SSTA News

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…

81st Annual Congress of the SSTA Friday 8 May 2026 @ 15:30 [Opening Remarks]Good afternoon, President, distinguished guests, and esteemed delegates of Congress. It is with profound gratitude—and a deep sense of duty—that I stand before you today,having once again been entrusted with the role of General Secretary. Over the past ten years, I’ve had…

81st Annual Congress of the SSTAPresidential AddressMonique 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…

The SSTA Annual Congress is taking place today (Friday 8 May 2026) at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. The Congress is a hybrid event starting at 10.30am and will close at approximately 4.30pm with members able to follow Congress on our website The agenda and motions can be found on the Congress 2026 page on…

SSTA Calls for Urgent Action on Education The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) is calling on the new Scottish Government to make education its top priority and commit to urgent, meaningful reform. SSTA Message to the new Scottish Government. Monique Dreon-Goold, SSTA President said. “Teachers across Scotland are clear: education must move beyond political division and be properly resourced,…