The following motions were approved at Congress, 13-14 May 2005 , Peebeles Hotel Hydro.
MOTION A
This Association deplores the attempts being made by some Local Authorities to maximise class sizes and class contact time in an effort to make budget savings, whilst simply ignoring the 35 hour working week for teachers.
MOTION B
This Association requests that the Scottish Executive takes immediate action to ensure that all Scottish local authorities implement, as a matter of urgency, all provisions of Annex E to “A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century”, which should have been in place by 1 April 2004.
MOTION C
This Association congratulates those Scottish local authorities who have successfully committed themselves to improving the long-term health of pupils in Scotland’s Secondary schools.This Association would also encourage the Scottish Executive to ensure that the necessary funding is deployed by all Scottish local authorities to ensure that high quality nutritional food is made available in all Scottish schools.
MOTION DCongress calls on the Scottish Executive to facilitate direct links between schools and colleges in Scotland and partner institutions in developing countries throughout the world. Such links would enable:• Fund raising and sponsorship on the part of Scottish establishments
• Curriculum links between schools and colleges
• Exchange visits
MOTION E
Congress welcomes the launch of the ‘One Scotland – Many Cultures’ campaign and pledges to support it in order to tackle racism within Scottish Education and society.However, Congress is concerned that steps taken to promote antiracism in Scotland’s schools are being undermined by the current asylum policies as they affect young people.
MOTION F
Congress calls on the Scottish Executive and Audit Scotland to investigate and report on the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the various formats of electronic pupil reports currently being used in Scotland’s secondary schools.
MOTION G
The Association notes the proposals contained within the Curriculum Review Group Publication “A Curriculum for Excellence”. We also note, with great concern, that only 1 member of the Review Group is a practising secondary teacher. The Association calls on SEED to ensure that those involved in the implementation of the proposals are largely experienced, practising classroom teachers.
MOTION H
Congress congratulates the Scottish Executive for recognising that aspects of behaviour patterns amongst young people in the wider community have a major impact on behaviour patterns within secondary schools. Congress believes that there is no single or simple solution which can be implemented in order to effectively deal with all behaviour problems in schools. Congress affirms that policies directed at tackling the underlying socio-economic problems, which in part cause behaviour problems in schools, are to be welcomed as part of the solution, and reiterates that a properly resourced Guidance system in secondary schools is equally part of that solution.
MOTION I
In view of the announcement to instigate an Audit of the McCrone Agreement in the light of “Best Value”, this Congress demands that the Scottish Executive launches an identical audit to measure the amount of time consumed by the small minority of badly behaved youngsters impairing the learning process of the great majority of motivated and interested pupils.
MOTION J
Congress condemns those politicians and others who for their own ends seek to exaggerate the misbehaviour of young people in our communities whilst underplaying the extent of indiscipline within our schools and the impact that it has on staff and pupils. Congress therefore calls upon politicians and the media to adopt a realistic and consistent approach towards these issues.
MOTION K This Association believes that the management structures being imposed on secondary schools will cause immense and irrevocable damage to the education of current and future generations of children in Scottish schools. In consequence, the Association calls on HMIE to investigate the educational consequences of the changes to management structures and to report publicly on their findings.
MOTION L
This Association condemns any attempt to dilute the level of qualification required for eligibility to teach in secondary schools in Scotland. The Association affirms its commitment to a secondary curriculum delivered by specialist teachers qualified in the relevant secondary subjects and will resist by all possible means any attempt to dilute the level of qualifications required to teach in secondary schools.
MOTION M
This Association believes that the Jobsizing Toolkit has significantly failed to determine a realistic salary level for the promoted posts held by many teachers in Scotland. The SSTA demands that the SNCT institute an immediate and comprehensive review to address the shortcomings of the Jobsizing toolkit.
EMERGENCY MOTION – PENSIONS
This Association views with alarm the current proposals for teachers’ pensions and commits itself to resist these proposals by all possible means including strike action.