Secondary teachers have voted to take industrial action over workload. Nine out of 10 Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association members voted in favour of action short of strike in the ballot, which closed last Friday. The news of the decision comes as Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, suspended its campaign of industrial action in response to the decision to scrap unit assessments, beginning with National 5 in 2017-18. However, SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson argued workload was unlikely to be reduced in the current session.
Teachers have been invited to discuss digital question papers and technology used in 2016’s exam diet. The Scottish Qualifications Authority says a free 26 October event in Edinburgh is open to staff from any presenting centre that is considering using technology in 2017 exams. They can attend from 9am-1pm in person or by video conference (for more details, email Michael.Gallagher@sqa.org.uk). Meanwhile, a digital technology strategy for schools has called on the SQA and other educational organisations to up their game.
A Scottish secondary is set to hold its own learning festival later this month and has succeeded in securing Education Secretary John Swinney as its keynote speaker. The learning festival at Preston Lodge High in East Lothian - held for the first time last year - is due to take place later this month. Teachers are being asked to sign up now to either attend or lead workshops. Last year, teachers heard from their colleagues about everything from the digital tools that were transforming their classrooms to how to encourage pupils to read for pleasure. The festival takes place on Saturday 29 October (edubuzz.org/lovelearning).
Credit unions will encourage pupils to manage their money through new “Junior Savers Schemes” in schools. Some £200,000 has been allocated to projects across Scotland. Communities Secretary Angela Constance said credit unions were “an alternative to pay-day lenders, so it’s only right that we should highlight their benefits to people from a young age”. About 7 per cent of people in Scotland are enrolled with a credit union, against 1.5 per cent in England and 2.6 per cent in Wales.
@TESScotland
