Created on: 25 Sep 2023 | Last modified: 11 Apr 2024
Branch Survey
The Branch Survey on ‘Violence, Aggression and Disruptive Behaviour in Schools’ has had over 600 responses – thank you!
There is still time for your Branch to complete the survey and submit by the extended closing date of Friday, 29 September, if you have not done so. Share your experiences, your issues and good practice from your school so that we can capture an accurate record of the situation regarding pupil behaviour across the whole of Scotland.
We will be analysing the data from the survey once it has closed and hope to share our finding with members in late October.
National Activity
In recent weeks, an EIS delegation met with the Cabinet Secretary for Education, an EIS delegate attended the Scottish Government’s pupil behaviour summit and the SNCT met and there has been strong media interest on ASN and the poverty-related attainment gap – all of which were opportunities taken to push forward on the aims of Stand Up for Quality Education.
Advice on ‘Violence & Aggression’ in Schools
The EIS has just published advice on ‘Violent and Disruptive Behaviour’ to members and a copy is included with this Bulletin. The published advice updates and brings together previous EIS advice on violence, disruption, reporting and physical restraint. The advice was developed by the Employment Relations Committee.
The EIS has also published a summary of the advice to members.
Action for Reps: Please draw members’ attention to the ‘Violent and Disruptive Behaviour’ advice booklet and the summary leaflet.
Campaign Merchandise…
will soon be on its way to you. Watch out for social media promotion, soon to be followed by deliveries of campaign-branded boxes to Reps.
Action for Reps: Please complete and submit the Branch Survey on ‘Violence, Aggression and Disruptive Behaviour in Schools’ by September 29th, if you have not already done so and await the arrival of campaign merchandise for Reps and members.
EIS-FELA colleagues continue to be in several disputes with college employers.
The national dispute over a fair cost of living pay rise for 2022-23 is on-going, with the current industrial action consisting of Action Short of Strike Action by withholding marks, and work to contract. FELA has also begun national strike action and the strike action is currently rotating around Scotland with two colleges a day being out before targeted strike action being carried out next month in the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Minister for FE constituencies.
EIS-FELA colleagues at City of Glasgow College and Edinburgh College are also carrying out industrial actions in separate disputes fighting compulsory redundancies at their colleges.
Action for Reps: Please support EIS-FELA colleagues by sending messages of solidarity via SBrown@eis.org.uk and following @EISFela on X (formerly known as Twitter.)
At the time of printing, we understand that the support staff trade unions will be on strike in the coming days in pursuit of their pay claim. We support our sister unions’ fight for fair pay, are in full solidarity and we wish them every success.
The EIS is clear that no EIS member, including Headteachers, should carry out the duties normally carried out by a striking colleague. There are safety concerns that arise when support staff are on strike and your school should not be open if the Branch believe it is unsafe to do so.
The EIS believes that employers cannot reasonably instruct teachers to teach online from their homes if their schools are closed. Full advice is available on our website.
Action for Reps: Please engage with your Headteacher, Local Association Secretary and check that your school is safe to open if your local authority seeks to open it during the support staff strikes. Make sure all members are aware of the EIS advice.
Recruitment is key for all trade unions including the EIS. Reps have been doing an amazing job on recruitment recently- our membership has never been higher. Thank you for all your efforts towards this! But we want to keep strong on recruitment.
Action for Reps: Please approach all new probationers in your school to ask them if they would like to join the EIS. Membership is free until December 2024. If the probationer joined the EIS as a student teacher then they have automatically become full EIS members - you should ask them to update their membership details.
Please approach all new staff, to check if they are an EIS member and recruit any teacher who is not a trade union member. If they are already EIS members, then they will need to update their school details at MyEIS.
Alternatively, as a Rep, you should have access to member lists for your school and you can update details on their behalf.
Please also display the EIS posters sent to all schools in late June on school noticeboards.
This guide is designed to help trade unions, and by extension trade unionists, to better understand trans equality. The guidance 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 see the STUC LGBT Workers’ Committee webpage.
Action for Reps: Please familiarise yourself with this guidance.
An interactive guide for supporting our members Unions, and union representatives have a vital role in making sure employers properly protect workers with Long COVID, and prevent new long lasting inequalities being created.
This TUC guide will give union reps the tools to support members, particularly those who have had long COVID and are unsure about their rights or are facing issues with their employer.
Action for Reps: Please familiarise yourself with this guidance and share with members with long COVID.
More information is available on our website.
EIS TUC H&S Reps Training (2 Day Courses)
National online nomination return from local associaton/branch secretary by Friday 26 January 2024 (8-9 Feb 2024)
Edinburgh (HQ Training Suite) nomination return from local association/branch secretary by Friday 16 February 2024 (29 Feb-1 Mar 2024)
Glasgow (City of Glasgow College - Riverside Campus) nomination return from local association/branch secretary Friday 12 April 2024 (25-26 Apr 2024)
North / NE (Cairngorm Hotel, Aviemore) nomination return from local association/branch secretary by Friday 26 April 2024 (9-10 May 2024)
More information is available on our website.
The TUC are running an ‘Introduction to the role of Health and Safety rep’ course for women members on 3rd October (11:00am – 4:00pm). For more information and to register for the online course please follow the link provided on the EIS website.
Action for reps: Spread awareness of and encourage members who are women to consider taking part in the TUC course.
Please refer to the leaflet detailing new professional learning opportunities that will be delivered from September to November 2023. We look forward to welcoming you along to EIS professional learning opportunities in the coming months.
Action for Reps: Please visit the professional learning section of the EIS website and make yourself aware of upcoming professional learning opportunities.
It is important for School Reps to engage with their Local Associations in order for information and views to be shared to Local Association Secretaries and EIS staff who attend LA meetings, and for information to get from the LA into schools. Please keep in contact with your Local Association Secretary and your Local Association Committee of Management/Executive Committee.
Action for Reps: Visit our website to discover what meetings and events they are running over the coming months and get involved.
Hutchesons’ Grammar School EIS Branch has settled its dispute with the employer. The Branch organised tirelessly and achieved union recognition, ten years’ pension contribution assurance, a 3% uplift in salary and the rector left the school.
Some independent schools choose not to recognise trade unions, despite high levels of EIS membership. The EIS will continue to push for recognition and representation to ensure that our members are aware of their rights and are treated fairly.
Action for Reps: If you and your colleagues wish to get your EIS Branch recognised by your independent school then please contact your nearest Organiser.
More information on independent schools may be found on our website.
We have a team of eight Organisers to support Local Associations, Branches and Reps. If you would like an Organiser to support you or your Branch in an (in-person or online) meeting, then please contact your Organiser.
Our Organisers can support you in local campaigning and school issues, provide training, branch building advice and can brief members on our latest national campaign – Stand Up for Quality Education.
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.
More information can be found on the EIS website
Action for Reps: Please distribute within your networks.
EIS HQ, 46 Moray Place, Edinburgh, 5-7pm followed by social event LGBT Inclusive Education is now a national expectation for all schools.
The launch event for the new EIS booklet ‘The Power of LGBT Inclusive Education’ will give a practical overview of LGBT Inclusive Education, 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).
Action for Reps: Please share details of the launch event with all members and encourage attendance.
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.
Action for Reps: Share within your networks, and encourage emerging activists to apply.
Poverty Alliance has created a set of teaching resources for challenge Poverty Week, and further suggested activities to take part in during the week.
Action for Reps: Please distribute within your networks