The Association is attending the STUC There is a Better Way the March and Rally taking place in Edinburgh 23rd October 2010. Any members wishing to attend the march can join the Association's official delegation. Details of the meeting place and timings of the march are detailed below. 10.45 am: Meet in Princes Street Garderns by the Scott Monument. 11.00 am: Make our way to the march assembley point on East Market Street. 11.30 am: March off. 12.30 pm: Rally…

Dear Colleagues, You may have been aware of recent attacks on this organisation by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mike Russell. Long memories are a rare asset in politics.   Mr Russell was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2007 as a list MSP.   He was elected by 27.8% of the 58% who voted, perhaps 15% of the electorate. The Cabinet Secretary has felt it necessary to twice mention the SSTA in his recent pronouncements.   The cynic among…

Join Now and get 50% OFF Subscription Fees for the First 12 months. We believe that it is essential that the views of secondary teachers are firmly represented.   Secondary teaching is not simply more specialised primary teaching.   The current problems associated with CfE should make this clear.   If you wish your views as a secondary teacher to be fully represented, there is only one union you can join.   Join the SSTA now! Every member has direct…

As required by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 the Association's financial statement to members for the period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 can be downloaded here. Adobe Acrobat reader is required to open the document and can be downloaded from http://get.adobe.com/reader/

16+ Learning Choices is being implemented across Scotland as the Scottish Government's mechanism for ensuring an offer of a place in post-16 learning for every young person who wants it.   The 16+ Learning Choices Policy and Practice Framework has been developed to support implementation and sustainable delivery.   It sets out the Scottish Government's policy on 16+ Learning Choices; its expectations for implementation; and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the wide range of partners involved in supporting young…

The Association is aware of the decision of the Council to terminate the contracts of many long-term temporary teachers. The validity of any such dismissals will be discussed with the relevant members. The Association is also aware that the effect of the loss of these teachers will be substantially addressed by instructions to headteachers to re-timetable existing classes. The Association is clear that there is no contractual impediment to the concept of re-timetabling and advises members as follows: 1. Members…

As part of a campaign to reduce the excess workload imposed on teachers the SSTA is collecting evidence through a workload survey. Part 2 of the survey can be found here. We would appreciate if members could complete the form and return it to the Association at our freepost address noted below. Alternatively, you can complete an online version of the form here on our website. (Please note that you will be required to login to the site to compete…

Dear Colleagues   Please accept my apologies for adding to your workload at an already very busy time of year.   I hope you will find the content of the letter both informative and helpful.   As always please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish further information or support.   Many of you will have been aware of the problems faced by a teacher in Glasgow who was injured at work.   The response of her employer…

As you will know concerns relating to classroom temperatures/humidity are an annual problem. Some rooms are always too cold in winter and some are too hot in summer. It has become clear, given the current financial climate that some councils/schools have reduced the ambient temperatures as an efficiency saving. The Association is supplying schools with one Digitech temperature/humidity meter to aid members to monitor/record the temperature/humidity in their classroom. Members who wish to record the temperatures of their classroom should…

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