COVID-19 Update

As schools return after the Christmas break the spread of the Omicron variant has led to a rapidly changing situation in schools. The latest Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance on reducing the risks from COVID-19 in schools was issued on the 7 January 2022 .

This guidance includes updates to

• Self-isolation sections (paras 54 to 94)
• Vaccination section based on latest JCVI advice (paras 115 to 120)
• Outbreak management (paras 185 and 186)

In addition, please find a link to the Covid – Good Practice Guide that has been produced by COSLA and is endorsed by all the trade unions. This includes ventilation guidance in all workplaces.

The SSTA View

The safety and wellbeing of teachers and learners is paramount.  The new variant is a significant worry with teachers and support staff being put at increased risk should all the mitigations not be implemented as far fewer people under 16 have received vaccinations compared with the rest of the population.

It is predicted that staff absence will increase due to the spread of the virus and the rules on isolation. This could lead to schools finding themselves in a situation where there are simply too few teachers available to open schools safely. Any decision to keep schools open or closed should continue to be based on a full risk assessment. All schools should have updated risk assessments in line with the most recent guidelines.

Schools need to be prepared to move towards a variety of ways of continuing education in the event of a partial or complete closure.  It is being reported that there are schools are running with large groups being supervised in large areas, which is not sustainable or safe under the current circumstances. Some are sending senior phase pupils home, and in some cases teachers are losing their marking and preparation time every day for emergency cover. An emergency situation is a single day, or two, but not any longer. 

It is the SSTA view that any proposals to recommence remote learning must be carefully considered with sufficient advance notice being given to teachers, learners and families.  We are aware that it is not an attractive idea to many teachers or learners, and we are concerned about the impact it is likely to have on teaching and learning and people’s mental wellbeing. 

Even though school communities have become quite adept at online learning, moving from classroom to remote learning represents a big change and cannot be achieved simply by pushing a button.  If risk and/or teacher shortage is such that it is necessary to move to online learning early in the new term, we would expect schools to be given the time necessary for planning and organisation.  A huge amount of administration and planning will be required.  School communities will need time to organise effective and worthwhile learning experiences, as well as considering all the other functions schools are required to undertake.

The response to the current crisis needs to be proactive, rather than reactive. Schools need time and resources to organise and plan, not just for the current situation, but for the forthcoming National Qualification demands.

SSTA rejects that latest pay offer from the employers (COSLA)

The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee met on 15 December and firmly rejected the latest employers’ pay offer and regarded it as further insult to the hardworking and committed teacher workforce in Scotland.

The SNCT Teachers’ Side pay claim for April 2021 was lodged in December 2020 and, despite a series of meetings, COSLA had only been prepared to make a pay offer of a 1.22% increase from January 2021. This was rejected by the SNCT Teachers’ Side in November.

This week the employers’ side issued a further pay offer that was within the same overall cost envelope with reconfigured dates:

• A 1% increase at all SNCT pay points effective from 1 April 2021.
• A further 1% increase at all SNCT pay points effective from 1 January 2022.
• A one-off non-recurring payment of £100 to each SNCT member of staff (pro-rated for part-time) for all SNCT members in post on the date the offer is agreed and based on working hours at that time.
• A cap of £800 for those earning £80K and above.

Paul Cochrane (SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee Convener) said,

“After an in-depth discussion, the Committee unanimously rejected it as being an inadequate and insulting attempt at numerical smoke and mirrors with the same pot of money they have been holding for the last year”.

“As a teaching union, we are now asking ourselves more frequently, ‘What is COSLA’s role in the SNCT negotiating arena?’ We are now approaching a period of nearly 5 years where only one salary settlement has been agreed. With teachers being key workers who have delivered on equity, attainment and social justice during a worldwide pandemic, it is incredibly insensitive and demeaning for COSLA to continually offer the same deal in different wrapping”.

Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary, said,

“The pay offer is a demand for more work for less pay from teachers. It is a demand for teachers to accept a cut in living standards as inflation, taxation, and the general cost of living all rise beyond our living standards. It cannot be serious and must be seen yet another delaying tactic. The ball can only be kicked into the long grass so many times before it bursts”.

“This latest derisory pay offer and the Governments plea to school staff to ‘break’ the national 10-day isolation rule to ‘keep schools open at all costs’ whilst putting themselves and their families at further risk. This shows a real lack of respect towards teachers and how much teachers are valued by their employers and the Government”.

Misuse of social networking applications

In recent days, the SSTA has been receiving a stream of concerns from members regarding misuse of social networking applications, particularly TikTok.   TikTok is a video-focused social networking service which allows users to post short videos which tend to be humorous, fascinating, or outrageous in the hope of gaining significant numbers of likes and followers.  

There are widespread news reports of users making TikTok videos including still or moving images of teachers taken from online sources or even recorded in school.  Some use humour, but more insidiously some include statements which could cause reputational damage. Without wishing to cause fear or alarm, the SSTA wants to ensure all members are aware of this craze.

Making unfounded anonymous claims about teachers which can cause reputational damage is not something limited to TikTok, but also crops up on other apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and so on.  Using readily available resources to cause harm without thinking through the potential consequences can cause unjustified anxiety for victims.  The relative ease and speed with which people can create and publish video clips with very little moderation is a source of concern. 

The SSTA offers this advice to members:

• continue to be highly vigilant regarding how young people are using their phones, particularly around school;
• review the school’s policy on internet use;
• ensure all personal social media accounts are secure;
• do not respond to, or investigate, irresponsible postings yourself;
• seek the full support of the school if you have concerns; your Headteacher should exercise a duty of care and take the issue seriously;  
• in any case where a teacher has experienced online abuse members should expect the school to be involving the local authority and the Police.

Other actions:

• The SSTA expects that schools will, in partnership with families and carers, already be educating young people in safe use of internet resources as part of PSHE programmes.   Young people should understand that one person’s enjoyment must not infringe on another’s rights and wellbeing.  There are useful resources here Resource Library (thinkuknow.co.uk) which are accessible and free to teachers who sign up using a school email address.
• Schools should remind pupils that they must not be making or taking images of their teachers without permission.
• It would be helpful for schools, as part of a programme of CLPL, to familiarise teachers with how some people are using and misusing online platforms so they can recognise harmful behaviours. 
• People of any age who are creating and publishing videos or other content online with malicious and/or abusive content need to understand that, apart from any legal repercussions, they risk the inconvenience of having internet-connected equipment taken from their homes for forensic examination by the Police (it is helpful to have this kind of message delivered by a Police Officer).

Members with concerns should inform their Headteacher without delay, and should contact info@ssta.org.uk for further advice if required.