Tuesday 16 December 2025
SNCT Teachers’ Panel response to Scottish Government Class Contact proposals
The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) has today met to consider its collective response to the Scottish Government’s paper, received on 20th November 2025, titled “Delivering Reduced Class Contact Time: A National Deal for Scotland’s Teachers”.
The Teachers’ Panel unanimously welcomes the stated commitment from Scottish Government to improve the conditions of service of Scotland’s teachers. This would build on two decades’ worth of previous improvements negotiated through SNCT. The Teachers’ Panel is willing to work collegiately through the SNCT, with Scottish Government and COSLA, to deliver these improvements, termed by Scottish Government as a “National Deal” for teachers.
Teachers’ Panel has already this year tabled proposals to amend the SNCT Handbook to institute paid leave for fertility treatment, special leave for miscarriage, improve supply teachers’ pay and set a maximum class size of six in specialist ASN provision. The Panel will soon be tabling proposals at SNCT to improve maternity leave and pay.
The Teachers’ Panel, however, notes with concern that the Scottish Government’s proposals fail to adequately address the pressing need to resolve the SNCT dispute on reducing weekly class contact time to 21 hours, a dispute declared in February this year.
A lack of meaningful progress towards resolving this dispute has resulted in Teachers’ Panel members opening statutory ballots for industrial action over workload. Before any purposeful negotiation can take place on a proposed National Deal, including improvements to terms and conditions already tabled at SNCT by the Teachers’ Side, it is imperative that Scottish Government and COSLA commit to resolving the SNCT dispute over the manifesto commitment to reduce class contact time.
The Teachers’ Panel is clear that in the context of unfair, unhealthy and, crucially, unsustainable, levels of workload endured by the teaching profession, it will not be dissuaded, nor distracted, from seeking resolution to this dispute. Resolution requires, firstly, agreement that the fu l amount of time resulting from the reduction in weekly class contact time be allocated to teachers’ ‘preparation and correction’ time to address unsustainable workload, thereby giving them more time to plan and prepare f or learning, teaching and assessment. Insufficient time for this activity during the working week is the main driver of excessive workload for teachers.
Once agreement is reached on this fundamental aspect, the Teachers’ Panel believes that implementation planning can begin in earnest, potentially including the piloting of different models of delivery within a reasonable timescale.
In the context of the continuing rise in the numbers of pupils with additional support needs, evident from Scottish Government’s own statistics published last week that now 43% of pupils have a recognised ASN, the imperative for making progress with this commitment has never been stronger.
The Teachers’ Panel expects that implementation of the manifesto commitment will be fully funded. It will not agree to implementation which results in cuts to other Education services, such as ASN provision, nor in additional workload for teachers, including those in promoted positions such as Principal Teachers, Depute Headteachers or Headteachers.
The Teachers’ Panel is, through SNCT, committed to continually improving the terms and conditions of all Scotland’s teachers and looks forward to working with Scottish Government and COSLA to this end. However, the workload crisis, acknowledged publicly in such terms by both the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education, must first be addressed.
(ENDS)
– Issued on behalf of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel
