment.
Then I ask:
Why aren’t we offering a balanced, enriching curriculum to all young people until age 18?
Why are we forcing them through a qualification factory, spending more time on exams and paperwork than on actual learning?
Supportive Systems
The new Qualification Scotland must trust teachers. Support them not burden them.
No more constant demands for evidence. Trust our judgement.
The new Inspection system must be context specific.
Secondary schools are not the same as primary or early years. One model doesn’t fit all.
Inspections must support not punish. Encourage, not intimidate.
The fear of inspection is real. It stifles creativity. It kills innovation.
And let me go further:
Inspections should follow the money.
Inspect those who hold the purse strings. Inspect those issuing directives, not just the schools carrying them out.
Schools are not autonomous. Let’s stop pretending they are.
When one school struggles in a council area it’s everyone’s concern.
The winners-and-losers culture must end.
Change Must Support Teachers
Reform must support teachers, not hinder them.
As reform takes shape, the SSTA is clear:
Teachers must be at the centre.
Conclusion
We will continue to fight for:
This isn’t about politics.
It’s about classrooms.
About pupils. About learning.
About the future of Scottish education.
Let us speak with one voice.
Let us be the change that teachers, and Scotland’s young people, deserve.
Thank you
SSTA 80th Annual Congress
Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling
Friday 9th May 2025
Presidential Address: Stuart Hunter
Introduction
Distinguished guests, sister professional associations from these islands, Past Presidents and to all of our delegates from districts and areas of Scotland, welcome to our 80th Annual Congress. Eighty One Years ago, a number of Secondary teachers left the EIS to form the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, an association dedicated to being the voice of secondary teachers, that dedication has been strictly adhered to and continues to this day.
At our congress over the next 2 days, we will hear a number of motions being debated that originate from you, members of the SSTA, dealing with a variety of issues that directly impact on the day job of teaching at all levels in our schools.
These last 2 years as President of this association, I have had the incredible privilege of attending the meetings of all of our committees, worked with the members of Executive and Council. It has been an enormous learning experience to listen to the passion and desire of all our colleagues who only want the best for our members. It is my hope and desire that my address today will bring into focus the issues that you have highlighted at these meetings, to express the anger and frustration that we face when dealing with certain bodies as part of our day job.
Ultimately, as President, I see it as my role to be your voice, the voice of Scotland’s secondary teachers, whether that be teachers in the classroom, ASN staff, Pupil Support staff, Guidance teachers, Principal teachers, Faculty Heads, Head Teachers and their leadership team.
With this in mind, you will note that our strapline for the coming year is:
Teachers: The Heart of Education
Please indulge me as I explain why this strapline is crucial for all of us in education to consider.
“Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system.” –Sidney Hook American Philosopher
Sidney Hook hits the bullseye when he speaks of the learner’s experience in school. Our young people have no concept or understanding of pedagogy, from their perspective, the teacher is either good or bad. Often this is the signpost of great teaching. When the expertise and experience of pedagogical experience is so seamless, then meeting the student’s needs for learning and understanding can be achieved by constantly adapting to the needs of the learner.
The relationship between student and teacher takes place in the learning environment. In that space and time, the teacher is at the heart of education. Not the policy makers, the exam boards, the employers, or the inspectorate, it is the teacher!
“Teachers should be trusted… CfE is about the teacher in the classroom, knowing their students, designing their lessons to fit their needs, it should and must be a bottom up rather than top-down approach to education.”
John Swinney Education Minister
The words of our current first minister when he had responsibility for education. There is an old saying, when you want a job done properly, leave it to the professionals who know what they are doing.” Teachers are the professionals. Constant micro-management from all of the other bodies demonstrate that they do not trust teachers and their professionalism. They know better. Rather than facilitate the experts in the classrooms, they dictate how it should be done. It really is the case that our education system is controlled from the top down. Controlled by those who are not in front of the learners, but they know best! A bottom-up approach values the professional judgment and expertise of the teacher who is at the centre, the heart of education.
So let’s take a quick tour of some of the agencies that should be facilitators but consider themselves so expert that they can dictate what teachers should be doing in the learning environment when they are pretty remote from the day-to-day experience of actual teaching.
QUALIFICATIONS SCOTLAND
Formerly known as the SQA, they are currently undertaking a root and branch review of their operations. This involves consultation with all of the various stakeholders and interested parties. Like many other organisations, the consultation is a flawed product before it even gets off the ground. Stakeholders are those that have a direct responsibility in the development, construction, and execution of the various qualifications. Interested parties will have input but are not directly involved in the way that the stakeholders are. Therefore, whilst the interested party’s input is valuable, it should not override that of the stakeholders who have the ultimate responsibility of delivery.
