Seamus Searson
SSTA General Secretary
Report to the 76th Congress of the SSTA
2 October 2021
Category: Information for Members
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Report of the General Secretary to 76th Congress of the SSTA
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Presidential Address to the 76th Congress of the SSTA
John Guidi
SSTA President
Address to the 76th Congress of the SSTA2 October 2021
During my time as President, we have experienced two lockdowns, two consecutive years of external exams cancellations, the Alternative Certification Model, an OECD review of the curriculum and assessment, a review of Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualification Authority and now the possibility of not even a two percent pay rise.
Certainly, plenty of material to write about in a speech!
Over the last 18 months, what teachers have endured and achieved as frontline workers, has been remarkable.
Remarkable, as teachers showed leadership when schools were in lockdown. Teachers also showed new levels of professionalism as they had to develop new skills when working from home and continued delivering beyond expectations, so that young people had some form of platform to learn.
Alternative Certification Model (ACM)
Other qualities that teachers demonstrated were also resilience and adaptability. Two qualities needed for delivering the Alternative Certification Model.
The effort required to develop, moderate, assess, mark, collate and present evidence for young people, raised the workload to new levels for Senior Leaders, Principal teachers, and classroom teachers alike. Not forgetting the stress and pressure on pupils to complete their qualifications.
The ACM was an exercise that should never be repeated for a multitude of reasons. Including the lack of consistency in implementation, the lengthy moderation process, and the extensive micro-management. The ACM was a workload generator for everyone involved.
If there is a system to replace final exams or even continuous formal assessments the ACM was not it. Even with an additional payment of £400 (which is tax deductible, may I add) for the trouble.
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)
Also, during my time as President, we had the OECD review of the Curriculum for Excellence.
Nobody at government level questioned the principles underpinning CfE. The vision was clear at the start of this journey, but somehow, they could not see where the road was leading. The theory behind changing the curriculum for the 21st Century has not translated well in implementation, especially for the senior phase.
This is mainly because the changes to the curriculum was untried and untested. There were no safeguards or knowledge of what worked and what did not work before it was fully implemented at a national level. A lack of understanding on the impact of a wholesale change in the curriculum has led to inconsistencies in approach.
The learner journey varied from which school or local authority a child was being taught. Some schools stuck with the traditional model of 2, 2, 2 model (i.e., S1&2, S3&4, S5&6) Whereas other schools adopted the 3, 3 model (S1 to S3 and S4 to S6) as transition stages.
It seems that moving to a 3, 3 model was based on a belief system rather than having established facts, because it was never done before.
Another criticism of CfE is the structure of the National qualification courses.
According to our survey of members, National Qualifications level 3, 4 and 5 were predominately multicourse qualifications. Where the course content at each level did not match exactly in some subjects, and in other subjects, there was no match in content at all.
The SSTA survey also pointed out that many teachers were given the difficult task of teaching these multicourse qualifications concurrently in a single class. This has also extended into Higher classes, the gold standard, running alongside National 5 classes.
This scenario was not the case for Standard grades. Standard Grade Foundation, General and Credit courses were multilevel qualifications where each level covered the same content but expanded upon. A far cry from National qualifications. Also, Standard Grade was rolled out with course notes and questions for each subject. Unlike National qualifications where teachers had to adapt existing materials and, in many subjects, create new resources whilst teaching these new qualifications.
National qualifications also introduced unit assessments. A workload generator for pupils and staff due to the inherent flaws in implementation as the units were assessing pupils at level C, unlike the final exam, and the principle of multiple attempts until pupils passed was a logistical nightmare for those who failed or missed a unit assessment.
If we are to progress in terms of assessment, we should incorporate some form of teacher judgement that also has the minimum impact on workload and is fair and equitable to pupils.
But the criticisms of CfE especially at the senior phase, were made long before the OECD review. Any calls for a delay in the implementation of CfE were brushed aside by the strategic top-down management decision making.
The OECD were critical of a system that had politically inspired superfluous hype rather than effective and robust policies. A world filled with acronyms that were difficult to decipher and full of jargons. As it turns out, for CfE the labyrinth of expectations and outcomes (E&Os) supplemented with generic statements were open to interpretation offering solutions that created their own problems!
Lost by what I just said? So were the teachers!
The rollout for CfE was not building on knowledge and strengths of previous qualifications. It was a cultural and systematic change that wiped the slate clean from our strengths of the past, and to match the CfE principles that believed was better for the future. Something that our professional association has been concerned about at an early stage of its development.
If curriculum change was a battlefield, and tactics were deployed to win the battle, then we must move away from the top-down management style of Field Marshalls dictating strategies and procedures for the troops on the ground.
The battlefield has changed in the 21st Century. The strategy now will require specialist teams akin to the SAS delivering the appropriate changes for each specific subject in secondary schools, to prevent the mistakes that CfE introduced.
This is essential. After all, the specialist subject teachers should know what is best to teaching and assessing their own subject from BGE level to the Senior phase. Including, no interference from Field Marshalls behind their desks, dictating from the top.
Historically, there has been inherent lack of trust in teachers within the education system. To move forward appropriate mechanism for Teacher Agency, the capacity for teachers to act, not just at school level but also at National level. Teachers would be empowered to a greater extent to have control over changes in the curriculum and assessments, whilst maintaining a national standard.
A mechanism to promote teacher agency is to embrace subject specialists as the lead teachers. However, it seems in a new era of possibly future financial constraints is looming due to the pandemic and the opportunity to develop lead teacher as subject specialists is looking very limited.
There is also another caveat to consider. After the implementation of CfE, are teachers and pupils willing to go through another wholesale change in the curriculum? Well, if it goes the same way as before, surely, we will have to reconsider our options.
Education Review
Another consequence of the pandemic is the review of Education Scotland and the SQA.
An independent expert panel and advisory group has been set up to understand the needs of our schools, practitioners, and learners. The review will look at replacing the SQA and removing the inspection function from Education Scotland.
On face value, the expert panel have a broad range of well-respected academics and leaders, but it can be argued regarding this expert panel, that there is a lack of representation from teachers, but we recognise that our professional association’s voice can be heard through the Professional and Stakeholder Advisory Group. (PaSAG)
The review of the external agencies SQA and Education Scotland will equally affect all our members. Our contribution to the review, should in many respects go beyond as stakeholders but act as partners. Not only can our professional association impart the knowledge, expertise, and experience from members to the benefit of the pupils as well as the profession.
It will allow teachers to have a positive impact to shape Scottish Education for many years to come.
Looking back to the history of Scottish education, again, we have changed our external agencies and qualifications body before. The SQA were formally the Scottish Examination Board and Education Scotland were once called Learning and Teaching Scotland.
However, it should not have taken the pandemic again for the Scottish Government to enquire about the remit and function of our external agencies.
Once the Education review report is finalised and published, will it still answer some questions that our association will ask:
If the signposts outside each agency office is going to change, would that mean the décor inside will also change?
Will the new inspectorate be independent of Scottish government and scrutinise government policies as well as schools and local authorities?
Who will scrutinise the new inspectorate?
Will “How Good Is Our School 4” (HGIOS 4) be replaced with HGIOS 5?
Will Scottish Education change its main mantra from promoting administration excellence and swing towards pedagogical excellence?
If any external agency is to change, then a change in culture is required. One possibility is to readdress the balance between support and scrutiny of teachers.
For secondary teachers, scrutiny comes in many forms. From the school leadership, the local authority, the inspectorate and the SQA. Since the beginning of our first lockdown, there have been no inspections from any agency. Has the whole of Scottish Education collapsed? No, it has not. It shows the Scottish Education system is robust and effective under severe pressure and strain without the need of excessive scrutiny at different levels.
In terms of support, Education Scotland (and the former Learning Teaching Scotland) have had provided some excellent support materials for some subjects in the past. But the materials weren’t really updated and links to the Education Scotland website was difficult to navigate. For example, in my subject Physics there was a lack of support in resources through official external agencies during the pandemic. The support mechanism needs to be continuous and adaptable for a changing digital world and not an end point so that a box is ticked under the heading of “done” or “completed”.
Addressing the culture, will allow more support and it will help to shape the future to a more inclusive and equitable system for young people and teachers.
Education Recovery
As Scottish Education is considering future changes in the curriculum, assessment, and the external agencies, we are still facing the consequences of a pandemic.
Our immediate priority should be educational recovery.
