Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association

Category: Information for Members

  • Communicating with pupils via email

    Dear Colleagues

    You may have been asked to communicate with pupils via electronic means during this inclement weather enabling staff to work from home in severe weather and avoid possible injury attempting to travel to a building already closed to pupils.    

    Some schools even ask staff to use electronic means to distribute, discuss and mark homework.    

    This type of communication should only be undertaken using the authority Intranet.   Properly set up and monitored intranet systems protect their users from abusive communications and from malicious accusations.   Other forms of electronic communication do not provide teachers or pupils with the necessary protection.     Do not, under any circumstances, give your personal email address to pupils.

    If you have any doubts at all about the electronic system you are being asked to use please contact the office at info@ssta.org.uk

    With best wishes

    Yours sincerely

    Ann Ballinger

    General Secretary

  • Warning to Members – Teaching resources – A SCAM?

    The Association has become aware of the behaviour of a company, who run a web-site containing the term “teaching resources”, have caused considerable concern within the teaching profession.

    Their web site offers teachers a chance to ‘trial’ PSHE resources. However, only in the very (easily missed) small print of the terms and conditions is it explained that, after the 14 day trial, schools will be automatically invoiced for a two year contract with the company. This will only be stopped if the teacher who requested the trial writes directly to the company to cancel before the 14 days have expired. The invoices can be for many hundreds of pounds, with the threat of debt recovery if they are not paid.

    Members are advised that they should only take the offer of their FREE 14-day trial if they are fully aware of legal consequences of failing to cancel that trail period.

  • Meeting of Council: Saturday 4 December 2010 – CANCELLED

    Due to the recent bad weather the meeting of Council due to take place on Saturday 4 December has been cancelled.   The meeting is being rescheduled to take place at St Colm’s Church Hall, Dalry Road, Edinburgh on Saturday 15 January 2011 at 10.30am.

    The General Secretary will e-mail Council members over the coming weekend with news of any updates or urgent business.

  • Teachers: Russell: I’m sorry but don’t blame me young teachers can’t find jobs

    The Scotsman (By FIONA MACLEOD) – 28/10/10 01:02

    THE high number of teachers unable to find jobs has been blamed on “cavalier” councils and over-recruitment to teacher training universities by education secretary Michael Russell.

    After being grilled at the education committee yesterday,   Mr Russell was accused of giving a “grudging” apology to the hundreds of teachers unable to find work.

    Full story available from The Scotsman

  • There is a Better Way March and Rally

    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 at the Ross Bandstand.

    Members arriving late by train should take the Jeffery Street Exit and walk to East Market Street to meet us there.

    If you would like to help the Campaign by volunteering to be a Steward for the March and Rally please click the link below and scroll down to register:

    http://www.abetterway.siteiscentral.com/events/1/there-is-a-better-way-demo/

  • General Secretary responds to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mike Russell

    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 you will doubtless say ‘we must be getting things right’.   Perhaps more than the cynics, in fact!

    27% of members took the time to vote in our indicative ballot, held during the last week of a very long and tiring session.   95% of those who voted were in favour of a formal ballot.

    We are currently working on a ballot paper which will allow all members to express an opinion on future action.   In the meantime I will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

    With best wishes

    Ann

    ANN BALLINGER

    General Secretary

  • Special offer for new members

    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 and immediate access to full-time union officials who are always ready to advise and support members with problems or queries in relation to their employment.   We do not use our school representatives to provide advice on highly technical (or confidential) issues. Not all unions can offer this facility.

    All new members to the Association can benefit from our new special offer of 50% off the normal subscription for the first 12 months of paid membership when sending a completed direct debit instruction with their application.   This represents a saving of up to £89.40 a year based on current 2010 subscription paying by monthly direct debit.

    To join the SSTA you can complete an online enrolment form here. This offer is available to new members only.

  • Financial Statement to members

    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 Policy and Practice Framework

    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 people in the Senior Phase of Curriculum for Excellence to progress into positive and sustained post-16 destinations.

    The Framework is designed   to guide national agencies and local partnerships in their detailed strategic and operational planning; and to establish more formal agreements for local implementation and sustainable delivery.   You can access a copy of the Framework here.

  • Advice to members employed by Glasgow City Council

    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 are contractually required to teach assigned classes. Where the classes are (at least normally) in subjects other than those a teacher is registered to teach, contact should be made with the General Secretary. It is helpful to use our info@ssta.org.uk address.

    2. The maximum class contact time of 22.5 hours per full teaching week remains and members are urged not to teach beyond this level.

    3. Class contact time includes:

    a. Registration (whatever name is used to describe it) b. Covering for absent teachers c. Time assigned for other duties as a replacement for teaching.

    4. There should be no attempt to vary the school’s current Working Time Agreement. Discussion should already be taking place as to the content of the WTA for session 2010-11.

    5. During the period of the SQA exam diet the SQA classes are still assigned classes and teachers must be available to teach the class at the normal time. The pupils have an entitlement to access to their teacher as provided by the timetable. If the headteacher wishes to prevent such an arrangement, this must be shown clearly in writing. The pupils who have previously been taught during this time are no longer the contractual responsibility of the teacher. It is helpful if the head teacher makes this clear to parents. It is not the responsibility of the class teacher. ”ƒ 6. It should be abundantly clear to all that the time freed during the exam diet is used by teachers for curriculum development and other preparatory work. It must be recognised that any premature introduction of a new table severely reduce the time available for such essential developments. The most obvious of those would be CfE

    Members are reminded that the basic contractual 35 hour week remains in place.

    Ann Ballinger General Secretary