The Scottish Educational Journal June 2016 www.eis.org.uk Vol. 100 Issue no. 03 EIS FELA SECURES PAY VICTORYpage 14 Plan your year NQ Secondary EIS Diary Workload Ballot Enclosed Now Open! page 12 ANNUAL FAMILY WORLDWIDE TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR JUST £94* l Comprehensive Worldwide Annual Family Policy l Natural disasters e.g. volcanic eruption, tsunami, hurricane, fire, flood, earthquake etc l Full Winter Sports Cover l Increased protection when booking not made through a travel agent l Enhanced delay benefit l Enhanced missed departure cover * For members aged under 65. Premiums for members aged 65 to 69 years is £164 per year. ADD BOTH THESE ESSENTIAL COVERS FOR JUST £74 HOME EMERGENCY COVER MOTOR BREAKDOWN COVER FOR YOU & YOUR PARTNER l Main Heating System l Plumbing & Drainage l Roadside Assistance and Recovery l Home Security l Home Assist l Toilet Unit l Alternative Travel l Domestic Power Supply l Emergency Overnight Accommodation Download application l Lost Keys l Lost Keys form here l Vermin Infestation l Message Service l Misfuel Assist l Lack of Fuel * Home Emergency and Motor Breakdown Cover are also available to existing EIS Travel Insurance customers. l Caravan & Campervan Cover For an application or immediate cover call: 01925 604421 Education Remains Contents to the Fore 4. Council News As the post-election dust started to settle, class or school to school. All assessment in 6. News just as this edition of the SEJ was going to our schools should be a means of supporting 8. Looking Ahead - the Future press, the appointment of Deputy First teaching and learning, to provide teachers Minister John Swinney to the post of with additional information to assist in for Scottish Education Education Secretary made clear that meeting the educational needs of individual 10. A Closer look at SNP education is atop the Scottish Government’s pupils. list of priorities. By appointing her deputy Testing should never be used primarily to Manifesto Commitments and most experienced Minister to the generate data for political purposes. One of on Education education brief, Nicola Sturgeon has the first priorities for John Swinney in his new highlighted the importance that she places education post must be to provide clarity and 12. Statutory Industrial Action on enhancing Scotland’s education system. assurance that the Scottish Government’s Ballot on SQA Workload Many of the aspirations that the First National Improvement Framework will not Minister has for Scottish education are impose this type of testing regime on our 14. Strike Brings Success in shared by the EIS, particularly the aim of schools. It would be unacceptable to teachers Fight for Equal Pay tackling the attainment gap by providing and parents for pupils to be exposed to a greater support for pupils from less affluent high-stakes national testing agenda that 16. Promoting LGBT+ Inclusion backgrounds. The introduction of the generates league tables for the sake of Scottish Attainment Fund, and the Scottish political expediency. 18. Guide to the EIS AGM 2016 Government’s ongoing commitment to this We all want to see the attainment gap initiative, were very welcome steps that are tackled, and for all pupils to have a fair 20. Inside EIS HQ - the pupils’ supported by the EIS. chance to succeed. Subjecting them to perspective The EIS also engaged constructively with excessive testing and encouraging undue the Scottish Government’s National competition between schools is not the 22. CPD News & Views Improvement Framework (NIF), which solution to this challenge. 25. STUC Congress 2016 contains many elements that can support learning and teaching in schools. It is clear SQA Workload Ballot Now Open 26. STUC Unions into Schools that, overall, the EIS has many areas of – Use Your Vote agreement with the Scottish Government’s The EIS has opened a statutory industrial Festival education policies. action ballot, for all Secondary members, in 27. Edinburgh International However, while the EIS supports the relation to excessive SQA-related workload overall direction of travel, we retain serious demands. All members in the Secondary Book Festival reservations over some of the steps the sector will have received a postal ballot pack 29. Equality News Scottish Government intends to take to get to their registered home address. Please there. In particular, plans for the ensure that you use your vote in this 30. Privatising Higher Education? reintroduction of national standardised important ballot, and return your postal ballot assessments at set stages of primary school ahead of the closing date on Thursday 16 31. Classifieds and in early secondary education continue June. The EIS Executive and Council urge all to cause deep concern amongst teachers members to vote Yes for industrial action to 32. Forum and, increasingly, parents. support our campaign to reduce excessive The EIS is clear that, while standardised workload and lighten the unbearable 33. EIS Contacts assessments can be useful in supporting assessment burden on