Please find below a link to the latest SNCT Circular published 26 March.
SNCT 20-75 SNCT School Closures COVID-19
Please find below a link to the latest SNCT Circular published 26 March.
SNCT 20-75 SNCT School Closures COVID-19
The SSTA reaffirms the advice to members issued on Friday 20 March. Please follow this advice and all members will be supported in your actions by the SSTA.
The first consideration for members must be your own personal safety.
Members who volunteer:
Further updates for members on Home-Working and National Qualifications will follow in due course.
The First Minister made a statement on Wednesday 18 March that all schools are closed as from the 17.00 on Friday 20 March. The closure of schools is on medical and scientific advice. There must be no normal lessons, including senior classes, taking place after this date as schools are closed.
Arrangements for making provision for children of key workers and vulnerable children in school buildings is at an early stage. The number of pupils and the number of staff (teacher and other workers) required has not been determined as yet.
Local authorities are making arrangements for meals for vulnerable children and this may involve the use of school buildings.
The detailed arrangements for pupils in S4 to S6 to meet the requirements of SQA during this emergency have not issued to schools. Until such time members are advised to work remotely and create no new work for pupils.
At this time no senior phase pupils should be in school and this was confirmed by the DFM John Swinney last night on television. No member should be asked to attend school to teach senior pupils at this time. SSTA would like to remind all members that it is important that teachers act professionally and with integrity during this difficult time. Any deviation from this may lead to claims of malpractice.
SSTA Advice
The first consideration for members is your own personal safety.
If you are fit for work
Supply Teachers
During this difficult time of staff shortages all supply teachers are required. If you are fit to work please inform your local authority and ask to be assigned to a school. Please follow the advice above.
The situation is constantly changing and we will issue further advice in the coming days.
Thursday 19 March 2020
The situation is still changing and it will change further this afternoon following the Deputy First Minister Statement. The SSTA will be issuing advice on Friday once the implications have been considered.
Please find a link to a COSLA document that was finalised on Wednesday evening. This document is focused upon ‘working at home’ and applies to all Local Authority employees. This hopefully clarifies the situation for teachers.
The SSTA is in constant contact with the Government and employers regarding guidance to members and schools during this difficult time. The situation and guidance on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is continually updating and changing. I have tried to lay out the current position and guidance to help answer most of your questions. Please follow the link to previous advice.
The Government has made the decision to keep schools open where possible
“We recommend all educational settings remain open unless you have been advised by the local Health Protection Team to close. Children appear to be less affected than other age groups however handwashing should be encouraged before and after any activity, such as meal times, break times and sporting activities. Your local public health team will provide advice if you have had a symptomatic case of COVID-19 on site. At present school closure is not usually required but the local health protection team will support you to make a risk assessment”.
Please find below the links for updated information on COVID-19 from the HPS and SNCT. I have indicated the sections that will be helpful to you
Health Protection Scotland (HPS).The updated source of advice for all schools and educational settings
contains useful information and the following would be of particular interest to members:
1.4 Contact with a case of COVID-19
1.5 Actions to take if someone who may have COVID-19 becomes unwell whilst on site at your organisation
1.6 Environmental decontamination (cleaning and disinfection) after a possible case has left a workplace or other non-healthcare setting
2.1. Employers and Businesses Employees will need your support to adhere to the recommendation to stay at home to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to others.
2.3. Educational settings
SNCT - Emergency Provision CORONAVIRUS (COVID – 19): MAINTAINING CONTINUITY OF EDUCATION
Members attention is drawn to the following contained in the document:
(3) Class Arrangements
(4) Working Hours
(6) Relocation
(7) Self-Isolation
(8) Vulnerable Staff
(9) Pregnant Staff
(10) Care Arrangements
In addition, that latest announcements included
SSTA Advice
The first consideration for members is your own personal safety.
The situation is constantly changing and we will issue further advice in the coming days.
The situation and guidance on COVID-19 is changing and will continue to change in coming days and weeks. The SSTA will continue to update you on any changes that may occur.
Please find below the official links for information on COVID-19.