In other words, it is incumbent on Qualifications Scotland to engage with the teacher’s professional associations as partners in the consultation and development process.
I will repeat the above point again for absolute clarity:
Teachers delivering the exams are NOT your employees, teachers are partners.
As a government sanctioned body, schools pay Qualifications Scotland to produce and deliver exam courses that meet the highest levels of integrity. When schools pay for a product, schools are the customer or clients, Qualifications Scotland is a service provider.
As clients the SSTA has repeatedly asked that Qualifications Scotland, the service provider that you take account of timings of the start of the academic year in schools, the contractual Working Time Agreements made in each school designed to control, in part, workload.
This is routinely ignored and, as a result, SQA/Qualifications Scotland is one of the largest contributors extreme toxic workload. Updates tend to arrive, well into the delivery of courses requiring more time to go back and amend what has already been taught. As these are often high-stake exams and are significantly important to the learners, all other work is put to the side. The result is that teachers are stressed, leading to exhaustion, compelled to work for no pay beyond the 35hrs just to catch up on the other tasks such as marking and preparation of lessons.
Your repeated failure to listen to the teacher’s concerns is significantly contributing to stress levels that is damaging both the mental and physical health of teachers delivering your product.
Consultation is an important element of any partnership. We are often told that you do consult teachers. However, this appears to be only the teachers you employ. This immediately creates a conflict of interest for those teachers you employ!
The SSTA Education Committee has carried out a number of surveys of our members across secondary schools in Scotland and they are all saying the same thing: The SQA/Qualifications Scotland are one of the major contributors to unmanageable workload and stress!
You are facilitators, you are not in the classroom, teachers are! You may be ‘at arm’s length’ from the Scottish Government. However, Teachers are at the Heart of Education and as a service provider you should be working with us, not issuing random edicts that contribute to excess workload.
We are educators. We are professionals. Too often, we are burdened with top-down directives and unrealistic timelines. We did not join this profession to be micromanaged by an agency that sees education as a system to control rather than a community to nurture.
Education Scotland: School Inspections
The current review is an opportunity to fundamentally change school inspections. Recent discussions with the SSTA suggest they want this to be ‘Supportive’.
However, what might being ‘supportive’ actually look like? Will time be taken to acknowledge and address that staff are on their knees? Will measures be taken to evaluate mental health support? Will L.A. be held to account for the numerous policy documents that supposedly address issues facing all staff, but simply gather dust in a filing cabinet for fear of reputational damage? Will the continuing rise of dual qualifications be challenged?
The SSTA recently had a consultation meeting with Education Scotland where these questions and more were raised. There was a positive vibe to the discussion and encouraging to hear a positive response to our concerns with genuine motivations to take on board our concerns.
Nonetheless, it was also acknowledged that, like most educational consultations, a whole host of interested parties were consulted but referred to as stakeholders. This raises once again that the wide consultation, in itself, informative and valuable, there still remains the ever-present risk that the teacher voice is diminished.
The role of Local Authority Inspections was also discussed. It is vital that this is looked at with some scrutiny.
I will come to CoSLA in more detail later. For the moment it is imperative that the inspectorate look closely at the pressure that comes from the employer.
Let’s take exam results as an example. Our Head Teachers come under pressure to demonstrate success in attainment. We are all familiar with the meetings we have with the head teacher in August to discuss the success or otherwise of the exam results. Get your predictions right, you get a smooth ride. Less than satisfactory results, we can expect an explanation of what went wrong.
Head Teachers also have meetings about the exam results and experience a similar approach. High stake exams not only put pressure to bear on the student, it also brings significant pressure on the Head Teacher. Tariff scores matter. The higher the score the better the school is perceived. If you are looking for a possible reason why advice from SQA that dual presentation should only take place in exceptional circumstances is routinely ignored, then join the dots. Instead of seeing a fall in the numbers we see a continuing rise in numbers of dual presentations. Head Teachers put pressure on teachers to do dual presentation, Head Teachers are under pressure to raise attainment and increase the tariff points for the school. Reputation takes priority over the needs of the learners!
Two questions for the new inspection regime:
1: As part of Local Authority inspections, will you interrogate why schools continue to do dual presentation?
2: As part of a school inspections, will you seek the evidence to support rising dual presentation?
If inspections are meant to be ‘supportive’, then dual presentation needs to be challenged as it is a significant driver of workload and stress.
Teacher’s professional judgement is by-passed, and the top-down approach continues.
The scores from exam results are a significant component of the mythological league tables used by the media.
These tables are an abomination! They have absolutely no bearing on what happens in schools. The amazing work that goes on in schools every day, the number of students who work their socks off to get a National 4 etc goes completely under the radar and is a slap in the face to every single student who have given their absolute best but did not get higher tariff points. The media should be ashamed of themselves for being complicit in a false narrative of the work that goes on in our schools.
Therefore, will you acknowledge that teachers are the heart of education and as an inspectorate, you will actively facilitate teachers to do their job?
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Successive Ministers for Education have made valiant attempts to improve the educational experience in Scotland. There have been a plethora of reforms and reviews and yet we are on an inevitable downward spiral. Despite what appears to be sincere attempts to improve the lot of teachers and learners alike, progress has been glacial. A whole series of initiatives have fallen by the wayside, recruitment and retention is in crisis, and despite the political spin, the Covid pandemic has exposed the growing crisis that is upon us.
Despite the initiatives, the investments, the reviews, Education in Scotland has passed the tipping point leading to crisis. The brutal reality is that EDUCATION IS BROKEN. It only survives due to those working in schools going way beyond their contractual working hours for the sake of the students. The cost to mental and physical health is enormous. Teaching is not an attractive profession, pay and conditions are ridiculously poor compared to other sectors. To make matters worse, there is a siege mentality that exists in many, if not all of the organisations dealing with education in Scotland.
The issues are multiple. However, to highlight the disaster unfolding in front of us all right now is the crisis that exists within ASN provision.
There has been an explosion in the number of young people identified with Additional Support Needs (ASN). Yet instead of increased support, we are seeing ASN specialists being cut to save money. ASN staff are overwhelmed, and the system is breaking.
More and more ASN pupils are placed in mainstream classes, with limited—or worse, no—support.
Teachers are now expected to deliver ASN support on top of an already demanding curriculum, preparing multiple sets of differentiated materials. As a result, ASN learners are being failed by a system not built to meet their needs.
It is the GTCS registration category that informs employment. In 2020, the Court of Session clarified GTC Scotland’s long held position that a teacher must be employed in a role that aligns with their registration category. The four categories of registration are:
Teachers are at the heart of education. As the government, it is your duty to properly fund and facilitate the urgent support required for all of our young people with ASN. It is not enough to listen. You must act—and act now.
Reform has been worthwhile—but reform without teacher voice at the centre is empty. The professional associations that represent teachers must be front and centre of all consultations. For too long, teacher voice has been drowned out by the cacophony of commentary from every man, woman, and dug!
The Scottish Government is responsible for education policy. While implementation is devolved to Local Authorities, too often, they pick and choose which policies to enforce.
You are the government. You make the policies. It’s time to take control, enforce implementation, and stop passing the buck.
Stand up for our teachers. Stand up for all of our learners. Fund, support, and deliver—NOW.
CoSLA
Not good with acronyms, so took a guess at what COSLA actually stood for.
“Consistently Overdue, Still Lacking Agreement”
“COSLA: Champions of Stalling, Losing All trust”
Some might think I am not that far off!
For over two decades, CoSLA has repeatedly failed to meet pay negotiation deadlines. The only notable exception has been during multi-year pay awards — and even then, success has been the exception, not the rule. Despite the teacher side agreeing to move the deadline to August in good faith, CoSLA still failed to deliver. It raises a serious and fundamental question: why are they even part of the negotiating process if they cannot fulfil this basic responsibility?
The most recent pay deal saw unacceptable consequences for many teachers, as delayed back pay was processed in the new tax year, penalising staff financially. While some local authorities showed compassion, others simply shrugged, refusing to take responsibility.
This is just one symptom of a deeper, long-standing issue: CoSLA continues to use teachers as political pawns, sacrificing the profession in its skirmishes with the Scottish Government. Enough is enough. It’s time for CoSLA to act like mature adults, not playground bullies spoiling for a “square go” with ministers, while staff and young people suffer the collateral damage.
Let’s be clear about some of that damage:
The widespread exploitation of probationer teachers to plug permanent vacancies is nothing short of abuse of the probationary system. The concept of ‘supernumerary’ has all but vanished.
Every year, many of these early-career teachers buckle under unsustainable workloads and lack of support. They either leave the profession entirely or face slim chances of securing permanent contracts — only to see the next wave of probationers pushed into the same exploitative loop. Cheap labour, at great cost.
Teachers are “at the heart of education” — but when we ask for 90 minutes of ring-fenced time for actual teaching duties like marking and preparation, the horror from CoSLA is palpable. Their preference? More “collegiate time.” Not because it benefits pupils or teachers — but because it’s cheaper.
The so-called “national agreement” on terms and conditions is laughably inconsistent. With 32 local authorities come 32 different interpretations, resulting in:
Inequity in maternity and miscarriage leave.
Inequity in applying the “Toolkit.”
