Category: Information for Members

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.

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How to use the DigiTech meter

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As part of a campaign to reduce the excess workload imposed on teachers the SSTA is collecting evidence through a workload survey.   Part 1 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 the survey.   If you experiance any problems logging in to the website, please see this forum post for help). It should take no longer than five minutes to complete and will save on the cost of postage.

A second survey will be carried out for a week in February 2010.   The results of both surveys will then be collated and made available to all members. The results will be used to inform a 2010 campaign related to workload and the 35 hour working week.

Freepost address:

Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association

RLYZ-JYHB-RLBZ

14 West End Place

Edinburgh

EH11 2ED

The Association has created a new closed peer support network on Facebook which is open to all members who are in their first 10 years of their career.

The New to Teaching Network is:

• open to all teachers (in the first 10 years of their career irrespective of age), NQTs and student members

• a peer to peer web based community on Facebook for new teachers sharing, advice and help.

• a social grouping that can meet in various activities outwith the classroom and confines of school.

• whatever the participants decide it wants to be.

To join the N2T group Facebook click on the logo to the right.

The result of the ballot for the post of General Secretary is shown below. The ballot closed at noon on Friday 1 May.

Ann Ballinger will therefore serve as General Secretary until 2014. The full result as detailed in the balloting agent’s report will be sent to all members via a bulletin following Congress later this month.

JIM DOCHERTY

Acting General Secretary

Margaret Smith, District Secretary in Fife and member of Executive and Council will be the Association’s Vice-President for the period 2009-2011. She defeated Richard Goring, also a member of Executive and Council, in the recent ballot. We extend our congratulations to Margaret and commiserations to Richard.

The report of the balloting agent, Electoral Reform Services, is below.

ELECTION OF VICE PRESIDENT 2009-2011

Our report of voting for the above election which closed today at noon is as follows:

Result

Electoral Reform Services can confirm that, as far as reasonably practicable, every person whose name appeared on the electoral roll supplied to us for the purpose of the ballot:-

1. was sent the details of the ballot and

2. if they chose to participate in the ballot, had their vote fairly and accurately recorded.

All voting material will be stored for twelve months.

Alexander Lonie

Manager of Trade Union & Membership Organisations Sector

20 February 2009

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association is Scotland’s second largest teachers’ trade union, serving the needs of secondary teachers throughout Scotland.

The Association seeks to appoint its most senior official following the retirement of the current post holder. The post is based in Edinburgh.

Candidates should be able to display leadership and innovation and have a genuine interest in education and the welfare of its practitioners. A background in trade unionism is desirable but not essential.

The post of General Secretary is subject to current arrangements as provided by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and in particular s.46 whereby the holder of the post of General Secretary requires to be appointed only following (if necessary) a ballot of the membership. A ballot is not required where there is only one valid nomination. The post is subject to further balloting of members every 5 years under current legislation.

The new General Secretary would be asked to take up post as soon as possible in 2009 following the completion of this procedure. This is likely to be at the earliest in April 2009.

All applications must be made by post. An application pack, containing the application form, is available from Jim Docherty, Acting General Secretary, at the address below. Applications close at noon on 30 January 2009. Interviews will be held in Edinburgh in February 2009. The Acting General Secretary is also able to answer questions from candidates as to the nature of the post.

The salary for the post is £72,000 at 1 January 2009.

SCHOOL ESTATE STRATEGY WORKING GROUP

Report of the Accounts Commission: Improving the School Estate

The SSTA would comment on the Report as follows.

Too little attention is given in the Accounts Commission Report to the concerns raised by those working in new and refurbished schools, the vast majority of which were built or adapted under some PPP/PFI initiative. The study accepts that these schools could generally “be better designed”. The obvious question is “why did this happen?”

The report does accept (Recommendations Part 5) that Councils “should make sure they consult and involve school users at the design stages”. This has not happened to an adequate extent. Until this consultation takes place, mistakes will continue to be made.

The SSTA has noted complaints from members relating to new build and refurbished schools which include constant repetition of the following:-

1. Rooms which are too small.

2. Totally inadequate ventilation to the extent that certain rooms cannot be used on warm summer days.

3. Corridors too narrow.

4. Too few teaching rooms (an appalling criticism).

5. “Minimum cost” criteria evident at all levels; basic design, range of accommodation and finishing being subject to particular criticism. Minimum standards are unacceptable: young people deserve better. Building for Excellence should be the watchword.

6. Lack of attention to “snagging” issues.

7. Schools occupied before work on them is complete.

8. Inadequate staff accommodation: in particular, no staffrooms and/or inadequate staff bases.

Items 1 and 2 are expanded upon later in this report:

The SSTA is delighted to assist in any programme which would lead to improvements in the current situation. It is totally clear that the quality of the new schools varies from the “very good” to the “poor”. The “poor” should never have been allowed to occur.

In particular the SSTA would be delighted to make comment on the numbers and sizes of rooms in new build schools. If accommodation is inadequate, the new school is unfit for purpose from day one. In this regard, the SSTA totally rejects paragraph 160 of the report: there are no “local circumstances” to be taken into account. There are no variations across Scotland in this matter. Any room which is intended as a general teaching room should be designed on the basis of the number of pupils which might require to be accommodated and not the number which the authority or Scottish Government would like to see accommodated.

With regard to building design, a very significant number of teachers report rooms totally unfit for purpose in warm weather. Windows often cannot be opened to an extent to provide adequate ventilation. Portable air conditioning units are often suggested as a remedy. Where employed, they are generally inadequate and too noisy.

The SSTA strongly supports the use of Regulation to fix a minimum size to all types of teaching areas on the basis of the number of pupils to be accommodated. We would require the adoption of mechanisms to ensure the adherence to these Regulations. The SSTA recommends the new Regulations cover the design of schools. The Regulations would go beyond those currently provided consequent to the Health and Safety at Work Act. Additionally, these Regulations would lay down both minimum and maximum temperatures for all working areas in schools.

On behalf of the SSTA

James Docherty

Acting General Secretary

2. On days of industrial action by other employee groups the employer has the right to be clear that no teacher is taking secondary action. Any member who is prevented from attending work on that day through illness should check what arrangements or requirements, if any, have been put in place by the employer. It should be noted, however, that an employee is not required to obtain a medical certificate to cover an absence of one day. The matter is clearly covered in the Handbook of Conditions for teachers (Part 2, section 6).

3. All health & safety requirements remain in force. In particular, if the designated first aid member(s) is/are not present then alternative arrangements should be made. The cleaning up of spillages of body fluids would require similar provision. Simply declaring a room out of use until cleaning can be effected would be a reasonable response.

4. Swimming pools should not be used if no life saving personnel are available.

5. Minimum temperature regulations still apply where school heating systems cannot be operated.

6. Children who require mobility assistance from support staff may require other arrangements to be made.

7. Members should avoid undertaking tasks which are clearly the duties of the colleagues taking industrial action e.g. general office duties including telephones. Such action could be highly inflammatory. As a simple rule: members should work normally. This might, however, involve certain tasks which would normally be carried out becoming impossible to perform.

8. If members are asked to undertake such work, they should politely decline. If members are instructed to undertake the work of others, they should ask for the instruction in writing. They should then immediately contact the General Secretary. On receipt of a written instruction to undertake such work members should again decline, state that a formal grievance will be raised and again contact the General Secretary.

9. If another union sets up a picket line (and it must be set up by the relevant union), members are asked to stop and listen politely to any case made. Members are advised, however, that they must cross the picket line. If they do not do so, they will lose one day’s pay. It is also possible that such members may be judged as taking secondary action which is unlawful. While the Association does not accept this interpretation, it may be difficult to protect members who do not cross picket lines. It would not be a defence in such cases that the members state that they are working at home.

10. Further advice can be obtained from the General Secretary.

CLASS SIZES, STAFFING & RESOURCES WORKING GROUP