Have your say get your ballot paper posted

The battle to reduce teacher workload is on!

How workplace bullying can affect your personality Recent research has looked at the effect of bullying on the ‘big five’ personality traits.

SSTA picks up too many cases of bullying of teachers by teachers in our schools. Bullying needs to be challenged and working in a supportive environment where staff wellbeing is prioritised.

How workplace bullying can affect your personality
theconversation.com/how-workplac...

Physical education is important for academic success – here’s how it benefits kids’ cognition Physical education has many cognitive benefits for kids – including for their working memory, problem solving and maths performance.

SSTA - All subjects are important and they are all a benefit to young people. Schools narrowing the curriculum to focus on exam league tables forget why schools exist.

Physical education is important for academic success – here’s how it benefits kids’ cognition
theconversation.com/physical-edu...

Should all pupils get the right to an outdoor education week? The Scottish government must choose to fund outdoor education or a bill aiming to give all children the experience will fail.

SSTA - Disadvantaged young people will be biggest losers if this fails. Need to overcome the funding and staffing issues.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Young people in England and Australia are supposedly poor at learning languages – our research shows this isn’t true By listening more closely to the interests and goals of young people in schools, we can start to provide the language teaching they want.

SSTA - Young people are 'missing out' with schools not seeing languages as important and finding excuses to cut from a good balanced education.

Young people in England and Australia are supposedly poor at learning languages – our research shows this isn’t true
theconversation.com/young-people...

Research shows English children’s wellbeing drops when they start secondary school – here’s why Pupils must adapt to new teachers, routines, academic demands and social dynamics.

SSTA. Not restricted to England. Primary to Secondary transfer is important to get it right. More teachers and education support staff to support children essential.

Research English children’s wellbeing drops when they start secondary school – here’s why
theconversation.com/research-sho...

Scottish teachers back industrial action over contact time Members of both the EIS and SSTA unions have signalled support for strike action if the reduction in class-contact time is not delivered

.@SSTAtradeunion
working together to deliver the reduction in excessive class contact time. Quality is always better than quantity!

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Member Bulletin - Thursday 28 August 2025 - Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Delivering the 90 Minutes and Protecting Secondary Teachers – Consultative Survey Thank you to the more than 2,800+ members who took part in the recent SSTA consultative survey. Your contribution is i...

Delivering the 90 Minutes and Protecting Secondary Teachers - Consultative Survey

Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultative survey. Your contribution is invaluable & will help strengthen our campaign to reduce excessive teacher workload.

ssta.org.uk/member-bulle...

Four-day week good for workers and employers, pilot study finds A trial has found that 98% of staff felt morale and motivation had improved with reduced hours.

This is the way forward to help retain and recruit teachers in Scottish secondary schools. Improvements in work/life balance, productivity and health and wellbeing.
Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association ready to engage and develop a pilot scheme.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Swinney threatens councils to cut class contact time But local authorities say that government funding to date does ‘not come close’ to the true cost of delivering the policy and it could have ‘a detrimental impact’ on pupils

@SSTAtradeunion
Is this the last chance for COSLA to show they are competent to manage education or is it time for an independent education body?

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

All teachers work beyond contracted hours, finds SSTA survey ‘Exhausted and burnt out’ teachers urgently need the long-promised reduction in class-contact time, says Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Councils need to respect and trust teachers to end the crushing workload

Secondary teachers move closer to striking over contact time Teachers in Scotland have lost patience over the slow progress on cutting class-contact time by 90 minutes a week, says SSTA

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@SSTAtradeunion
The reduction of class contact time a MUST. 4 years of delays and excuses from COSLA shows contempt for teachers.

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Linguistics could make language learning more relevant – and attractive – for school pupils A languages curriculum enriched with linguistics is appealing to students and teachers.

SSTA
An important issue for secondary schools in Scotland. Further damage possible with the current narrow exam led curriculum.

