Senior Managers Seminar, 16 March 2012

The Senior Managers Advisory Panel is holding a Senior Mangers Seminar in March 2012. The Seminar is an all day event, which will take place on Friday 16 March at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld, and is free to SSTA members. The theme of the seminar will be the Management of Change to Conditions of Service. Should members wish to attend the seminar they can register for a place by completing a form online here no later than Friday 2 March…

SQA - Scottish Baccalaureates

The Scottish Baccalaureates in Science and Languages have been available for delivery since August 2009 and, based on their success, SQA, directed by the Scottish Government, intends to offer all pupils studying at Advanced Higher level the opportunity to choose a Baccalaureate in a suitable subject area. It is, therefore, the intention to expand Baccalaureate provision by broadening the existing two awards and by developing two new awards in Social Sciences and Expressive Arts, all to be available for delivery…

Day of Action 30th November

Given the expected size of the Marches in Edinburgh and Glasgow it is suggested that members assemble as a group rather than attempt to meet under the SSTA banner at the official assembly areas.

New National Qualifications - October Update

Have Your Say – Latest Documents The latest draft documents for the new qualifications have now been published. Course Specifications for Access 2 and Access 3 are now available on the website and feedback can be given by 31 December 2011 on our Have Your Say page. A summary of all the feedback we've received to date is available here. The subject drop-down menu can be used to view the latest information for each subject.

Attention Supply Teachers!

Working as a supply teacher and receiving the disgraceful remuneration agreed by another union in the sell out agreement (SOA), you will be very aware of the system now used to pay supply staff in differing authorities. We are now able to begin the process of collecting evidence of unfair treatment to enable us to legally challenge this disgrace. Many of you will have worked for at least a few days on supply contracts. Please email us with information about…

Education Secretary announces changes to Glow Network.

This afternoon, Michael Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, made an announcement outlining the Scottish Government's key objectives for ICT in education and his plans for the next generation of Glow. This included stopping the current Glow Futures procurement and utilising readily available tools, through a single sign-on, to make the next generation of Glow more relevant and dynamic. The key ICT in education objectives are: Changing the culture of use of ICT in education; Improving confidence…

Members Update

Dear Colleague Hopefully you start the new session in a stress-free and positive mood after a relaxing holiday. I apologise if anything in this update reduces the positive effect of the holidays, and assure you that is not my intention. Regrettably teachers are returning to a changed working environment with the imposed changes to conditions of service now a reality. It's interesting that, despite holiday s and other commitments, time was found to produce the wording for these new conditions…

Pre-Retirement Courses

These courses are offered exclusively by the SSTA every year. The Courses are designed for members who are approaching retirement. This course covers; investment, state benefits, superannuation, the need for planning, taxation in retirement. The courses are normally held between April and June in various locations across Scotland. Details of the events will be posted on-line and in the Bulletin when details are finalised.

Feedback on SQA Exam Diet

The SQA are seeking feedback on the exam diet.   They particularly welcome your views on the questions and on any issues you believe will have affected pupil performance. They are also delighted to receive suggestions for improvements to future exam papers.     If you have any comments to make (positive, negative or a combination of both) please send them by email to info@ssta.org.uk adding SQA feedback to the subject line.   We will collate these and forward them…