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Stand up for Quality Education
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Pupil Behaviour Survey
The ‘Stand Up for Quality Education’ Campaign has got off to a strong start at the beginning of this academic session. All Branches have been asked to complete a Branch Survey on ‘Violence & Aggression’ and over 200 Branches have already done so. We will be extending the deadline for this important survey to the 29th September in order for every Branch to have an opportunity to complete and return the survey.
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Many members in Branches where there is no Rep have stepped up to lead on the survey on behalf of their Branch. If you wish to do so, please contact your Local Association Secretary.
This Branch Survey will enable us to identify and quantify common issues in schools for us to then campaign on. We are also seeking to identify, and later share, good practices identified by schools.
Scottish Government Summit on Pupil Behaviour
The first of the Scottish Government’s summits on pupil behaviour took place in Edinburgh on 5th September 2023. The meeting focused on recording and reporting and Jacqui Church, our representative from the Education Committee, made the following points:
- Violence in schools must be seen firmly in the context of health and safety in the workplace
- Culture change is needed to see a departure from a fear of reporting and the associated blame rhetoric to one of honesty and support for teachers
- Teachers need time away from the classroom after such incidents to recover
- Reporting must be firmly connected to action, with the resources attached, to inform next steps and effect change
- Current reporting systems are inefficient, inaccessible and are a driver of workload, as such they act as a barrier to reporting
- Teachers need to feel safe in their place of work and steps should be taken to mitigate the impact of distressed behaviour on all pupils
The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged that teachers should be supported in recording and reporting and indicated that she would give careful consideration to the feedback given. The next summit will take place on Wednesday, 25th October 2023.
Further Scottish Government Engagement and Lobbying
An EIS delegation including the President and General Secretary also met Jenny Gilruth, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. We set out our concerns around large numbers of teachers without permanent employment, arguing in favour of additional investment in education and the implementation of the Scottish Government’s manifesto commitment to reduce weekly contact hours to 21.0 hours.
Health & Safety
We are advising members to ask employers for risk assessments if they believe that they are at risk of harm in their classrooms, including any risk of violence or aggression from pupils or parents/carers. We are also keen to ensure that employers uphold risk assessments after they are reached and captured in writing.
Furthermore, we are encouraging members to report violent or aggressive incidents and we will continue to support members who have been injured in violent and aggressive incidents. This briefing, summarising EIS advice to members on dealing with violent, abusive or persistently disruptive behaviours, was published recently. Hard copies of the briefing will be distributed shortly.
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EIS FELA - Industrial Action
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Following unsatisfactory pay offers from College Employers Scotland, members of the EIS-FELA, across all of Scotland’s colleges, are carrying out action short of strike (ASOS) and a national programme of strike action in pursuit of an improved pay offer that is fully funded by the Scottish Government.
Nationally EIS-FELA members are also being re-balloted for industrial action to renew their legal mandate for ASOS and strike action since industrial action mandates only last for 6 months in the UK.
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City of Glasgow College - Industrial Action
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EIS-FELA representatives of City of Glasgow College were informed by senior management in May that the college workforce would be reduced by up to 100 using compulsory redundancies. City of Glasgow College branch started sustained strike action before the summer holidays and it has continued into the new session – over twenty days of strike action have been carried out to date.
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Edinburgh College Dispute - Industrial Action
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EIS-FELA members are currently engaged in strike action in response to the compulsory redundancy of an EIS-FELA representative, Kevin Scally.
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Support Staff Trade Unions' Industrial Action
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It is a well-established trade union principle that members of different trade unions seek to support each others’ legitimate demands and industrial actions. The EIS supports the support staff trade unions’ (Unison, Unite and GMB) campaign for a fair pay settlement.
Our advice to members and headteachers regarding the support staff strikes is available on our website.
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SQA Assessment Arrangements
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The EIS has consistently raised concerns in relation to the SQA’s Assessment Arrangements process for young people who may require special arrangements in exams. EIS Secondary members report that the gathering of evidence in support of special arrangements is bureaucratic and a key driver of excessive workload.
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Further, the process may result in young people with disabilities and/or ASN sitting additional assessments to generate comparative evidence. In response to concerns, the SQA is carrying out research into Assessment Arrangements, including a survey of learners, parents and centre staff.
The EIS would encourage all Secondary members to participate in the survey, which is available through the link below or through your SQA Co-ordinator.
The survey closes at 12pm on Monday 2 October 2023.
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We support and train members to become school-based EIS Representatives, this includes Health & Safety and Equality Reps. The EIS works with the college tutors to deliver TUC accredited Reps’ training. If you are a member who has an interest in becoming a Rep, want to learn more, or have recently taken over as a new Rep then please explore our courses on our website.
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Negotiations on school Working Time Agreements should have been completed by now, however we are aware that there can be some delays in finalising an agreement in some schools. The best agreements are referred to throughout the year and may be updated with the agreement of both parties during the year. We advise branches to revise their agreements every year and work on the principle that if something new goes in, something else must come out.
Contact your Local Association Secretary to find out the kind of support taking place. If you would like your local EIS Organiser to attend a school branch meeting, then please contact your LA Secretary.
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'Our Voices in Union' – Leadership Learning for Equality Networks
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The EIS is excited to announce a new two-year project which aims to grow the leadership and improve the representation of BAME, LGBT, disabled, neurodivergent and young members within their own workplaces, and within the Union. Further information is available on our website.
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Applications open for the Building Racial Literacy Programme
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31st August – 15th September
Applications for the fourth cohort of the anti-racist professional learning programme are now open but only until Friday, 15th September! The link to the Building Racial Literacy (BRL) programme application form can be found on the Education Scotland website. Priority will be given to nationally identified priority groups.
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EIS Launch 'The Power of LGBT Inclusive Education'
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SAVE THE DATE: 29th September 2023
The launch event for the new EIS booklet ‘The Power of LGBT Inclusive Education’ is fast approaching, and we will be joined by the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign. This will be followed by a social event for the LGBT Network (allies welcome). Location and time TBC.
The guidance booklet can be accessed on our website.
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The Poverty Alliance has created a set of teaching resources for Challenge Poverty Week, and further suggested activities to take part in during the week.
The materials can be accessed on their website.
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Informal Equality Networks
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The informal EIS Equality Networks connect EIS members who are underrepresented in the profession and support them in keeping up to date with equality news and initiatives. They are informal spaces to meet others, make connections and find out more about how the work of the EIS relates to you. The Networks advise the EIS Equality Committee on equality issues, and provide an opportunity for members to shape EIS policy.
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STUC Guide for Trade Unionists on Trans Equality
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This guide is designed to help trade unions, and by extension trade unionists, to better understand trans equality.
The guidance can be found here, and forms part of a range of guidance produced by the STUC LGBT Workers' Committee to help promote LGBT equality in trade unions.
For further information on the guides available, please visit the STUC LGBT Workers' Committee webpage on the STUC website.
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EIS Extra - Save on your everyday essentials and more
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Whether you’re heading out to do your weekly food shop, treating yourself to something new, or you’re shopping for a gift for a special occasion, you’ll find plenty of offers that you and your pocket will love with EIS Extra – like saving up to 5% at the supermarket by using instant digital vouchers!
So not only can you enjoy big savings on everyday essentials, but by shopping through EIS Extra, you can do more of the things you love such as taking the family out for the day or heading to the cinema. You can also save at big retailers like Nike, H&M, Currys, Dunelm and many more.
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