NHS Scotland. COVID-19 can cause respiratory illness of varying severity. Currently, there is no vaccine and no specific treatment for infection with the virus.https://www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus
Health Protection Scotland (HPS). The key source of advice for all schools and educational settings including early learning and childcare settings. https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-guidance-to-educational-settings/
Scottish Government guidance issued for education providers https://news.gov.scot/news/coronavirus-guidance-issued-for-education-providers
SSTA ADVICE TO MEMBERS
This advice is intended to reassure members of employment matters and the potential of exceptional measures being put in place by the employers/government. Members are advised to be aware of the following issues:
SELF-ISOLATION
Self-isolation involves staying indoors following the advice of a medical professional and avoiding contact with others where possible. It also means that members should remain at home and should not go to work, school or public areas or use public transport or taxis. Members who are undergoing self-isolation should advise their council immediately.
The situation of permanent and long term supply teacher is covered by the SNCT regarding the classification of the periods of self-isolation. Paragraph 6.34 of the Handbook applies when a teacher is self-isolating due to potential contact/travel from affected areas and is staying away from work to self-isolate. This is the paragraph that sets out that paid leave should be provided with regard to contact with a notifiable disease:
Infectious Diseases
6.34 An employee who is prevented from attending the place of employment because of contact with notifiable infectious diseases, shall advise the council immediately and shall be entitled to full pay during absence. A period of absence, in this case, should not be reckoned against his/her entitlement to sickness allowance.
Please Note: SSTA expects teachers on a daily supply contract but have been undertaking regular work in the same school(s) over a number of weeks should be covered by the same SNCT paragraph.
SICKNESS
If a teacher becomes ill then normal sick pay arrangements and employer reporting arrangements apply. Members who are sick are not required to complete any work.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Should a school be closed due to lack of staff/pupils to maintain the service the employer may require teachers to relocate to other schools where it is practicable. Travel expenses will be meet by the employer. However, should the school be closed for medical/containment reasons all staff and pupils should adhere to the medical guidance on self-isolation.
CARE ARRANGEMENTS
There could be a significant reduction of workforce due to care demands of young people, vulnerable persons and the elderly. In such circumstances Councils are required to be sympathetic to the pressures on staff. Councils will already have arrangements for granting leave with pay in these exceptional circumstances.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The employers will be taking steps to maintain the continuity of education in the coming weeks. The focus for members during this time is to continue to prepare for teaching and learning, and the normal preparations for the forthcoming national qualifications. However, members should not be expected to produce additional materials or qualification evidence.
WORKING FROM HOME
Requests may be made for teachers to work from home during school closures. Members should focus on their normal teaching commitment and not be diverted to additional tasks required by others. Where online facilities have been created within the school network members can submit work and answer sheets where appropriate for pupils when the school is closed. Members may be asked to take home laptops or tablets to assist with their work but must strictly adhere to the rules and procedures when asked to engage with individual pupils. Where these facilities are not in place work can be submitted to the school for posting to pupils. Please be aware that not all pupils have access to suitable computer facilities or broadband.
CHANGES IN TIMETABLE
Members should continue to work normally and follow the normal arrangements for covering absent colleagues. The employers should be providing additional supply teachers to all schools in an attempt to cover any potential loss of teachers in the coming weeks.
FUTURE ADVICE
The SSTA is involved in further discussions taking place within the SNCT regarding arrangements to be put in place if COVID-19 reaches a level that impacts on the education service. Further guidance will issued.
For further information and advice please contact SSTA Head Office at info@ssta.org.uk or 0131 313 7300
As part of the three-year pay deal the teacher unions together with the Government and COSLA (employers) made a commitment to reducing teacher workload. Two additional in-service days were allocated within the 2019-2020 school session to help schools to identify and reduce teacher workload.
The SSTA conducted a survey of school representatives in December 2019 to gauge the impact of the additional in-service days in reducing teacher workload. Despite the commitment from the Government and COSLA, SSTA representatives reported that teacher workload was not reducing and in many cases teacher workload was still increasing.
Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary, said
“It appears that only the teacher unions are actively encouraging schools to identify causes of teacher workload and take steps to reduce bureaucracy, whilst other partners to the agreement (COSLA and the Government) have been not looking at themselves as to causes of teacher workload or supporting schools to cut teacher workload”.
