SSTA News

It’s Not Workload. It’s Stress – Meeting with Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic The SSTA met with Màiri McAllan MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, and presented the SSTA Charter. ‘It’s Not Workload. It’s Stress’ set the scene for the meeting, highlighting the need to redesign the secondary teacher role and…

SPPA – Teacher Pension Statements – Update SPPA has confirmed that Annual Benefit Statements for all members will be issued by the end of the September.  We are aware that many members will have received earlier this month. The exceptions are:Members who have elements of complexity in their contribution history. One common example of complexity…

On Wednesday 9 September, we sent all SSTA members the below email about our new campaign: It’s Not Workload. It’s Stress. Support our charter by joining our WhatsApp channel. — Today, we launch our new campaign, and it starts with what you told us. Our survey showed that tracking, monitoring, QS assignments and coursework are…

Curriculum Improvement Cycle The Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) is underway and is being led by Education Scotland. As part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) co-design process, Education Scotland has shared early draft samples from the new curriculum. These materials are intended to give teachers an opportunity to understand how the curriculum improvement work is progressing and to contribute to…

SSTA Newsletter – June 2026 The June 2026 SSTA Newsletter is available for members to download. The newsletter contains information on:

GENERAL SECRETARY The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) is the only Scottish-based teaching union exclusively representing teachers in secondary education. With around 6,000 members, the Association is committed to supporting teachers, influencing education policy, and promoting excellence in Scottish education. Following the retirement of the current postholder, the Association seeks to appoint a new General…

The SSTA Congress motion was submitted to this week’s SNCT Teachers’ Side meeting. The motion called for a 7% pay uplift for all secondary school teachers until the Scottish Government fulfilled its commitment to deliver a 90-minute reduction in class contact time. The Teachers’ Side considered the claim to be potentially counterproductive, arguing that it could…

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) has warned that growing shortages of specialist secondary teachers are the result of years of inadequate workforce planning, weak retention strategies, and increasingly challenging working conditions. Responding to reports that secondary schools are reducing subject choice due to difficulties recruiting specialist teachers. Scotland is now experiencing the consequences of…

Managing Teacher Workload (WTA) – Don’t Say Yes, Say How Working Time Agreements (WTAs) for the next school year are currently being negotiated in many schools. These agreements should determine how teachers’ 35-hour working week is organised and allocated. Remember that the maximum class contact time is 22.5 hours per week, with 7.5 hours allocated for planning, preparation…

2026-2027 Pay Increase Confirmed The last step of the 2025-2027 pay settlement will see a pay increase of 3.25% on all SNCT grades from 1 August 2026. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the year 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 was 3.4% and had not gone beyond the 3.75% threshold. Therefore, the agreed…