Linguistics could make language learning more relevant – and attractive – for school pupils theconversation.com/linguistics-...

Everyone isn’t ‘a little bit autistic’ – here’s why this notion is harmful This casual phrase might seem harmless but it misunderstands what autism really is and can do real harm to autistic people.

.@SSTAtradeunion Teachers with Autism need support and understanding in schools. Their contributions to education must be valued.

Everyone isn’t ‘a little bit autistic’ – here’s why this notion is harmful theconversation.com/everyone-isn...

‘Urgent’ call for clarity on single-sex spaces in Scottish schools The Scottish government should immediately withdraw its ‘out of date’ guidance for schools and issue new guidance in the wake of Supreme Court ruling, says SSTA

SSTA Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association

Teachers need help now!

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Teachers want clarity over single-sex spaces in Scottish schools Teachers are calling on the Scottish government to urgently publish new guidance following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

SSTA - Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association
Teachers need help now to protect them from challenges

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

.@SSTAtradeunion 2025 Congress underway watch at
ssta.org.uk/congress-202...

Pay offer delay leaves Scottish teachers feeling ‘undervalued and ignored’
www.tes.com/magazine/new...

SSTA has been saying this for years.
Lack of understanding of ASL, lack of funding and lack of support for teachers. Cutting the support for the most vulnerable has been a constant theme maybe something will change?

audit.scot/news/fundame...

Ofsted report cards are a superficial change – the inspectorate needs a culture shift There are two specific areas where we believe the new proposals have particularly failed: inspector conduct and inspection accountability.

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@SSTAtradeunion
The review of school inspections in Scotland is underway and we must guard against the new OFSTED model that is seriously flawed and damages schools.

Ofsted report cards are a superficial change – the inspectorate needs a culture shift theconversation.com/ofsted-repor...

a woman in a purple dress is standing on a stage with the words surprise surprise written on the bottom ALT: a woman in a purple dress is standing on a stage with the words surprise surprise written on the bottom

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@SSTAtradeunion

Deadline Passed and COSLA has Failed to Act to
Reduce Teacher Contact Time (90 minutes)

The deadline has passed and SNCT Teachers’ Side meet on Friday to declare dispute.

This latest delay shows that employers do not value their teachers enough.

www.facebook.com/share/p/14wp...

SSTA Waits as Deadline Approaches - Monday 3 February
Reduction in Teacher Contact Time (90 minutes) and COSLA needs to Act.

The Scottish Government wants the reduction, but we have no such statement from COSLA. Local Authorities are finalising council budgets. Will they reduce teacher workload.

SSTA Vice-President Election – Make Sure To Return Your Ballot Paper

The SSTA Vice-President Election is a postal ballot of members and is taking place in January 2025. Ballot papers were distributed to members home address. The closing date for the election is Thursday 30 January 2025.

Deadline - Reduction in Teacher Contact Time (90 minutes)

The Scottish Government committed to a reduction in teacher class contact time from 22.5 hours to 21 hours in recognition of teacher workload pressures.

Little progress and a move trade dispute if no proposal by Monday 3 February.

SSTA School Reps Briefing - Wednesday 22 January at 5.00 pm

Online briefing for new school reps and members wanting to reduce workload. The briefing will give guidance on cutting teacher bureaucracy, reducing stress and workload.

Reserve your place at ssta.org.uk/events/schoo...

.@SSTAtradeunion prepares for SNCT Pay Claim 2025-2026. Inflation now at 2.5%

The SSTA position is for a restorative pay claim that is above the rate of inflation and moves towards a salary scale that reinforces the importance of school teachers in Scotland.

Why resilience won’t solve the mental health crisis among young people A focus on resilience risks shifting responsibility for mental health onto those affected, rather than calling out factors contributing to poor mental health.

Part of the Jigsaw and worth a read

Why resilience won’t solve the mental health crisis among young people theconversation.com/why-resilien...