We need to ditch the peripheral and maintain the essential. Teachers need time to teach, and pupils need time to learn.
We need to maintain the mitigation measures and relax our controls on covid in a sensible and measured manner for the safety of all pupils and staff. This professional association supports the opportunity to vaccinate young people to keep this insidious virus at bay.
The immediate challenge is to deliver a quality educational experience for young people with the hope that we do not go through another lockdown and from what we have learned in the cancellations of final exams, we can give pupils a chance to attain fairly the qualifications they deserve.
Teachers need time to teach and a reduction in bureaucratic processes to cross the line by the end of this session. It is for this and many other reasons that our strapline is
“Teachers Leading Learning”
Teachers are leading the way to recovery. Our external agencies should appreciate what is happening in schools and classrooms under very challenging circumstances.
Experiences as President
My experiences as President have had many positives. I witnessed the true value of professionalism in teachers. Listening to teachers, how they helped pupils to learn and achieve their ambitions no matter the circumstances. How teachers supporting colleagues during a pandemic whether it was in front of a class or in front of a computer screen.
I was fortunate at the start of my Presidency to visit the OECD offices in Paris as a representative of the Trade Union Advisory Committee. (TUAC). I experienced at first hand, the issues that teachers faced around the globe and how to make a better future for young people.
Another privilege of being president is participating in a bilateral meeting of the SSTA Executive with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. These meetings give the opportunity for our professional association to express the views of secondary teachers. Our recent discussion in September, for example discussed the OECD review, national qualifications for 2022, teachers’ pay and career progression and developing a continuous working partnership with the Scottish Government. This open and direct communication from our Professional Association perspective is to improve the working life in the secondary sector. It is our aim to reduce workload, bureaucracy, and stress, and in turn allowing us to focus our attention on teaching and learning for the benefit of pupils.
I hope that sooner than later we can all meet face to face, shake hands and enjoy each other’s company. Ditching the computer screen and having personal contact is important. After all it is the system that we have adopted after reopening schools at the last lockdown.
There is so much more to discuss in Scottish Education, but just like a lesson that must be delivered within a specific time frame, there are things that we still must addressed.
The career structure: What will become of the Lead Teacher role?
The protracted pay negotiations: Will it be the same cycle of below inflation pay awards for several years followed by a bumper pay out 10 years from now?
Health and mental well-being; Will teachers be able to afford to retire at 60 before burnout?
Food for thought for the next President.
I would like to finish to say thank you for the support from all those around me. Especially my wife Sarah, my children Lucia and Alessia, my colleagues at Mearns Castle High School, too many to name and also my Local Authority, East Renfrewshire Council. I must also thank the backroom staff of the SSTA and all those in the Secretariat, the Executive and finally the General Secretary Seamus Searson.
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SSTA Annual Congress (Part2)
All SSTA members are invited to watch the SSTA Congress that will be taking place in Glasgow on Saturday 2 October. Watch SSTA Annual Congress
The SSTA Congress is a public session and will focus on the development of SSTA policy and will start at 10.30am. Members are all encouraged to see the working of the Association if only for a short while on the day.
The morning session will include the SSTA President’s address, a presentation by Professor Mark Priestley and motions on Education Recovery, National Qualifications and Inspections.
The afternoon session will include a presentation by Professor Walter Humes, the SSTA General Secretary’s Report and motions on reporting violence and aggression, pregnancy-related absence and diversity in education.
Please follow the link to the Congress timings and full list of motions. Congress agenda and motions.
To see the full SSTA Congress Agenda and reports please follow link. Congress Booklet
I hope you are able to join us on Saturday -
Members’ Bulletin – 22 September 2021
Safety First – We must keep all in schools safe
Covid-19 is still with us and it continues to cause disruption to schools. Teaching and learning is being challenged every day and unfortunately we are looking at a further period of strict adherence to mitigations. The latest government guidance has been enhanced and will continue until at least the October break. The increasing number of teacher and pupil absences due to Covid will again have an impact upon national qualifications in 2022.
The SSTA has constantly said, at all engagements with Government and employers since schools returned in August, that we are not back to ‘normal’ and our only focus must be on teaching and learning as the central part of education recovery.