“Schools in many areas lacked guidance or instruction on how to tackle teacher workload from their local authority. Schools in many areas had been left to their own devices with headteachers reluctant to make changes to working practices due to fear of inspection and fault finding by the local authority”.
The SSTA survey of school reps found that only 41% of school reps were involved in the planning of the days with only 27% of school looking at the causes of teacher workload.
The survey found that 84% of schools had used one of the days in the first term with only 20% of schools used them to tackle workload. A further 48% of schools only used part of the in-service days as intended.
Of the 27% of school that looked at causes of work load but only 19% identified measures to reduce workload with only just over half of these agreed to implement measures to reduce teacher workload.
Seamus Searson added
“Teachers need to focus on teaching and learning and not collecting data and evidence to satisfy Inspectors, local authorities and government officials. The fear of inspection and scrutiny from outside is widespread in schools. This just takes the power away from teachers to put their pupils first and undermines the government’s intention to put power in to the hands of teachers”.
John Guidi, SSTA President, said
“Many teachers are calling for time for curriculum development. The SSTA view is that three of the in-service days, one per term should be given over to teaching and learning (curriculum development). Teachers need time to plan”.
“Many of these days at are predominantly filled with new initiatives or information giving sessions that take time away from the real business of teaching and learning”.
SSTA members identified a number of areas that are causing concern.
New initiatives or procedures that are introduced to meet external policy demands, a target or a tick box in the event of an inspection or a local authority review. Many of these new initiatives are not piloted or evaluated before implementation but take a good deal of teacher time.
New and increased pupil ‘tracking and monitoring’ systems that do not give any new information about pupils. The teachers already know how there pupils are doing. Tracking and monitoring is unnecessary for most pupils as teacher have already intervened when there is a concern about a pupil and give support and guidance and how pupils can improve in every lesson they teach.
Need for a national system on tracking and monitoring and an agreed limit on the usefulness of these systems that prevent schools developing new and more complex processes that only add to teacher workload.
The survey identified some of the measures schools took to reduce teacher workload
Comments from members:
“The empowerment agenda set out by SLT ironically made staff feel less empowered”
“Staff were angered that other schools gave staff time to get on with their work whilst ours made them talk about their work issues for a day”.
“There's a lot of ill feeling about workload that hasn't been resolved by these additional in-service days there has been no real move to reduce workload in the school”.
“If anything workload has increased with new T+M systems that duplicate existing systems”.
“No points of action came out of the first day”.
“There has been no discussion with staff in regard to reducing teacher workload”.
“Workload pressures are increasing and a distinct lack of support from management is causing staff to feel overwhelmed and undervalued”.
“Not fully realised and the authority left this to individual schools”.
“The comments I hear again and again from my members is that to really reduce workload the SQA needs to stop constantly moving the goal posts so we can consolidate our assessment, courses and marking and also that the local authority need to step up more to support schools”.
“Workload has continued to increase. Continual changes from the SQA, multiple new initiatives & preparing for an inspection, reporting - although all electronic is now more onerous; all have added to workload”.
“We are struggling to identify effective measures to reduce workload, as it would mean stripping away broad 'systems of management' which SLT are reluctant to do”.
“Onslaught of new initiatives introduced throughout the year, not in the WTA, which adds to teacher stress and workload”.
“Very disappointed that an SNCT national agreement and LNCT agreement to look at reducing workload can be ignored at school level. If this is a taste of HT empowerment then I fear for the future”.
“Burnout. Colleagues who love the job are ready to ‘walk away’. SLTs need to stand up for their staff and call out the LAs for not being proactive in tackling workload”.
“If the idea was to reduce workload then let teachers decide how best to use two days to get things done. We have to develop courses, write reports etc. Our council decided when our days were and so we used them for development work”.
“The Headteacher dictated what was to happen. No collegiate working”.
(ENDS)
Please note:
Survey took place in December 2019 with 72 SSTA School Representatives responding.
Further information from
Seamus Searson
General Secretary
0131 313 7300
3 March 2020
GTCS Council Elections
SSTA is supporting the nominations of Catherine Nicol and Kevin Campbell in the GTCS Council elections. The SSTA is encouraging members to vote for these candidates.
