SSTA Members' Bulletin – 9 July 2021

Re-opening of Schools in AugustYou will have seen that the arrangements for the reopening of schools in England are being revised and there will be pressure to follow suit in Scotland. At this point, schools have been advised to continue with the existing guidance and mitigations for the reopening of schools in August. This situation may well change again in the coming weeks when the impact of the lifting of covid restrictions are known. The SSTA advises all members not…
FOIfolder

Freedom of Information requests

A symptom of the worry and confusion surrounding the Alternative Certification Model has been a sudden rise this week in the number of parents and learners making Freedom of Information Requests to schools and local authorities in relation to assessment instruments and procedures.No teacher should be expected to gather any evidence in relation to FOI requests during their annual leave.  On receipt of such a request the local authority should respond on behalf of the school with an acknowledgement and…
MarkingPapers

SSTA Members’ Bulletin - 17 June 2021

SSTA Members’ Bulletin - 17 June 2021£400 Alternative Certification Model PaymentThe SSTA welcomes the one-off exceptional £400 payment for teachers supporting the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in 2020/2021.Key pointsPayment Teachers in education authority schools, independent schools and grant aided schools, involved in delivery of the ACM, will receive a maximum taxable payment of £400.Funded by a Scottish Government grant to employers, schools must claim on behalf of relevant staff.Payment will…

SSTA Members Bulletin – 11 June 2021

Printable PDF School Teacher Pay 2021The SNCT Extended Joint Chairs met on Monday 7 June but COSLA were not prepared to make an improved offer.  COSLA said the reason for the lack of progress was that it is awaiting discussion on local government funding with Cabinet Secretary Kate Forbes and Shona Robison. The further discussions on finance between COSLA and Scottish Government are deemed necessary before there can be any reconsideration of the terms of the pay offer. The Teachers’ Side…
Survey image

SSTA Survey - Alternative Certification Model (ACM) – May 2021

The SSTA conducted a survey in response to the high numbers of members raising concerns regarding the Alternative Certification Model (ACM) and its impact on teachers and their pupils.Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said“The SSTA received 1711 responses which gave a clear indication of the difficulties teachers and pupils are facing in trying to deliver the ACM.“The SQA is in its ‘own world’, oblivious to the real situation in schools. It has shown little understanding of the situation in schools…
Reopening Schools

Members Bulletin - Schools Reopening

Members Bulletin - Schools ReopeningThe Scottish Government confirmed on 6 April that all secondary school pupils would be back in school on a full time basis after the Easter holidays. The Government published its ‘Guidance for opening schools in April 2021’ Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)This guidance includes: Confirmation that a full-time return for secondary schools is on the basis of no physical distancing required between pupilsSchool staff and other adults in the school should…

SNCT Pay Negotiations 2021 - SSTA Rejects Pay Offer

The SNCT Teachers’ Side Negotiators (SSTA and EIS) met with COSLA (the employers) and Government Officials on Wednesday 17 March to respond to the Employers 2021 Pay Offer. The SNCT Teachers’ Side submitted a pay claim for 2021 for a pay increase in the financial range of 3% - 5% in December 2021 . COSLA responded by making an offer in line with Government’s pay policy. The offer from COSLA is: A 2% uplift for those earning up £40,000 (all main grade teachers up to Point 4); andA…
Sqa_logo

SSTA Response to SQA Appeals Consultation

The SSTA Education Committee met on 17 March 2021 to discuss and agree a collective response to the SQA’s 2021 NQ Appeals Process Consultation on behalf of SSTA members.  You can view the SSTA Response here. SSTA members are, of course, still able to respond individually at https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96506.html. In making its response the Committee was mindful of: Teacher workloadFairness to learnersMaintaining confidence in National QualificationsThe importance of good, clear communication  The response was uploaded to https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/96506.html at 0915 on 18 March 2021.