There is a feeling that Covid is over and we are all back to normal. This is due to the lack of a national message to adhere to the mitigations to keep people in school safe. Each local authority is interpreting the government message differently and this is again different at school level. Headteachers are trying to keep schools open and keep pupils in schools but the mitigations and the tracing are slipping. Failure to adhere to the mitigations will lead to schools being closed due to the lack of teachers in the coming months.
The SSTA has pushed for the need for a clear consistent message from Government and an enforcement of mitigations in schools (including face coverings for all in secondary schools and clear definition of a ‘close contact’) if we are to keep schools open. The Government wants to reopen the economy and society but this can only happen if children are in school. Therefore, enhanced mitigations in schools that are different to elsewhere in society must be in place if keeping schools open is a priority.
The latest Government guidance ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools’ to ensure a low-risk environment for learning and teaching was released on the 15 September 2021.
The key changes that will apply:
- updated information on vaccinations for 12-15 year olds
- updated guidance on contact tracing in schools
- a more targeted approach to the issuing of information
- further advice/good practice on asymptomatic testing
- inclusion of a link to additional UK-wide guidance on pregnancy
This together with the existing guidance that still applies. This includes:
- Risk assessments to be continued
- Environmental cleaning, hand and respiratory hygiene to continue
- Ventilation – strengthened guidance for local authorities on CO2 monitoring
- Face coverings in communal areas and secondary classrooms to continue
- Physical distancing for adults at least 1m but 2m distancing expected to remain for logistical purposes
- One way systems to be continued
- Staggered start and stop times/ break and lunch times
- Restrictions on assemblies
- Support for people in the highest risk groups/pregnant staff
- Restrictions on school visitors to continue
Mitigations are to be kept under constant review and, if data and evidence suggest that any specific mitigations can be removed at an earlier stage, advice will be provided to that effect
Teacher Pay Negotiations 2021 – No Developments
Since the meeting of the SNCT Extended Joint Chairs on 2 September on the 2021 pay claim there have been further developments. The Employers’ Side confirmed at the meeting that they were unable to make an improved offer but hoped to be in a position to do so soon. The current offer of 1.22% across all SNCT pay grades, backdated to April 2021, has already been rejected by the Teachers’ Side.
The Teachers’ Side (SSTA and EIS) made clear the frustration of members over the continued failure of their employers to make a reasonable pay offer and indicated that failure to make a substantially improved offer before the next SNCT meeting on 30 September would lead to declaration of a dispute.
The next meeting of the Extended Joint Chairs will be held in advance of the SNCT and members will be advised of progress following that meeting. Hopefully there will be some positive developments in the last week of September,
£400 Alternative Certification Model Payment
The one-off exceptional £400 payment for teachers supporting the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2020/2021 has been paid in some authorities. Unfortunately the ACM payment is still causing difficulties in some local authorities and this has been raised by the SSTA with the Scottish Government.
The SSTA reminds those members who believe that they have not received the correct payment should discuss
the matter with their Headteacher in the first instance.
For full details and SSTA advice please see the 17 June 2021 Members’ Bulletin.
Assessment of National Qualifications in 2021-22
The SQA has recently stated in the event of the SQA exams in 2022 being cancelled that teachers and lecturers would determine provisional results. https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/99158.html
The SQA added that
“Under this approach there is no requirement for schools, colleges and training providers to run additional assessments. Doing so would place excess workload on teachers, lecturers and learners. Provisional results would be based on in-year assessments that normally take place during the school year such as prelims, practical activities, performances and class tests”.
Unfortunately, returning to the exam diet with an alternative of assessment in the event of further disruption to schools as a consequence of the pandemic has the potential for increased numbers of exams and assessment tasks in schools. This will only add to teacher workload and pressure on pupils during this school year. The SSTA was not consulted on the arrangements for 2021-2022 and has been excluded from the National Qualifications Group by the SQA. The SSTA has met with Cabinet Secretary to push for the voice of the secondary school teacher to be heard.
The SSTA advises all members to take the SQA at its word and not alter their normal arrangements for national qualifications by discouraging the use of valuable time for both teachers and pupils on additional and unnecessary assessment processes.
Education Reform
The Scottish Government has appointed Professor Ken Muir as an independent advisor on education reform.
The reform includes the work of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland.
