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Presidential Address to 79th Annual Congress of the SSTA

At the end of congress last year, I was honoured to have our Immediate Past President, Catherine Nicol, hand over the Presidency to me. It has been a busy year.  To say that it has been exhilarating and an enormous learning curve is understating the last year. Catherine gave me a lift home at the end of congress, and we chatted about what lay ahead.  One thing I knew for certain was that I already knew what my theme was…
Information for Members - 05/10/2024
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Member Bulletin - 30 April 2024

The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) Pay Claim 2024-2025 The SNCT Teachers’ Side pay claim for 2024-2025 was submitted in January. The claim for 6.5% for all SNCT grades from August 2024 was acknowledged by the employers at the SNCT meeting in February.The SNCT Extended Joint Chairs (SSTA, EIS, COSLA and Scottish Government) met prior to Easter where no pay offer was made. COSLA stated it was waiting for a Council Leaders meeting on 27 April before moving forward…
Information for Members - 04/30/2024
Close up of student using cell phone during class at school.

92% OF LESSONS INTERRUPTED BY PUPIL MOBILE PHONES

In the 2023 SSTA survey, 71% of members highlighted that the misuse of mobile phones was having an impact on poor pupil behaviour and learning. The SSTA Education Committee wanted to get further information on the use of mobile phones in school and commissioned a survey to find out members views. The survey took place in February 2024 with 1,451 members responding. Seamus Searson SSTA General Secretary said. “92% of members said their lessons were being interrupted by asking pupils…
Information for Members / Press Releases - 03/22/2024
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Members Bulletin - 12 March 2024

The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) Pay Claim 2024-2025 The SNCT Teachers’ Side pay claim for 2024-2025 was submitted in January. The claim for 6.5% for all SNCT grades from August 2024 was acknowledged by the employers at the SNCT meeting in February. COSLA stated at the meeting that it was in discussions with the Scottish Government regarding local authority funding and public sector pay. It was also waiting for the Westminster Budget on 6 March to see if…
Information for Members / Pensions - 03/13/2024
Female Student Raising Hand To Ask Question In Classroom

Children’s Education at Risk by Cutting Teacher Numbers

Children’s Education at Risk by Cutting Teacher Numbers As Scottish Councils are setting education budgets for 2024-2025 the SSTA is receiving reports of education cuts with teachers and educational support staff numbers being reduced. Seamus Searson SSTA General Secretary said: “It's that time of the year again. Teachers are tired of being used as a ‘political football’ in the funding battle with the Scottish Government. The Councils have used this tactic in previous years to force money from the Government.…
Information for Members / Press Releases - 02/23/2024
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SSTA Mobile Phone Survey

The SSTA has taken a stance to support teachers to use their own discretion when it comes to the use of mobile phones in their classes. The reason for this position was due to the poor access to computers, mobile devices and connectivity to the internet (WiFi). Over the past few years there has been growing concern that the use of mobile phones is impacting on pupils learning, their health and wellbeing and behaviour.The OECD  United Nations has warned of…
Information for Members - 01/17/2024
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SSTA Newsletter - December 2023

The December 2023 Newsletter is now available for members to download.SSTA Newsletter – December 2023The newsletter contains information on the following items: Message from the President   Notification of the Election of General Treasurer SNCT Pay 2024-2025 2024 Subscription Fees Dignity and Respect at Work Artificial Intelligence (AI). Advice for Probationer Teachers Salary Scales
Information for Members - 12/22/2023
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Member Bulletin - November 2023

Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research The Scottish Centre for Social Research published the latest ‘Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR’) following a seven-year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research in 2023 explored the headteachers’, teachers’ and support staff members’ views of relationships and behaviour in publicly funded mainstream schools, as well as the views of key local authority representatives across Scotland. The research project can be found here.   The SSTA believes that Covid-19 highlighted the increased difficulties that teachers were…
Bulletin / Information for Members - 11/28/2023
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Education Cuts by Stealth are Hurting Children and Teachers

Seamus Searson SSTA General Secretary said.“Many local authorities have embarked upon a campaign of education cuts by removing education support staff in schools or not replacing them when they leave. This leaves an additional burden upon the teachers in schools who are expected to cover the work of the staff who are no longer there. Education support staff were appointed for essential educational purposes to remove this vital support by stealth is to fail the children and classroom teachers. Unfortunately,…
Information for Members / Press Releases - 10/26/2023
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SSTA Member Bulletin – October 2023

Hayward Review The Independent Review Group led by Professor Louise Hayward published the final report ‘Our Future: Report of the Review of Qualifications and Assessment’ in June 2023. Recommendations in this report centre around a reduction of national qualifications and the introduction of a Scottish Diploma of Achievement (SDA) in the Senior Phase and with three mandatory elements: Personal Pathway, Programmes of Learning and Project Learning. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has committed to taking views from the teaching profession…
Information for Members / Pensions - 10/19/2023

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