We are pleased to confirm that Seamus Searson, who was successful in being chosen as the “Preferred Candidate”, will be the new General Secretary of the SSTA.  A start date of 2nd February 2015 has been agreed.  We extend a warm welcome to Seamus and wish him every success in his new post.

Nominations for Office Bearers were sought from Districts and Areas prior to December Council.

The following valid nominations were received:

President:            Robert Macmillan, Lochgelly High School

Vice-President:   Euan Duncan, Kilwinning Academy

Minutes Secretary:  Alan Taylor, North Lanarkshire Supply

General Treasurer:  Elaine Henderson, Peterhead Academy

The Scrutineers report for the above uncontested elections can be viewed here.

Robert Macmillan will be President of the Association for the period 2015-2017

Euan Duncan will be the Vice-President for the period 2015-2017

Alan Taylor will be the Minutes Secretary for the period 2015-2019;

Elaine Henderson will be General Treasurer for the period 2015-2019;

Due to lack of interested the seminar has been cancelled.

The Senior Managers Advisory Panel is holding a Senior Manager Seminar on 14 March 2015. The Seminar is an all day event, which will take place on Saturday 14 March at Stirling Court Hotel University of Stirling and is free to SSTA members.

The theme of the seminar will be “Leadership” and the speaker will be Gillian Hamilton, Chief Executive of the Scottish College of Educational Leadership (SCEL).

Should members wish to attend the seminar they can register for a place by completing the registration form below no later than Monday 2 March 2015. Alternatively you can contact the office for an application form.

Due to a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling (due to be finalised in December) it has been established that holiday pay should also have been accrued on any Additional Work, potentially going back to 1998.  Some teachers will be affected by this decision and the Additional Work could include:

(i)    supported study, tutor groups, holiday revision groups at rates paid by the Local Authority
(ii)   development work paid for on an hourly basis
(iii)  additional Music, Drama or PE activities paid at an hourly rate, e.g. a Council wide event.

The effect of the judgment is that there will be an additional 8.3% of the amount paid due to those who have carried out this work.  Some authorities have already started applying the 8.3% increase to these payment and some have backdated the payments to a variety of dates.

COSLA are currently trying to negotiate a national settlement with non-teaching unions which proposes this 8.3% uplift on any payment which falls into the category of Additional Work backdated for an agreed period of time.  The negotiation is around how long the backdating is applied and what proportion of the sum due will be paid.  If an agreement is likely with these other unions, COSLA have indicated that they may wish to negotiate the same settlement with the teacher unions.  The advantage of such an agreement is that local authorities would not require any evidence to support the back payment of sums due, they will use their own payroll information, but they will only go back the nationally agreed period of time, possibly a few years.   This may suit some members who do not have the necessary evidence for a claim but not others who have retained relevant payslips.

It would be very helpful if we could begin to establish how many of our members may be affected by this judgment, the potential value of each claim per year and confirmation that relevant evidence is available to substantiate any claim.  Could I ask that you locate your evidence and complete the information requested on our website, letting us know the amount of pay you have received on which the 8.3% uplift would be due.

Please note that all work done within a teacher’s normal contract already attracts holiday pay as set out in the SNCT Handbook and the rates paid for the Additional Work are not negotiated under the terms of the SNCT Handbook.  These are additional voluntary duties.

Following a number of recent enquiries we would like to clarify the Association’s position regarding donations to political parties and political affiliations.

• The SSTA is not affiliated with any political party.
• No part of the subscription fee paid by members goes towards any political party.
• The SSTA does not have a political fund and does not make donations to any political party.

Following recent interviews Elizabeth Hunter, District Secretary, Stirling and Iain Glennie, School Representative, Larkhall, have been successful in their application for the posts of Professional Officer.  We offer them both congratulations and wish them every success in their new appointment.

Elizabeth Hunter will take up post on 20 October with Iain Glennie taking up post in November.

The Association has been invited to send a delegation to the 'The Impact of poverty on educational attainment’ event on 19 June at the New Lanark Heritage site.  Any member who wishes to attend should email the SSTA office at info@ssta.org.uk with their details.

You will be aware that the SSTA have been monitoring the Scottish Qualifications Authority over the past session, particularly as Nationals 4 and 5 are being introduced.

You will recall our survey of members in January which raised many issues about the confidence of teachers to deliver and assess these courses and these were shared in frank discussions with the SQA, and later to the Scottish Parliament through its Education Committee. As a result, we have been assured that many changes will feed their way into next year’s cycle.

The SQA have requested that we give feedback on this year’s exams. In order to do this, the SSTA Education Committee has organised a one day seminar where subject specialist members can meet to make comment on each exam at National 5, Higher and, where possible, Advanced Higher. There will also be an opportunity to discuss wider issues relating to the delivery and assessment of qualifications, including a look forward to the Nationals 6 and 7.

The meeting is in the Premier Inn (Haymarket) on Saturday 7th June, from 10.30am. A lunch will be provided, and travel costs will be reimbursed. The number of places is limited, but if you would like to comment on your subject’s exams, we would be delighted to hear your views, both positive and negative.

Please confirm your proposed attendance by e-mailing info@ssta.org.uk including your name and subject specialism by Monday 2 June. Please note that places will be allocated on a first come first served basis, subject to a range of subjects being covered. Further information will be e-mailed to participants before 7th June.

Richard Goring
Professional Officer
on behalf of the Education Committee