Inequity in pay and caseloads for Guidance staff.
Dubious practices such as creating mythical “Primary 8s” or claiming any teacher can teach any subject in the Broad General Education — a direct breach of GTCS guidelines.
Moreover, dual exam presentations continue to rise despite clear instructions that they should only occur in exceptional circumstances. Support for teachers facing abuse is patchy or non-existent. In many cases, staff are actively discouraged from filing reports or calling police due to fears over reputational damage. And while glossy documents on mental health gather dust, teachers work unpaid overtime just to stay afloat — at the cost of their well-being.
This is not sustainable. It is not professional. And it is not acceptable.
We call on CoSLA to stop the political games and start treating Scotland’s teachers — and the young people they serve — with the respect, fairness, and support they deserve.
All of the above is not an exhaustive list, but merely a flavour of the reality.
CoSLA and many of the Local Authorities believe that they are the heart of education and that teachers are a pesky bunch of miscreants who must be micromanaged! Teachers cannot be trusted, and every minute of the WTA must be accounted for! Free overtime is a result of teachers not knowing how to manage their time!
Here is a radical thought. If CoSLA and the individual Local Authorities are the driving force of workload in schools, the epidemic of mental health issues and related physical health conditions, are they fit to run schools?
The brutal truth is that CoSLA, along with the Inspectorate, Qualifications Scotland and the Scottish government believe they are the experts in education. They believe that by listening to experts who have been out of the classroom for some time are relevant in an education system that is constantly evolving yet many have lost touch with the reality of day-to-day teaching in the classroom in 2025.
In far too many ‘consultations’ the voice of ‘interested parties’ are given equal weighting to the stakeholders. More damning is the lack of voice that the teacher doing the day job has.
Teachers are at the Heart of Education. Teachers are the experts in the application of pedagogical theory. It is the teacher who, in every lesson, calls upon their expertise to adapt their planned lessons at a moment’s notice, when they perceive that the young people are struggling to understand particular concepts or ideas.
When you want an ‘evidenced’ based reason for teaching, then there are no greater experts than the teacher. The most neglected and under used resource of expertise that exists in education. That is why, for great learning to work, for a great educational system to thrive and grow, that nurtures our young people, that helps them on the journey of life, that it is the teacher who is at the heart of education who should be the first port of call when expertise is required. It is also why there must be a radical mind set change by all of the organisations who have input to education that they are NOT the provider; they are the FACILITATORS!
EDUCATION WORKS BEST WHEN THERE IS BOTTOM-UP RATHER THAN A TOP-DOWN APPROACH.
IF YOU WANT A GREAT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM THEN IT IS INCUMBANT ON ALL THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT YOU SUPPORT THE GREATEST EXPERTS AT OUR DISPOSAL. ASK THE SIMPLE QUESTION: WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU TO DO THE BEST FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE?
LISTEN TO THE TEACHERS: THE HEART OF EDUCATION!
Thank you for your indulgence and patience for listening.
[Ends]
SSTA Congress 2025
The 80th SSTA Annual Congress is taking place on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May at the Stirling Court Hotel. SSTA delegates from across Scotland will be gathering to debate important issues and make SSTA policy.
Issues to be debated includes National Qualifications, ASN, Teacher Health and Wellbeing, Improvements to Family Leave, School Inspections, and Teacher Workload.
In addition, to the Presidents and General Secretary’s address to Congress, Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and Pauline Stephen Chief Executive of GTC Scotland will be speaking to Congress.
Please see the link to the Congress Agenda
The SSTA Congress will be streamed online, and all members are invited to join and hear the proceedings.
See Stuart Hunter SSTA President interview prior to Congress. Scottish education is broken says teachers’ union president
SNCT Pay Claim 2025-2026
The SNCT Teachers’ Side rejected the employers 3% pay offer (17 March) and to date no further offer has been received. The SNCT Teachers’ Side have reiterated the position that any pay offer must be above inflation with an additional restorative pay element and undifferentiated for all SNCT pay grades. A meeting of the SNCT is taking place on 14 May and an improved pay may follow.
Reduction in Class Contact Time
The SSTA Teachers’ Side wrote to the First Minister in March expressing concern about the further delay in moving forward on the 90-minute reduction in teacher class contact time and the exclusion of the Teachers’ Side in the discussions. The First Minister has responded but the Teachers’ Side is engaged in discussion with Scottish Government officials to move business forward. Please see First Minister’s Letter.
SPPA Teachers Circular 2025/05 – McCloud Remedy administration – Remediable Service Statements
The purpose of this circular is to set out the revised deadlines for the delivery of Remediable Service Statements to scheme members. The Scottish Teachers Circular 2025/05 has been published on the SPPA website.
