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Message from the General Secretary
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Colleagues
As we approach the end of 2024, the EIS and its members can look back with pride at the immense collective effort that we have put into standing up for quality education across all sectors.
Our achievements are numerous but there are a few obvious highlights:
- an above-inflation pay settlement for teachers for 2024-25 as a first step towards the restoration in the real-terms value of salaries, as one way of ensuring the attractiveness of the profession
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- a hard-fought pay settlement for college lecturers and the repayment by employers of any salary deducted by deeming of lecturers for taking legitimate action short of strike
- violence and aggression in schools is high on the political agenda as a result of EIS campaigning nationally; and locally policies and practices relating to the handling and reporting of violence and aggression are changing in the interests of better health, safety and wellbeing for teachers at work
- ASN provision is high on the political agenda as a result of EIS campaigning, with the recent draft budget including some additional funding for the ASN
- pressure on the Scottish Government and MSPs on keeping the 2021 manifesto promise to reduce class contact time to 21 hours per week resulted in the Cabinet Secretary stating in the Parliament that she wished to work ‘at pace’ with COSLA to bring forward a proposal to the SNCT.
Colleagues, there’s plenty more to be done - for example, we continue to fight the significant cuts to teacher numbers in the City of Glasgow, with preparations underway at the time of writing for a fresh statutory ballot in the New Year - but we can be pleased with what we have achieved together this year.
Thank you to every member who has played a part, to every rep and activist who has made things happen locally and/ or who has contributed to the national activity.
I hope that you have a lovely, restful festive break, however you choose to spend it.
2025 will soon be upon us - the year before the next scheduled Scottish Parliamentary elections. It promises to be another busy year of campaigning for the EIS. Another year throughout which the EIS and our members will stand up for quality education…together.
Onwards…!
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The EIS National survey has been launched today. The survey follows up on previous EIS National surveys allowing us to track changes in your workload and wellbeing over many years.
We have also included several sections arising from this year’s AGM decisions that included requests for us to gather member views and experiences around key issues. Members are free to choose which of these areas of work they would like to assist with. Please look out for the EIS National Survey in your inbox.
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Still We Rise, EIS Social Justice and Solidarity Conference
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Sign up now to secure the last of the remaining places in the EIS’s equality focused two-day conference.
The conference will explore how educators and trade unionists can rise up to create a fairer and more equal world for all.
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Day 1 is for all EIS members who are LGBT, BAME, under 30, disabled or neurodivergent and will consider wellbeing from an equality perspective, equality literacy and leadership learning, with dinner and entertainment from Musicians in Exile in the evening (open to all).
Day 2 will feature a choice of workshops with international speaker inputs, focusing on various equality strands including:
- Peace education
- Neurodiversity works
- Cultivating anti-racism in education
- Equally safe in education – addressing misogynistic attitudes
- How to get it right for Trans and Non-binary learners
- Standing up against poverty
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Accreditation and Regulation of Qualifications Scotland
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Members will be aware of questions raised in the press and in Parliament around the marking of this year’s Higher History exam and the subsequent investigation and report commissioned by the SQA itself.
In evidence to the Scottish Parliament on 25th September 2024, the EIS argued against the Scottish Government’s plans to allow Qualifications Scotland, the successor body to the SQA, to accredit and regulate itself. We are clear that an independent accreditation and regulatory body is required if the new qualifications organisation wants to earn back the trust of teachers.
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Stories of Section 28/2A: Film Night, Teaching Resource Launch & Social
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Join the EIS during LGBT+ History Month on the 21st of February 2025 from 6pm – 9pm at Glasgow Women's Library for an evening dedicated to educators’ and activists’ stories of Section 28/2A in Scotland and the campaign for its repeal. All members are welcome. Spaces are limited with priority given to members belonging to EIS Equality Networks.
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Council Elections 2025/26
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The EIS Council is the principal executive committee of the EIS.
It meets around five times a year, usually in Edinburgh, and also at the AGM.
Nomination forms for all members interested in standing for election to Council for 2025/26 will be available from the MyEIS section of .
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The EIS Extra discount shopping scheme will be closing with effect from 8 January 2025.
This is not a decision which has been taken lightly but relates to the level of the ongoing running costs and the low level of reported usage and aggregate financial benefits being obtained by members.
If you have an EIS Extra account, and have a ‘cash back’ balance, please check your cashback account asap and transfer any available balance to your bank account or on to another reloadable card if applicable prior to your closing date.
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If you have vouchers or balances on gift cards which you have purchased through EIS Extra, you will still be able to use these following the closure of the scheme. The individual retailers’ terms and conditions will apply to these items.
We are aware that many members can access similar schemes through their employers. There is also an open scheme called Discounts for Teachers.
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Are you a Probationer Teacher? - EIS Membership and Support
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