81st Annual Congress of the SSTA
Presidential Address
Monique Dreon-Goold
Friday 8 May 2026
Part 1: A Journey, A Calling, A Commitment to Additional Support Needs
Conference, colleagues, fraternal guests, members of the Press, friends—
I began teaching modern languages in Scotland in 1990. It was demanding work then, as it is now—but there was a clarity to our role. We taught our subjects with purpose, we maintained order, we supported our pupils, and we worked tirelessly to help them achieve. There was pressure, yes—but there was also time: time to plan, to reflect, to improve. And above all, there was a shared understanding of what it meant to be a teacher.
Even in those early days, behaviour could be challenging. But respect for the profession was more widely assumed. Relationships mattered—built on fairness, consistency, and care. Those principles haven’t changed. They remain the foundation of everything we do.
As we moved into the new millennium, inclusion rightly became central to education. For me, that wasn’t a policy shift—it was a calling. I had already seen the difference we could make for young people who struggled within traditional academic pathways.
From 2003 to 2016, I worked as a behaviour support teacher within a system that truly invested in young people. We had dedicated bases, skilled SEN auxiliaries, strong multi-agency partnerships, and—crucially—the resources to act. It was challenging work, but it was deeply rewarding. Even now, former pupils stop me to say that the support they received helped them build stable, meaningful lives. They do like reminiscing the fun times “Miss, remember that Prince’s Trust trip when Jack was sick in a placky bag and threw it out the window?” “Yes, I do, I am the poor sod who found it the next morning and checked what was in it before putting it in the bin”. Ex pupils always like reminiscing the “good times” and “how badly behaved” they were and how well they have done for themselves. That is the impact of what we can do.
But colleagues, we must also speak honestly.
Over time, that system began to erode. Budgets tightened. Decisions made in the name of efficiency began to cut into the very heart of Additional Support Needs provision. Referrals rose—but resources did not. Our work was reframed, renamed, repackaged—but increasingly described as a cost rather than an investment.
The scale of the ASN challenge was laid bare in a damning audit report published in January 2025. The figures are staggering: 40% of Scotland’s pupils now have recognised Additional Support Needs. Conference, do the math—that is an average of 12 pupils in every class of 30. Twelve young people, each with a unique profile of need—from ADHD and Autism to Dyscalculia and complex trauma—all in one room, all deserving of our time.
But as the audit confirms, the support is not there. Instead, ASN in Scotland has become a postcode lottery. Whether a child receives the help they are legally entitled to shouldn’t depend on where they live, yet it does. It depends on the varying policies, support structures, and dwindling resources of individual local authorities. A child’s future should not be dictated by a council’s budget deficit, but today, for many families, that is the stark reality.
And here lies a fundamental truth we must not shy away from:
additional needs require additional support.
Training matters—of course it does. We welcome it. But training alone cannot replace people, time, and resources. It cannot compensate for classes of over 30 pupils, many requiring significant support. It cannot sustain a system stretched beyond its limits.
Today, teachers are being asked to do more than ever before. We deliver high-quality learning, differentiate endlessly, track and evidence progress, manage behaviour, respond to parents at all hours, navigate complex systems—and carry the emotional weight of it all. The school day has not just lengthened—it has intensified.
And in the midst of this, something vital has been lost.
The staffroom.
It may seem a small thing—but it was never just a room. It was the beating heart of our schools. A place where new teachers found reassurance, where experience was shared, where laughter softened the hardest days, and where resilience was quietly rebuilt.
That space—of informal mentoring, of solidarity, of humanity—is disappearing. Replaced by isolation. Fragmentation. Efficiency without connection.
At a time when teacher wellbeing is under unprecedented strain, we cannot afford to lose the very structures that sustain us.
But colleagues—this is not a story of decline. This is a call to action.
Because we know what works.
We have seen what is possible.
And we carry, collectively, the experience, the commitment, and the moral purpose to demand better.
We must stand together to say:
That investment in Additional Support Needs is not optional—it is essential.
That teacher wellbeing is not a luxury—it is fundamental.
That education is not a cost to be contained—but a future to be built.
Part 2: We Need to Let Teachers Teach
So, why did I choose Let Teachers Teach as our 2026 strapline? Because right now, too many barriers are standing in the way.
The three biggest drivers of rising workload in 2025/26 are clear: promised workload relief has not been delivered; schools are being asked to do far more on behaviour and attendance; and qualification reform continues to shift additional assessment and implementation burdens onto teachers. On top of it all we have the new National Curriculum replacing CFE from August 2028 and the Assessment reform which is also bound to increase workload complexity for teachers.
Workload remains one of the most significant and persistent challenges confronting teachers in Scotland today. Moreover, insights gained from attending the conferences of our fraternal colleagues reinforce that this is by no means an isolated issue; rather, it is a shared concern that consistently ranks at the forefront of the profession’s priorities across both Ireland and the wider United Kingdom.
The drivers of workload in 2025 and 2026 are not hidden. They are clear. They are known. And they are being felt in every school across Scotland.
We were promised workload relief—but it has not been delivered.
Qualification reform and curriculum reform continue to place additional assessment, and implementation demands directly onto teachers.
Alongside these pressures, there has been a deeply concerning rise in violent incidents within Scottish secondary schools.
Increasingly, teachers are being placed in situations where their personal safety is at risk. It is entirely unacceptable that professionals should feel unsafe in their place of work.
Equally concerning is the experience of those who report such incidents, only to feel that their concerns are minimised, questioned, or dismissed. Teachers must be able to report violence with confidence, knowing that they will be listened to, supported, and protected.
