Category: Information for Members

Reduction in Teacher Contact Time (90 minutes) – Deadline Approaches 

The Scottish Government committed to a reduction in teacher class contact time from 22.5 hours to 21 hours. This commitment was made in recognition of the workload pressures that Scotland’s teachers faced.

Little progress has been made to date and the SSTA and other teacher unions will declare a formal trade dispute if no proposal by Monday 3 February. However, the Scottish Government published a joint agreement with COSLA on 11 December 2024 that stated.
 
“Local Government and Scottish Government are committed to working together to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels next year, and freeze learning hours which will support the learning experience for pupils across Scotland. Both Local Government and the Scottish Government have also agreed to make meaningful progress towards reducing class contact time for teachers, in recognition of the asks made by teachers and teaching unions. Medium- and long-term joint workforce planning will take into account the importance of responding to issues including different local needs”.

See the full statement – https://www.gov.scot/publications/education-agreement-with-cosla/


SSTA Vice-President Election – Make Sure To Return Your Ballot Paper

The SSTA Vice-President Election is a postal ballot of members and is taking place during January 2025. Ballot papers were distributed to members home address on Thursday 9 January 2025, by the scrutineers for the election, UK Engage. The closing date for the election is Thursday 30 January 2025. Members will be informed of the results of the election as soon as practicably possible after the closing of the election.

 
 
Guide to Mental Health Support   – Wednesday 5 February, 5.00pm – Online

Members and colleagues are experiencing Mental Health issues that are either chronic or acute in nature. This session aims to signpost where to find support as an individual and explain what the experiences of a Mental Health First Aider. Completed with a presentation on safeguarding and trauma informed approaches to support staff in education setting.

 
Behaviour Action Plan – Thursday 6 February, 5.00pm – Online

Poor pupil behaviour is a major driver of stress and increased workload and the SSTA has continued to press the Scottish Government for a unified approach to support teachers in meeting the needs of pupils. The Scottish Government produced a ‘Behaviour Action Plan’ and this event gives an overview of the plan and the way forward.

 
Please follow the links above to reserve your place.
 
To keep up with the latest news follow the SSTA at: –

• SSTA Website – https://ssta.org.uk 
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sstatradeunion
• X  – https://x.com/SSTAtradeunion
• Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/sstatradeunion.bsky.social

The SSTA December 2024 Newsletter is now available for members to download.

The newsletter contains articles on: 

• SSTA National Elections 2025
• Teachers’ Pension Scheme – useful guide
• Salary Scales – 1 August 2024
• Class Contact Time Reduction
• Relationships & Action Behaviour Action Plan
• Named Person Advice Note
• 35 Hour Working Week – FAQ
• Guide to Menal Health Support Webinar
• 2025 Subscription Fees
• Benefits of Union Recognition

Retirement of Fiona Dalziel 

Briefing for Members in Management Positions

The SSTA has arranged an online briefing of members who are in Principal Teacher Posts ( Curriculum Leaders, Heads of Faculty, etc..) on Wednesday 13 November at 5.00pm. The briefing will include an update on the Education Bill and Hayward Review and future developments. There will be a focus on managing staff and workload and there will also be an opportunity for members to raise issues of concern. Further details will follow. To reserve a place, please complete the registration form on the SSTA website.

Briefing for DHT and Headteacher Members – Rearranged Date

The original briefing needed to be rearranged due to matters beyond our control and a new date has been arranged for an online briefing of DHTs and Headteachers on Wednesday 27 November at 6.00pm. The briefing will include an update on the Education Bill and Hayward Review and future developments. There will also be an opportunity for members to raise issues of concern. Further details will follow. To reserve a place, please complete the registration form on the SSTA website. Members signed for the original date have been registered.

SSTA Vacancy – National Casework Officer  

The SSTA is seeking to appoint a National Casework Officer in January 2025. The post is a full-time salaried position at PT4 on the SNCT salary scale, currently £62,022 per annum. For further information and the application form, please see the advert on the SSTA website.