The SSTA is represented on the Practitioner and Stakeholder Advisory Group (PSAG) and has had initial discussions with Professor Muir. At this stage SSTA is still considering its position on the way forward and will be engaging with members in the coming weeks. In addition SSTA will be holding a policy congress on the Saturday 2 October (further details to follow).
Please find a link to a presentation from Professor Muir that outlines the remit and timescales for the review. A consultation process is due to begin at the end of September.
Webinars have been arranged on the reform of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland as an opportunity to hear first-hand about this work.
Each session will take place from 4.30 pm till 6.00pm and follow the same format. The selection being offered
is in order to provide options for dates, and to allow as many people to attend one of the sessions as possible:
- Webinar Option 1 – Monday 27th September 2021
- Webinar Option 2 – Thursday 30th September 2021
- Webinar Option 3 – Wednesday 6th October 2021
- Webinar Option 4 – Thursday 28th October 2021
SSTA Membership – A must for all Secondary School Teachers
The pandemic has made the recruitment of student and newly qualified members extremely difficult and we welcome your support in encouraging new colleagues in to the Association. Students in training and new entrants to the profession pay no subscription for sixteen months from the date of their teaching post. So please help to recruit your new colleagues to the only secondary specialist teachers’ union in Scotland.
All new members to the Association can benefit from our new special offer of 50% off the normal subscription for the first 12 months of paid membership when completing a direct debit with their application. This represents a saving of up to £95.00 a year based on the current 2021 subscription paying by monthly direct debit. Terms & Conditions apply
Click here to complete the online enrolment form and join the SSTA
SSTA says ‘Put Teachers at the Centre’
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Members’ Bulletin – 23 August 2021
Return to School
The latest version of the revised school guidance and update to vaccination section has been issued.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-reducing-the-risks-in-schools/The revised guidance includes:
- Risk assessments to be continued
- Environmental cleaning, hand and respiratory hygiene to continue
- Ventilation – strengthened guidance for LAs on CO2 monitoring
- Face coverings in communal areas and secondary classrooms to continue
- Physical distancing for adults at least 1m but 2m distancing expected to remain for logistical purposes
- One way systems to be continued
- Staggered start and stop times/ break and lunch times
- Restrictions on assemblies
- Support for people in the highest risk groups/pregnant staff
- Restrictions on school visitors to continue
Mitigations are to be kept under constant review and, if data and evidence suggest that any specific mitigations can be removed at an earlier stage, advice will be provided to that effect
Teacher Pay Negotiations 2021
The SNCT Extended Joint Chairs met again on 19 August to discuss the 2021 pay claim. The Employers’ Side confirmed an undifferentiated offer of 1.22% across all SNCT pay grades, backdated to April 2021. Whilst the acceptance of the principle of a universal pay offer is progress, the offer of 1.22% is not – it being simply a redistribution of the cost of the previous offer.The Teachers’ Side (SSTA and EIS) made clear that the offer of 1.22% is unreasonable, sub-inflationary and fundamentally misjudges the value of the profession.
The delay in reaching a negotiated settlement was highlighted and it was indicated that the possibility of a multi-year deal, suggested by COSLA, would only be considered if full details are provided with regard to the proposed percentage increase for each year.
The next meeting of the Extended Joint Chairs will take place in the week commencing 30 August 2021.
Pension Changes in 2022
The recent changes announced to pensions will take effect for all members of previous pension schemes from 1 April 2022. Those who joined the scheme from April 2015 will not be impacted as they are already in the reformed scheme.However, those who were in either the Normal Pension Age (NPA) 60 Scheme or NPA 65 scheme will have all future contributions made to the Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme from that date. This means that any future contributions will go into the reformed scheme which puts aside a proportion of annual salary each year, uprated in line with inflation rather than being based on final salary and the retirement date is in line with the state retirement age.
The pension pot in the CARE scheme will therefore not be available until state retirement age without a reduction being applied but any pot in the previous schemes will be available at either 60 or 65 without any deduction.
The SSTA will be arranging pension briefing sessions for members and dates will be circulated once confirmed.
Pay and Pension Contributions
In order to keep track of pay and pensions it is good practice to:- Download your payslips and save them to a file you can access from home
- Check your pay regularly to ensure it is correct to avoid over or underpayments
- Check your pension contributions are in line with your salary
- Access your annual pensions statement to ensure that your service is correct
It is very difficult to rectify mistakes later. Local Authorities are only obliged to keep records for five years so it is better to keep your own records. Any underpayments are always recovered as they are public funds so, if you notice any mistake, it is best to contact Payroll immediately.