This is not simply a matter of workplace policy—it is a fundamental issue of duty of care. Employers must move beyond defensiveness and demonstrate clear, consistent support for staff facing these challenges.
But the violence we face is not just physical; it is cultural, and it is digital. We are witnessing a toxic rise in misogyny that is poisoning our classrooms. Look no further than the appalling situation in Renfrewshire, where pupils used AI technology to create fake sexual and violent videos of their own teachers. This isn’t “boys being boys” or a “prank”—it is targeted, gender-based abuse designed to degrade and intimidate professionals.
Furthermore, we are seeing the creeping influence of extreme right-wing racism infiltrating our schools, fuelled by online echo chambers. This is a direct threat to the inclusive, safe environment we strive to build. Let us be unequivocal: we need a policy of zero tolerance. Whether it is misogyny or racism, hate has no place in our schools, and teachers must have the full backing of their employers and the government to stamp it out immediately.
We are told that help is on the way.
In March 2025, the Scottish Government published its first progress report on the Behaviour ‘Joint Action Plan.’ We welcome the shift in Part 2 of that report, which finally acknowledges that a ‘nurture-only’ approach is insufficient without a unified national standard for safety. But let us be clear: a plan on paper is not the same as protection in the classroom.
We need to see the promised ‘Fostering a Positive School Environment’ guidance translated into real-world consequences for pupils who cross the line. We can no longer tolerate a culture where reporting incidents is met with a shrug or a suggestion that the teacher simply ‘needs more nurture.’ Proper reporting must lead to action, not just paperwork.
Furthermore, the introduction of a specific framework for Risk Assessments for violent or dangerous behaviour must be more than a box-ticking exercise. These risk assessments must be robust, they must be proactive, and they must be used to ensure that no teacher or pupil is placed in a predictable path of harm. We don’t just need an ‘authoritative’ approach—we need an accountable one.
So today, we say with one voice: Enough of delay. Bring back consequences now. “Nurture ” should not be used as an excuse to avoid discipline.
And what about teachers’ mental health and wellbeing?
We hear it from our members.
This isn’t just anecdotal. The evidence is stark. The 2025 SSTA Mental Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey on workload has laid bare the crisis we are facing. The figures are not just statistics; they are a cry for help from a profession on the brink.
The survey reveals that:
• Over 80% of our members report that their mental health has been negatively impacted by their current workload.
• Nearly 3 out of 4 teachers say they are regularly working more than 10 hours beyond their contracted time every single week just to keep their heads above water.
• Critically, a staggering 65% of respondents admitted they have considered leaving the profession in the last year specifically because of the toll the job is taking on their wellbeing.
When two-thirds of our workforce are looking for the exit, we are not just facing a “workload issue”—we are facing an existential threat to Scottish education.
We see it in our schools.
And we feel it in the growing pressure that is pushing dedicated, skilled professionals to exhaustion, to frustration—and, for too many, out of the profession altogether.
That is why the commitment to reduce class contact time from 22.5 hours to 21 hours mattered.
It mattered because it recognised something fundamental:
Teachers need time.
Time to plan lessons that inspire.
Time to prepare resources that meet diverse needs.
Time to assess meaningfully—not mechanically.
Time to support young people as individuals.
And time—simply—to do the job well.
But Conference, what is now being proposed falls short of that principle.
It is not fairness.
It is not equality.
And it is not acceptable.
Because under these proposals, our primary colleagues would begin to benefit from this reduction in 2027—while secondary teachers are asked to wait until 2029.
Two more years.
Two more years of heavier class contact.
Two more years of compressed time, rising expectations, and unsustainable workload.
Two more years of being told: “wait your turn.”
Now let us be clear—this is not about division.
This is not primary versus secondary.
This is not about denying the very real pressures faced by our primary colleagues. We stand with them because their challenges are significant.
But this is about something bigger.
This is about equity.
This is about respect.
And this is about refusing to accept a system where one group of teachers is asked to carry the burden for longer simply because it is more convenient.
Because Conference—secondary teachers are not working in easier circumstances.
Far from it.
They are navigating complex subject demands, high-stakes qualifications, increasing class sizes, and a growing number of pupils with additional support needs—all within a system that is already stretched to its limits.
And yet, despite all of this, they continue.
They show up.
They deliver.
They care.
Our members have been clear: we cannot wait until 2029 for relief that is needed today. The results of our March 2026 survey have set a definitive mandate for immediate, practical action.
Our members have identified three non-negotiable priorities to claw back our professional lives.
First, we must prioritise teacher time, stripping away the non-essential administrative clutter that distracts from core teaching.
Second, we demand the repurposing of in-service days to address the overwhelming workload backlog—no more ‘top-down’ initiatives; we need time to catch our breath.
And third, we are calling for a strict adherence to the 35-hour week. We must collectively push back against the culture of ‘free overtime’ that has been subsidising the system for far too long.
Furthermore, there is a clear message for Qualification Scotland and the Government: we must pause all new school development plans and the rollout of new qualifications until this crisis is stabilised. Secondary teachers refuse to be left behind while our primary colleagues move forward. We are not a pressure valve for a failing system—we are professionals with a breaking point.
So today, we say with one voice:
Enough of delay.
Enough of imbalance.
Enough of asking teachers to give more when they are already giving everything.
If we are serious about tackling workload—then we must act with fairness.
If we are serious about supporting teachers—then we must act with urgency.
And if we are serious about education—then we must trust teachers with the one thing they need most:
Time to teach.
Because when teachers are given that time—
our pupils benefit,
our schools strengthen,
and our profession thrives.
Conference, this is our moment to stand together and insist on what is right.
Not later.
Not in stages.
But now.
Let teachers teach.
[ENDS]