CONGRESS 2007 MOTIONS PASSED
The following motions were approved at the Association’s 63nd Annual Congress, 11-12 May 2002 , Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore. The following motions were approved by Congress.
MOTION 1This Association believes that employers of teachers in Scottish schools should ensure that every time a pupil is excluded from school for violent behaviour, a Risk Assessment is carried out, as a matter of course, before that pupil returns to school.
MOTION 2This Association expresses grave concern about misuse of internet posting sites to harass, intimidate and defame teachers. The Association calls on the Scottish Executive to co-operate with all appropriate regulatory bodies to ensure that owners of such sites are made responsible for the content therein.
MOTION 3Congress calls on the Scottish Executive and the GTC(S) to ensure that the providers of Initial Teacher Education courses in Scotland review each of these courses to ensure that students are appropriately trained regarding Health & Safety legislation and regulation. Students should also be trained to recognise problems which they may encounter as teachers and which may affect the health & safety of both pupils and teachers.
MOTION 4 This Association, being aware of unusually high levels of mesothelioma in the population who attended school in Scotland from the 1960s onwards, demands that the Scottish Executive undertakes an intensive audit of all local authority schools in Scotland and ensures that no asbestos remains present in these buildings so that in consequence future health risks are minimised.
MOTION 5 This Association expresses concern that the focus of “A Curriculum for Excellence” loses sight of the traditional subject-based curriculum in favour of an excessive emphasis on a process driven approach.
MOTION 6 Congress notes with concern that, while schools are being exhorted to engage with the Curriculum for Excellence programme, there is, as yet, very little concrete detail with which to engage. SEED is therefore exhorted to produce a more definitive timetable for the programme’s implementation and more information to assist schools with forward planning and necessary curricular decision-making.
MOTION 7This Congress calls on the Scottish Executive to take action to preserve the breadth of curriculum which has gained Scottish education an international reputation for excellence. The basic content of curriculum must be protected from individual Head Teachers and Authorities removing subjects currently on offer in schools and thus limiting choice to students.
MOTION 8Congress calls upon the incoming Scottish Executive and all local authorities to ensure that the principles of a Curriculum for Excellence are not compromised by reductions in funding or staffing in any of Scotland’s schools.
MOTION 9This Association reminds local authorities that the concept of inclusion has a wider application than merely to assign or condemn young people with additional support needs to mainstream education where some are clearly unable to access the curriculum in any meaningful way.
MOTION 10Congress supports moves by the Scottish Executive to create an effective framework which ensures that monies intended for school use are actually used to provide services for or within schools and not diverted to non-educational services.
MOTION 11Now that all schools in Scotland are health promoting schools, this Association calls upon the Scottish Executive to encourage and assist local authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that a teacher’s work can be achieved within the agreed 35 hour week.
MOTION 12This Association welcomes, in principle, the proposed introduction, by UCAS, of post qualification applications (PQA) to Higher Education, but registers its concern on the potential workload implications for teachers during the summer holiday period.
MOTION 13This Association urges all local authorities to ensure that they observe the requirements of SNCT18 in disciplinary procedures relating to teachers. Furthermore, we urge employers to ensure that no employee may act as investigating officer without having undergone relevant training to include familiarisation with ACAS Code of Practice and the Employment Act 2002.
EMERGENCY MOTION
Congress welcomes the assertion by the Scottish Executive that funding will be made available to reduce class sizes in S1/S2 English and Maths from August 2007.
Congress does, however, remain sceptical that the introduction of 20 as an ‘average’ rather than ‘maximum’ class size will be to the benefit of all pupils, particularly those who will remain in classes of over 20 pupils and calls upon the new Minister for Education to reaffirm the SEED commitment to a maximum class size of 20.