If we can help in clarifying payslips or any query regarding pay or pension please contact: info@ssta.org.uk£400 Alternative Certification Model Payment
The one-off exceptional £400 payment for teachers supporting the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2020/2021 has been paid in some authorities. The SSTA is disappointed that the remaining authorities have not seen this as priority and a recognition of all the extra work created for teachers associated with the ACM.The SSTA expected headteachers to approach this in an open-handed way, taking into account individual teachers’ varied workloads. Members who believe that they have not received the correct payment should discuss the matter with their Headteacher in the first instance.
For full details and SSTA advice can be found in the Members’ Bulletin of 17 June 2021.
Assessment of National Qualifications in 2021-22
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has confirmed that exams will be held for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses in 2022. The SQA has set out the key detail on plans for assessment of National Qualifications in 2021-22. Please follow link to see the details provided by the SQA.Unfortunately, returning to the exam diet with an alternative of assessment in the event of further disruption to schools as a consequence of the pandemic has the potential for increased numbers of exams and assessment tasks in schools. This will only add to teacher workload and pressure on pupils during this school year. The SSTA was not consulted on the arrangements for 2021-2022 and has been excluded from the National Qualifications Group by the SQA. SSTA will be meeting the Cabinet Secretary shortly and will push for the voice of the secondary school teacher to be heard.
SSTA Membership
The pandemic has made the recruitment of student and newly qualified members extremely difficult and we welcome your support in encouraging new colleagues in to the Association. Students in training and new entrants to the profession pay no subscription for sixteen months from the date of their teaching post.All new members to the Association can benefit from our new special offer of 50% off the normal subscription for the first 12 months of paid membership when completing a direct debit with their application. This represents a saving of up to £95.00 a year based on current 2021 subscription paying by monthly direct debit. Terms & Conditions apply
Those interested in joining the SSTA can do so via our website at www.ssta.org.uk/join
Membership fees and income tax relief
It is worth remembering that two-thirds of the annual subscription payable to the Association is allowable for income tax relief. Section 343, Part 5, Chapter 2 of the Income tax (earning and Pensions) Act 2003. A Proforma letter “Tax Relief on Subscriptions – Jan 2021” that shows subscription rates for Association membership over the past few years. Further information on how to claim the tax back can be found on the HMRC website. Tax Relief for professional fees and subscriptions.There are specialist firms that can assist you in doing this and at the same time, check if you have been missing out on any other tax allowances or been given the wrong tax code by HMRC meaning you are owed a tax refund.
The Tax Refund Company is one such firm and has helped over 140,000 teachers. They can quickly find out if it worth having your tax codes checked by visiting www.thetaxrefundcompany.co.uk
Membership Details
Have any of your personal details changed over the summer holidays? Moved House, Change of contract or moved to a new school? You can inform the SSTA of these changes by completing a form on our website at www.ssta.org.uk/updatedetails.SSTA says ‘Put Teachers at the Centre’
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SSTA Members’ Bulletin – 9 July 2021
Re-opening of Schools in August
You will have seen that the arrangements for the reopening of schools in England are being revised and there will be pressure to follow suit in Scotland. At this point, schools have been advised to continue with the existing guidance and mitigations for the reopening of schools in August. This situation may well change again in the coming weeks when the impact of the lifting of covid restrictions are known. The SSTA advises all members not to make any arrangements in anticipation of any official Government announcements. The SSTA, together with other unions, has urged the Government not to make any changes before schools reopen in August to ensure that teachers can maximise their well-deserved vacation.
SSTA meets with new Cabinet Secretary
The General Secretary had an introductory meeting with the new Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville, this week and urged that the voice of the secondary teacher must be at the centre of the forthcoming education developments. The SSTA highlighted the need for a Lead Teacher in every subject for all secondary schools as a good starting point to retain teachers in the classroom.
The Minister also agreed that secondary teachers needed to know the arrangements for National Qualifications in 2022 before schools reopen in August as changes during the year only creates additional stress and workload that needs to be avoided.
