SSTA News
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Reopening of Schools – SSTA Advice
The SSTA has been contacted by a large number of members concerned about their safety and the arrangements for the return to schools in January following the Covid-19 statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister on Saturday 19 December 2020. The following was issued by Government on Monday 21 December – ‘Arrangements for the phased reopening…
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Report of Meeting with SQA
Please follow the link to the report of the SSTA meeting with SQA. The report includes: National Qualification Group 2021 Quality Assurance Prelims Teacher Assessments Remuneration Additional In-Service Days
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Members Update – Christmas Arrangements for Schools
Members Update – Christmas Arrangements for Schools – 11 December 2020 The SSTA met with John Swinney, Deputy First Minister this week and urged him to: reconsider the arrangements for Secondary Schools prior to Christmas and delay returning to face-face teaching in January in order for everybody to be kept safe over the Christmas period.…
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Members Update – 1 December 2020
Examinations 2021 The SSTA has called for an early announcement as to the arrangements for the Higher and Advanced Higher examinations next summer. The assumption that the examinations should continue as normal ignores the damage that has been inflicted upon all pupils as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers and pupils are under severe…
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FACE COVERINGS – The Official Position
The SSTA has focussed throughout the covid-19 pandemic that safety of staff and pupils must be the first consideration. The SSTA continues to insist that all safety measures (such as face coverings, hand sanitisers/cleaning materials in all classrooms and strict physical distancing) should be in place in all schools. There has been reluctance in some…
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Lockdown Learning Depended on Teachers’ Resources and Resourcefulness
The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, Scotland’s specialist union for secondary teachers, recently carried out a survey of its members to establish the extent to which they felt employers had ensured they had the right ICT tools for the job both during and since lockdown. Over 1900 secondary teachers from all over Scotland responded. The pandemic…
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Safety Measures in Schools are Putting Teachers at Risk
The SSTA conducted a survey of SSTA School Representatives on the measures being used in schools to keep staff safe. The survey highlighted the inconsistent approach to staff safety taken by local authorities across Scotland. Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said “The SSTA has argued for a consistent approach to safety during this crisis but…
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SSTA Members Briefing
The SSTA has arranged briefing sessions for members on the challenges facing secondary teachers at this time. The General Secretary Seamus Searson will give the latest information regarding Covid-19, national qualifications and the OECD senior phase review. There will also be a presentation on the impact of the Teachers’ Pensions consultation by Stuart McCullough, Independent Financial Advisor…
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Pension Consultation – closes 11 October 2020
The Government are currently consulting with all members of the public sector pension schemes which includes the Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme. This is regarding the unjustified age discrimination in relation to the transitional arrangements to the 2015 pension scheme. Within the consultation they are asking you, the scheme member, to make a choice. It’s very important…
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SSTA Safety First – School Return Survey
Employers need to take their duty of care seriously The SSTA conducted a survey of members to gauge their concerns following the return of all pupils to school. The survey highlighted the inconsistent approach to staff safety taken by local authorities across Scotland. Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said “It is particularly worrying that 53%…
