INDUSTRIAL ACTION BY OTHER UNIONS

In view of the industrial action by public sector unions on 20 August the following advice is offered to members.

64th ANNUAL CONGRESS - 16/17 May 2008

The Association's Annual Congress was held on the 16 & 17 May at the Peeble Hotel Hydo. The President's Address and the General Secretary's Report are now available for your information

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE – FEEDBACK ON DRAFT OUTCOMES AND EXPERIENCES

The Association is seeking the views of members regarding the latest draft experiences and outcomes from "A Curriculum for Excellence”. These documents can be found at the Curriculum for Excellence website. Members are urged to download and read these. The Association asks you to express your views using the online form.

Link Global Teacher Programme

SSTA member Dr Archie Marshall, was one 17 Global Teachers who traveled to Malawi this in 2007 to work individually and in small groups to support the development of:

• Teaching methodologies & classroom management
• Specific curricular/learning areas
• School development planning
• Lesson planning
• Assessment and evaluation
• Resource management
• School management, record keeping and administration

During their placements, the Global Teachers lived with host families in their homes within the school’s community for five weeks – giving them a real insight into life in Malawi – an extremely valuable experience to take back to Scotland to inform teaching and learning about global issues.

Read about Dr Marshall's experiences at Linthipe Secondary School, Malawi during the summer of 2007 here. Further information on the Link Global Teacher Programme can be found here.

A CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

The Association is seeking the views of members regarding the latest documents from "A Curriculum for Excellence”. These documents can be found at the Curriculum for Excellence website. Proposal for Mathematics, Modern Languages, Classical Languages and Gaelic (learners) are now available from the Curriculum for Excellence website.

PAY REVIEW 2008

Following the PAY REVIEW agreed on 13 December 2007, an advance provisional copy of the pay scales is available here.

Please find here an advance provisional copy of the pay scale resulting from the PAY REVIEW agreed on 13 December 2007.

The increases are as follows:

1 Dec 2007 0.5% on all scale points
1 Apr 2008 2.25% on all scale points
1 Apr 2009 2.5% on all scale points
1 Apr 2010 2.4% on all scale points

In addition the following was agreed.

2008 Pay Settlement

The SNCT, in accordance with its objectives set out in paragraph 2 of the SNCT Constitution (SNCT Handbook Appendix 1.1), is required to secure and maintain appropriate pay levels for teachers and associated professionals. Over the period of this agreement, the SNCT will monitor movements in prices and wages generally. It will also consider evidence on the recruitment and retention of teachers. Early in 2010/11, the SNCT will consider these findings and their implication for the pay levels of teachers and associated professionals. Therefore, the SNCT will determine its position on commissioning research, in accordance with paragraph 5.4 of the 2001 National Agreement: A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, to inform its deliberations and to meet its objectives on pay.