Teacher Pensions
The SSTA has been fully engaged, over the past few months and continuing throughout the summer, in discussions with the Scottish Teachers Scheme Advisory Board and the UK Government Treasury to address the repercussions of the McCloud and Sargeant case. The SSTA will update members in the autumn as to the progress being made.
Please find attached the Scottish Teachers Scheme Advisory Board response to the consultation on increasing the normal minimum pension age that fundamentally disagrees with the proposal, as there is no reasonable justification in increasing the minimum pension age (NMPA) for Scottish teachers.
SSTA Financial Statement 2020 – addendum
The SSTA financial statement 2020 was issued to all members in the SSTA Summer Bulletin as specified by the Certification Officer. However, the association has been advised that the employer pension contributions to senior staff has to be recorded as a benefit and needs to be included. A link to the corrected financial statement has been attached.
And Finally
Apologies for interrupting your vacation and do ensure you ‘Take a Break’. Try not to pre-empt any announcements, but await the reopening of schools.Teachers Deserve A Break – Make Sure You Take It
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FINANCIAL INFORMATION YEAR 2020
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Freedom of Information requests
A symptom of the worry and confusion surrounding the Alternative Certification Model has been a sudden rise this week in the number of parents and learners making Freedom of Information Requests to schools and local authorities in relation to assessment instruments and procedures.
No teacher should be expected to gather any evidence in relation to FOI requests during their annual leave. On receipt of such a request the local authority should respond on behalf of the school with an acknowledgement and a timescale for a response. Live SQA materials and licensed materials must not be shared by schools, even if the request is made by FOI.
For members’ information, there are restrictions on what can be shared (eg not scripts/answers but only marks and markers’ comments). The time scale for responding to an FOI request after results have been announced is one month, if it is before then the response must be made within five months of the date of the request or within 40 days from when the results are published (whichever is earlier). There should be no requirement to share information which has already been shared.
Learners with concerns should be directed to the SQA Appeals procedure. If a learner submits an appeal then SQA may contact the school after 10 August to request evidence. Under no circumstances should evidence be released directly to parents.
More detail is available here: Exam results | ICO . -
SSTA Members’ Bulletin – 17 June 2021
SSTA Members’ Bulletin – 17 June 2021
£400 Alternative Certification Model Payment
The SSTA welcomes the one-off exceptional £400 payment for teachers supporting the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2020/2021.
Key points
Payment- Teachers in education authority schools, independent schools and grant aided schools, involved in delivery of the ACM, will receive a maximum taxable payment of £400.
- Funded by a Scottish Government grant to employers, schools must claim on behalf of relevant staff.
- Payment will be made to teachers through normal payroll arrangements.
Timing
- Schools can start processing details immediately. The final deadline for submission of forms is 30 September 2021.
- Staff with concerns about receiving the payment (e.g. because of a possible impact on benefits such as Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Legacy Benefits, Council Tax Reduction, Pension credit, Carer’s Allowance) should speak to their employer as soon as possible.
Eligibility criteria
- Teachers must have:
- supported the delivery of one or more of the following functions: assessing, marking or quality assuring National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher courses in academic session 2020/2021.
- been employed between 1 January 2021 and 25 June 2021 for the initial window and, where relevant, between the start of the new school year in August and 3 September 2021.
- Teachers who work full-time or part-time and are subject to a permanent or temporary contract are eligible.
- Those who were shielding; on sick leave; on maternity, paternity, adoption leave; or furloughed are not precluded from qualifying for this payment if they have had a role in supporting the delivery of the ACM.
- Those who have since left or retired are also eligible and should contact their former employer.
Calculation of payment
- For eligible staff, the payment will be based on average contracted hours and reflect the degree to which the employee’s individual work has supported the delivery of the ACM. This will require a judgement on the part of the headteacher. The SSTA expects headteachers to approach this in an open-handed way, taking account of individual teachers’ varied workloads.
- Teachers with multiple employers should ensure that each of their employers is aware of the proportion of their pro-rata payment to ensure that the maximum they receive is £400.
Complaints
- Teachers who believe that they have not received the correct payment should discuss the matter with their Headteacher in the first instance. They may contact info@ssta.org.uk for advice before doing so.
More information
- Please see ‘£400 Payment Guidance‘ for more detailed information.
