Following a number of enquiries regarding Working Time Agreement the Association has produced an advice sheet for School Reps which is available to download.

Should you have any questions regarding your school Working Time Agreement please contact headquarters by emailing info@ssta.org.uk or calling 0131 313 7300.

There were 500 responses. The highlights of the survey are as follows

• Nearly 90% supported the electronic format being used.
• The great majority of respondents were happy with the smaller printed format (80%).
• 75% of respondents rated the articles in the newsletter as being interesting and relevant and 69% believed that 2 newsletters per session were sufficient.

The full survey results are available for any member. Please contact the Acting General Secretary.

The Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Goring to the post of part-time Professional Officer. Richard, a former depute headteacher in Hamilton Grammar, has a long association with us as an active member and is held in the highest regard in all quarters.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association today confirmed the early retirement of the General Secretary, Ann Ballinger with effect from the end of December 2012 on health grounds. The Council of the Association had already been informed of Ms Ballinger's intention to retire early.

The SSTA operates with a number of specialist panels. Their function is to inform and advise on the particular issues that they deal with.

The Association will hold a training session for school representatives on Wednesday 5 September. The training will take place at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld.

Hi fellow educational professionals and trade unionists

I am emailing you about an issue which goes beyond the relatively small, ideological differences between the various trade unions and associations. It is an issue directly related to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to respect for private and family life.

During the last few months the Association's solicitor has acted on behalf of a number of members who are supply teachers. On each occasion the member has benefited from additional payments and better contractual conditions.

The campaign group for Fair Trade Schoolwear have an opportunity at the Westminster Parliament to raise awareness of issues related to the supply of cotton. In particular they want to draw public attention to the plight of children in other countries who are denied an education and forced to work in the cotton industry.