SNCT Career Pathways
The SNCT working has established three working groups to take forward the recommendations from the ‘Career Pathways Report’. The working groups have all met and are undertaking detailed work.
The three groups are:
The working groups are due to report in the summer of 2020 for implementation in 2021.
Review of Senior Phase
The Scottish Government has agreed to conduct a review of senior phase following concerns from the Holyrood Education and Skills Committee regarding reduction in subject choice at S4. The Government is commissioning the OECD and establishing an Education Practioners Group to conduct a review of the Senior Phase. The Education Practioners Group is to be chaired by Tony McDaid (South Lanarkshire) and published in August 2020.
Mental Health in Schools
In November the Scottish Government announced an agreement with COSLA on the detailed allocation of £60 million over four years for professional counselling services. This will be available to all secondary school pupils who require it by September 2020.
Any counselling services currently delivered by qualified and registered counsellors through Pupil Equity or Scottish Attainment funding will continue, enabling local authorities to reallocate those funds to other priorities to close the attainment gap.
SSTA Professional Learning (SUL)
The SSTA has a range of professional courses taking place this term. The courses Follow the link to reserve your place
In conjunction with Stuart McCullough from L-Life Ltd, the SSTA is holding a number of Pre-Retirement seminars at the beginning of 2020.
These seminars are designed to give guidance to members who are considering retiring in the next few years. Members are advised to gain information that will assist in planning the next step in their future. A list of dates and venues of the seminars is shown below.
Date | Timing | City | Location | |
Monday 03 February | 17:30-20:00 | Glasgow | Mercure City Hotel | Book Place |
Wednesday 05 February | 17:00-19:30 | Edinburgh | SSTA Head Office | Book Place |
Thursday 20 February | 17:00-19:30 | Dundee | Queens Hotel | Book Place |
Wednesday 26 February | 17:00-19:30 | Ayr | Mercure Ayr Hotel | Book Place |
Wednesday 4 March | 17:00-19:30 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen Northern Hotel | Book Place |
Wednesday 18 March | 17:00–19:30 | Inverness | Best Western Palace Hotel & Spa | Book Place |
SNCT Career Pathways Report
3 SNCT working groups established
Review of Senior Phase
Mental Health in Schools – announced 26 November 2019
Scottish Government report on the PISA results
National Improvement Framework (NIF) – published 10 December 2019
https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-schools-scotland-no-10-2019-edition/
Scottish National Standardised Assessment (SNSA)
Health and Wellbeing Census
SSTA – Getting It Right for Every Secondary Teacher
Parental Involvement and Engagement (PIE)
Scottish Education Council
Issues discussed at SEC meeting in October
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-education-council-minutes-june-2019/
Education Scotland changes
Education Leaders Forum next meeting in April
International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA)
https://www.gov.scot/publications/international-council-of-education-advisers-minutes-february-2019/
Strategic Board for Teacher Education (SBTE) – 28November 2019
Overview of Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS)
Key issues for further consideration:
Coaching and Mentoring (Education Scotland)
STUC General Council - 4 December 2019
UK GENERAL ELECTION - Thursday 12 December 2019
STUC Manifesto for Social Justice
http://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-and-events/campaigns/2019-general-election
2020 ANNUAL CONGRESS – 20 to 22 April 2020, Perth
STUC 2020 AFFILIATION FEE
STUC CENTRE -Landressy Street (due September 2020)
Forthcoming Events
SSTA Senior Managers Seminar, Edinburgh, 13 March 2020
STUC Congress, Perth, 20-22 April 2020
SSTA Congress, Crieff,15-16 May 2020
SSTA Professional Learning (SUL)
Inverness and Aberdeen (dates to be confirmed)
Glasgow (6 February 2020)
Aberdeen (3 February 2020)
Dundee (4 February 2020)
West End House, 14 West End Place, Edinburgh, EH11 2ED
0131 313 7300
info@ssta.org.uk
Monday to Thursday: 9:00 am - 4:45 pm
Friday: 9:00 am - 4:15 pm
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