NATIONAL CASEWORK OFFICER

We are looking for a full-time National Casework Officer who can communicate effectively, interact well with other people and who can work as part of a team. The successful candidate will also have familiarity with the operation and ethos of a trade union, SNCT Conditions of Service and should have a sound knowledge of the Scottish education system. .

The post is based in Edinburgh and attracts a current salary of £62,022 per annum. A defined contribution pension scheme is also available to employees.

Travel and work throughout Scotland is an essential part of the post and thus a valid driving licence and your own transport are essential.

The principal duties involved are:

• Providing advice, support and representation to SSTA members
• Participation in the organisation of training events for lay officials and committees
• Attending meetings of members at District and School level

Further information is available from the General Secretary.

Application forms can be obtained by completing the form below.

The closing date for applications is Friday 1 November 2024 at 12noon

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Applications for the post have now closed.

The SNCT Teachers’ Side met this morning and unanimously accepted the pay offer of 4.27% for all SNCT grades from 1 August 2024. This position was stated at a meeting of the SNCT Extended Joint Chairs (SSTA, EIS, the employers, and Scottish Government) that followed.  The teacher side expected that the payment would be made as soon a s possible as the payment date had passed. The SNCT pay circular is to be finalised with the teacher side ensuring that it is recorded as a ‘restorative’ pay deal and continue to be the case in future pay awards. (provisional pay scales)

Paul Cochrane SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Convenor said.

“The SSTA members have reluctantly understood that this is the best deal that could be achieved in the current financial circumstances. The SSTA has urged the employers to move quickly to ensure that payment is received by teachers without delay. Many teachers were disadvantaged because of delayed payments in 2023 and an early payment this year would be taken as a sign of goodwill.”

 
The SNCT Teachers’ Side issued a joint statement, the text of which can be found below. 

SNCT Teachers’ Side Joint Statement
The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) has today agreed to accept the pay offer of 4.27% from COSLA. This decision was taken following the constituent unions on the panel consulting with their respective memberships.

In accepting this offer, the Teachers’ Panel welcomes its undifferentiated nature and the stated recognition of the Employers’ Side of the SNCT that the offer marks the first step towards the restoration of teacher salaries in Scotland. The Teachers’ Panel looks forward to working with Employers and the Scottish Government on the creation of a ‘roadmap’ to restoration in the value of teachers’ pay to pre-austerity levels, across all career stages and salary levels. 

The Teachers’ Panel remains committed to achieving meaningful progress towards solutions to the other challenges facing Scottish teachers. Not least of these is urgently reducing unsustainable levels of workload, which can begin to be addressed through the realisation of the Scottish Government’s manifesto commitment to decrease class contact time to 21 hours per week. The Teachers’ Panel is clear that there needs to be swift movement on this reduction and that the resulting hour and a half a week must be afforded to teachers for planning and preparation of learning, which at present, is being undertaken in large part in teachers’ own time, unpaid.

The SSTA welcome over seventy delegates and guests to The Stirling Court Hotel as it celebrates fifty years of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Keynote speeches include Risk Assessment and Supporting Mental Health of Colleagues.
 
Grant McAllister SSTA Health and Safety Convenor said.
 
“When the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced, its purpose was to prevent physical harm, illness, and injury. Trade unions supported members to make sure employers protected their workers for dangerous practices and procedures for their physical health”.
 
“In the past few years, most work absence has been due to mental health issues across all sectors of employment. Trade unions now must support members to ensure employers protect them from work related stress, anxiety, and depression. That practices and procedures do not make workers unwell”.
 
“We are pleased to welcome Donna Paterson-Harvie of the Neil’s Hugs Foundation to speak to our Association’s volunteers as they support their colleagues in the workplace. Donna is a winner of the British Citizen’s Award in Health’s medal of honour”.
 
“We are also delighted to welcome Chris Lloyd of Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC) to provide his expertise on Risk Assessment in a school setting”.
 
“The SSTA is committed to the principle that No one’s work should make them unwell.”

The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee reluctantly agreed to recommend acceptance of the 4.27% offer to members as the Committee felt this was the best deal that could be achieved at this time. The ballot returned with 91% of SSTA members voting to accept the pay offer for 2024-2025.
 
Paul Cochrane SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Convenor said.
 
“The SSTA members have supported the Committee’s recommendation and voted overwhelmingly to accept the pay offer. The Committee will inform the SNCT Teachers’ Side of the outcome of the ballot and should other teacher unions agree we will be expecting the increase to be in teacher salaries as soon as possible”.
 
The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee will be considering other findings of the consultative ballot including the drivers of teacher workload. A full report will be issued in the coming weeks.

Email invitations to take part in the Consultative Ballot on the 2 September pay offer have been sent out to members who are employed by a Local Authority at 1.15pm this afternoon.   The Consultative Ballot will close at 12.00pm on Tuesday 10 September 2024. If you have already responded to the consultative ballot, thank you for taking the time to do so.
 
The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee reluctantly agreed to recommend acceptance of the 4.27% offer to members. The Committee decided to consult members on the latest employers’ pay offer.
 
Although there were reservations expressed at the meeting, the Committee felt this was the best deal that can be achieved at this time. All members employed by a local authority are invited to participate in the electronic consultative ballot.
 
The employers (COSLA) issued a pay offer on Monday 2 September will give an increase of 4.27% on all SNCT pay grades on 1 August 2024. Please see provisional SNCT pay scale. 
 
If you have not received the email invitation for the ballot, please check the spam/junk folders as sometime the email can be diverted there. 

If the email has been delivered to the junk/spam folder, you may have to mark the email as ‘not spam’ for the link to the ballot to work.  You can see how to do this using the relevant link for your email provider.

• Gmail – Remove an email from Spam
• Yahoo – Mark emails as Not Spam
• iCloud – Indicate that an email is not junk
• Hotmail/Outlook.com – mark an email message as Not junk

The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee met and carefully considered the latest pay offer for 2024-2025 from the employers (COSLA) received on 2 September.
 
The Committee reluctantly agreed to recommend acceptance of the 4.27% offer to members. An online consultative ballot will commence on Thursday 5 September to seek members approval.  Although there were reservations expressed at the meeting, due to the current financial climate, accompanied by COSLA stating this was a full and final offer, the Committee felt this was the best deal that could be achieved at this time. Although the pay offer retains some of the progress made in recent pay settlements awards it still falls short of the restoration of salary to historical levels due to years of austerity.
 
The Committee also took the view that the education system needs to change to address the issues teachers face in secondary schools.

• Individual teachers, support staff and parents have shouldered the burden of budget cuts and deteriorating conditions of service.
• Serving teachers are finding workload and poor pupil behaviour are having a major negative impact on their health and well-being.
• The increasing number of pupils with ASN in schools whilst at the same time ASN teachers and other education professionals are being reduced.
• Failings elsewhere in society result in the default response of ‘schools can do it instead’.
• The ability of external agencies to drop massive workload increases on schools without warning must cease.

 
Paul Cochrane, SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Convenor said.

“Teachers should be allowed to teach, and pupils be allowed to learn, free from the negative impact of inappropriate pupil behaviour. Schools should have excellent resources, coherent courses, and sensible assessment arrangements. The Management side of the SNCT continues to prevaricate on the Government commitment to reducing teacher class contact by 90 minutes due to an argument of how this time should be used. The SSTA is adamant that this time should be planning, preparation and correction directed by the teacher. Improvements are needed before Scottish Education deteriorates beyond redemption.”
 
The SSTA position was reported to the SNCT Teacher Side meeting held today and each of the unions have agreed to consult their members in the coming days.
 
The consultative ballot will commence on Thursday 5th September and will close on Tuesday 10th September at 12.00pm. The email invitations will be sent out on Thursday afternoon to the ‘preferred’ email address we hold for members.