Education Motions

Motions

Resolutions

1. Council

That this AGM believes that the disruption to school education during the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the criticality of human interaction and relationships in education, and reaffirms its commitment to the primacy of face-to-face, in-person classroom interactions as fundamental to quality teaching and learning and the wider role of schools.

Drawing on the National Discussion on Education’s call for a ‘human-centred’ education system, this AGM resolves to place this commitment at the heart of its campaigning and education policy work, with specific emphasis on:

• the centrality of GTCS registered teachers in providing optimal learning experiences and outcomes for all learners;
• the vital role of teacher professional judgement, supported with time and professional learning opportunities, in assessment in the BGE and in the reformed Senior Phase;
• a reduction in class sizes and an increase in specialist teaching and support staff to embed the relational approaches necessary to support positive behaviour, and to support wellbeing in the period of pandemic recovery and beyond;
• the need for ring-fenced funding to ensure all learners with Additional Support Needs receive meaningful support in line with their needs;
• challenging the system’s current over-reliance on narrow attainment data and algorithmic standardised testing;
• a recognition that school and system improvement will be facilitated by an empowered teacher profession rather than top-down accountability approaches.

Amendment Scottish Borders Local Association

To add the following bullet point after the 4th bullet point

• "campaigning for local authorities to evidence that 100% of PEF funding is given directly to schools to use in accordance with national operational guidance;"

Carried

2. Council

That this AGM re-affirm its belief that GTCS-registered teachers are central to the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence from age 3-18 and resolves to continue to advocate for the role of  GTCS registered teachers in delivering high-quality early years provision. In so doing, AGM reiterates the position set out in “Playing for a Brighter Future” and resolves:

• To continue to highlight and challenge the decline in numbers of teachers in ELC settings, and to campaign for more resources to increase teacher numbers and a statutory  minimum amount of meaningful contact between a child and a teacher in ELC settings.
• To continue to publicise the criticality of the role of GTCS registered teachers in the early identification of need, in ASN and GIRFEC related interventions and in the overtaking of national priorities such as closing the poverty-related attainment gap;
• To continue to highlight the role of the specific professional knowledge and skills of teachers in curricular knowledge - including transitions - in pedagogical leadership and in further embedding play-based learning.

Amendment Scottish Borders LA

Add after the last sentence:

• "That this AGM instruct Council to lobby the Scottish Government to honour and implement the policy commitments it made in relation to Instrumental Music Tuition in the SNP Manifesto 2021: to ensure Scotland’s school-based instrumental music teachers receive GTCS registration and accreditation."

Carried

3. West Dunbartonshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate the pupil teacher ratios in our early years provision in each of our Local Authorities across Scotland.

Carried

4. Midlothian Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the impact on teachers within mainstream settings as a result of the presumption of mainstream for learners with ASN.

Carried

5. Fife Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate the process and criteria used by local authorities to gain a specialist setting placement for ASN children.

Carried

6. North Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM call on Council to engage with Scottish Government and Local Authorities to:

• ensure that legally binding Coordinated Support Plans are being implemented to support children and families, ensuring education, health and social services work together to provide the necessary support to the child needs.
• investigate the national decline in the use of CSPs and the increase in non-legally binding Child Plans being used with children with additional support needs.

Carried

7. North Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM call on Council to engage with Scottish Government to provide funding to Educational Institutions to increase the number of training opportunities and posts for Additional Support Needs teachers.

Carried

8. East Dunbartonshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate the resources available in Local Authorities for teachers supporting pupils experiencing Emotional Based School Avoidance, and to report to council to inform campaigning for better resources.

Carried

9. South Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the implication for school accommodation, in particular the use of designated staff bases/rooms/areas, caused by the increase in pupils requiring separate accommodation for Alternative Assessment Arrangements (AAA) for SQA and prelim diets, and the additional workload that has been generated for class teachers in preparing evidence for such pupils with ASN for such exams. 

Carried

10. North Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to call for greater provision of support for those young people who regularly display violent behaviour in our schools.

Carried

11. East Dunbartonshire and Fife Local Associations

That this AGM instruct Council to survey members on what supports and resources are required in schools to ensure Restorative Practices can be used to promote positive relationships, and report findings back to Council.

Carried

12. Midlothian Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to lobby the Scottish government to publish guidance on mobile phone use in schools to protect the privacy and rights of teachers and pupils.

Carried

13. Renfrewshire Local Association

This AGM call on Council to campaign to protect teachers from online and social media abuse by lobbying the Scottish Government to require all Local Authorities in Scotland to have a robust policy outlining what constitutes unacceptable behaviour, and stating clearly what actions local authorities should take to protect staff. 

Such policies should provide a framework to quickly and effectively stop abuse and, if required, should encourage police intervention and support legal action where necessary.

Carried

14. Midlothian Local Association

That this AGM instruct council to investigate and report on the time allocation of National courses across schools and its impact on teachers’ workload.

Carried

15. South Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the prevalence and workload implications of internal quality assurance processes taking place in schools.

Amendment EIS FELA

After "in schools" add "and colleges".

Carried

16. Glasgow Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to campaign for a national standard pupil to adult ratio of 1 to 10 for out of school trips.

Remitted

17. Aberdeenshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the extent to which non-GTCS registered staff are involved in the delivery of training or pastoral work such as registration  "teachers" in local authority schools.

Carried

18. Aberdeenshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the role of external organisations operating in Local Authority schools, focusing on:

1. the nature of such external organisations;
2. how these organisations influence School Improvement Plans;
3. how these organisations influence Working Time Agreements;
4. how these organisations influence teachers’ CLPL, and;
5. how these organisations influence teacher workload.

Carried

19. Highland Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to:

1. Investigate and report on the use of Scottish Online Formative Assessments (SOFAs) in all primary school settings across all Scottish local Authorities.
2. Share findings of this report.
3. Use the findings of the report to develop EIS Guidance/policy on their use for members (and Local Associations).

Carried

20. North Lanarkshire Local Association

That this AGM call on Council to investigate if Local Authority budget cuts to education are having an impact on the amount of money available to secondary subject departments/faculties for purchasing teaching and learning resources.

Carried

21. South Lanarkshire, Dundee and North Ayrshire Local Associations

That this AGM call for the EIS to investigate, and report on:

1. the restricted access to, and frequency of closure of, school libraries
2. the extent to which school libraries are staffed by a qualified librarian
3. the impact a reduction in access to school libraries has on staff – both in terms of their teaching and supporting pupils’ mental wellbeing; 

And further report on the impact on teaching and learning of the reduction in access to school libraries in secondary schools by using a survey of members across all subject specialisms.

AGM additionally instructs Council to strongly oppose any further restriction, and closures, of school libraries. 

Furthermore, that this AGM resolve to campaign for the consistent funding and provision of designated school libraries in Scotland, to ensure that every pupil has access to a school library and a school librarian, with a fulltime librarian in every secondary school.

Carried

22. Renfrewshire Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to conduct an audit into the core two hours of Physical Education expected to be delivered across Scotland in both secondary and primary in order to ascertain the level of consistency in provision.

Amendment Inverclyde Local Association

After "Education" add "in Primary and 100 minutes in Secondary" and delete "in both secondary and primary".

Carried

23. Fife Local Association

That this AGM instruct Council to campaign for the restoration of masters funding for teachers.

Carried

24. East Renfrewshire Local Association

That this AGM call on Council to campaign for full consultation with EIS on reforms to SQA and Education Scotland and for any such reforms to be fully funded.

Carried