pupils and teachers. teachers’ professional judgement, they 34. Crossword should never be seen as a measuring stick to compare pupil attainment from class to All articles and letters in the SEJ represent the views THE EDITOR: of the individual authors and do not necessarily The SEJ Editor, 46 Moray Place, represent the EIS view or EIS policy. To be considered NQ Secondary Edinburgh, EH3 6BH for publication, all letters and unsolicited articles must be accompanied by a full name and address. t: 0131 225 6244 The Editor’s decision on publication is final, and the Workload Ballot E: [email protected] Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. Now Open! page 12 Council News... Council Approves Ballot on SQA Workload The final meeting of EIS Council before recommendations will not deliver the the Annual General Meeting (AGM) gave reduction in workload – particularly the formal approval to an earlier decision workload associated with the marking of EIS Executive to move to a statutory and verification of unit assessments – industrial action ballot of secondary that our members are demanding.” teachers in relation to excessive Commenting on discussions at New EIS Vice - SQA-related workload. Education Committee, Ms Quinn said, President Elected President-Elect Margaret Smith, “Whilst the Committee noted that General Secretary Larry Flanagan and some measures being considered in Shortly after the previous edition of the Education Convener the report should SEJ went to press, the ballot process for Susan Quinn lead to reduced the election of the new EIS Vice-President provided updates “the EIS believes workload it was 2016-2017 was completed. on developments not going to The successful candidate was Nicola that led to the that the final be undertaken Fisher, from Glasgow. decision to ballot, recommendations quickly enough to Over the course of her career, Ms Fisher outlined the ballot have significant has taught in schools in Dundee, Stirling, process, and will not deliver enough impact East Renfrewshire and Glasgow – spending provided initial next session.” eight years as a classroom teacher and ten information on the the reduction in Explaining as a class committed Principal Teacher. scale and scope the decision to She has been active within the EIS for 15 of the planned workload” recommend a years, first as a school Representative and, work-to-contract. statutory ballot, subsequently, as a member of Glasgow’s Mr Flanagan said, “Following the Ms Smith said, “Executive considered Committee of Management. Scottish Government’s decision to all the options available and decided A member of the EIS Council since establish the National Qualifications to move to a statutory ballot on action 2009, Ms Fisher has also served on the review group earlier this year, the EIS short of a strike. If we commence Equalities Committee since 2010. She has entered into the work of the review in the ballot process after this Council been elected to the national EIS Executive good faith, and worked constructively to meeting, action would then be able to Committee for each of the last four years. attempt to agree a set of measures that commence in June and could continue Ms Fisher will formally assume her would alleviate members’ concerns on after the summer.” post at the EIS AGM in June, succeeding workload.” For more information on the Margaret Smith (Falkirk). Ms Smith was “However, while some positive statutory ballot, which is now open, see earlier elected to the post of EIS President changes have been agreed by the special focus on pp12-13 for 2016-17 where she will succeed Pat group, the EIS believes that the final Flanagan (Aberdeenshire). New Area Officer, Stuart Brown Stuart was as a history teacher at Fraserburgh Academy before moving to Banff Academy as a guidance teacher. He is a long serving EIS activist and was a member of the Education Committee as well as Council. As an Area Officer Stuart will be based in the Dundee Office covering Fife, the Highlands, Moray and Perth and Kinross and associated FE Colleges. 4 The Scottish Educational Journal Looking Ahead to the EIS Annual General Meeting Council approved the final list of Motions to be debated at the AGM, including a number of proposed amendments proposed by EIS Local Associations and Self-Governing Associations. An Emergency Motion, in the name of Council, was also approved for debate at the AGM. Council also approved a number of additional AGM-related items, including the EIS Accounts and Planned Expenditure, the Reports from Committee Conveners to the AGM, and the list of approved nominees for the award of Fellowship of the EIS. Further information on this year’s Annual General Meeting is included in pp18-19 of this SEJ, and all AGM documents can be viewed on the EIS website at www.eis.org.uk Committee Matters prepared for members, Representatives and LA Secretaries and that this would President Elect Margaret Smith updated be circulated shortly after the Council members on the work of the Executive meeting and published on the EIS website.