EIS Education Vice-Convener Colin Finlay (Falkirk and Council) argued on behalf of Council that successful education reform “must be underpinned by teacher professionalism, voice and agency.”

Referencing the formation of new national education bodies, Mr Finlay stressed the imperative for “the representative voice of teachers to be hard-wired into the governance of our national bodies if trust, respect and collaboration are to become operational realities, not just warm words.”

EIS Education Convener Susan Quinn (Glasgow) echoed these sentiments and highlighted the need for teachers to have “time and space to engage in the reform process” and deemed the scheduling of curriculum reform activity during the summer holidays by Education Scotland as “unacceptable.”

Irvine Tait (Shetland) attributed the failure of past reforms to the absence of teacher professional voice. Concluding, Donal Hurley (Clackmannanshire) argued that “empowerment must be more than a buzzword.” Channelling Star Trek’s Jean Luc Picard, Mr Hurley urged AGM to “make it so.” The motion passed unanimously.

“Unmet need leads to behavioural issues and impacts on staff morale, workload and health and wellbeing. We must act now. We can’t let the system fail our pupils, their families and staff.” Julie Irving (Dumfries & Galloway).

Moving this motion, Julie Irving (Dumfries & Galloway) highlighted the significant increase in ASN within schools and how the numbers of ASN teachers, support staff and educational psychologists have not risen to meet this increased need. She explained the negative impact this is having on staff morale, pupil attainment and teachers’ workload plus the increasing levels of staff stress and absence. In urging delegates to support the motion, Ms Irving said, “We need a commitment to increase the numbers of ASN teachers, support staff and educational psychologists.”

First-time speaker, Elaine Dennis (Dumfries & Galloway) seconded the motion, stating that the rhetoric from local authorities does not match her experience of cuts to ASL teachers and support staff. Amanda Murray (Aberdeen City) supported the motion, highlighting the challenges of teachers in achieving specialist ASN training and the lack of support to attain ASN registration. She also questioned the depth of ASL training in initial teacher education. The motion passed unanimously.

“We see the impact every day in the classroom.”

James McIntyre (East Dunbartonshire) successfully moved a motion for Council to investigate and report on the supports available for pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), including the availability of professional learning for teachers, and specialist staff provision.

Mr McIntyre shared personal experiences of using tools to lesson plan and respond to need in the classroom, highlighting the lack of consistent standard of provision, which is further exacerbated by a lack of national resourcing.

Amanda Mackenzie (East Dunbartonshire) seconded the motion, highlighting the linkage of EAL support to equity and inclusion for pupils.

Susan Quinn (Glasgow) spoke in support of the motion, highlighting the need for complementary supports around areas such as trauma, neurodiversity, alongside EAL provision.

Referencing her personal experience, Julie Ferguson (Orkney) successfully moved this motion, calling for effective, co-ordinated support from local authorities and health services to support deaf, visually impaired and deafblind pupils.

She highlighted the inconsistency in the provision of support for deaf, visually impaired and deafblind young people in local authorities across Scotland, demonstrating that these learners are not consistently receiving the education they deserve. Ms Ferguson noted the lack of reference in key ASL policy documents to deaf, deafblind and visually impaired needs and, as a result, questioned where teachers and lectures would go to learn more about the support needed for these pupils.

In concluding, she made a plea for “clarity of expectation and better learning materials.” She also highlighted the need to support parents, especially when there is a new disability in the family.

Astrid Heaton (Orkney), first time speaker at conference, seconded the motion and questioned how she and other teachers would be supported to prepare for teaching a deaf or deafblind young person.

She referenced the months and years of professional learning required to fully understand the needs of deaf and deafblind young people and the ethical issue emerging when teachers cannot fully support those young people without that training.

Ms Heaton said, “None of us should rely on the kindness and spare time of our colleagues to help us meet the needs of deaf and deafblind learners.” In concluding, she called for clear guidelines, accessible training and up-to-date information, with practice which put the child at the centre. The motion was passed unanimously.

Julie Chrystal (Fife and Council) proposed the motion, stating that, “BSL holds a unique and vital place in our society.” With BSL being formally recognised as an official language in 2015, she called for this to be recognised in the curriculum and for the 1+2 language policy to reflect this, equipping our young people the skills and cultural awareness to live in an ever increasingly connected world.

She stated that the motion would allow the EIS to gain clarity on the current state of BSL within current ITE programmes and enable the Institute to give it the prominence it deserves. Ms Chrystal suggested this would promote equality, enrich educational experience for all students and align with Scotland’s commitment to uphold the rights of young people with a disability.

Seconding the motion, Tom Britton (Edinburgh and Council) said equality was at the heart of the motion and raising the profile of BSL was important. He stated that, “ITE provides a crucial role in training the next generation of teachers and this motion will allow us to strengthen the campaign for BSL training.” The motion was passed unanimously.

Motion 7 was moved by Claire Robertson, (Edinburgh and Council) who spoke to the need for an investigation into the provision of enhanced transitions for learners with Additional Support Needs outwith the usual transition periods of P1 and S1.

Claire spoke clearly about the need for “careful planning and collaboration, involving schools, children and parents, advice about specific needs and the benefit of extra visits, with opportunities to meet staff and peers.” Claire advocated for “advance planning, information sharing, effective use of CSPs, clear identification of social, emotional and behavioural needs plus invaluable input from outside agencies.”

Claire asserted that “at present, schools don’t have the capacity or time to support these conversations due to gross underfunding of services.” She finished by calling for an investigation by the EIS to see if enhanced transitions are “actually happening” or if they have suffered the fate of being “another cut by stealth.”

Louise Bishop (Edinburgh) seconded the motion with a powerful reflection on the consequences of not providing adequate transition arrangements. Mark Ireland, (Midlothian) spoke in support, drawing on his previous experience in guidance, advising that that too often learners arrive in class, with minimal knowledge shared of their needs and support strategies, and that “teachers are unfairly left to get on with it.” Mark called for a clear change in approach, including extra funding and resources to ensure enhanced transitions are completed effectively. AGM carried the motion unanimously.

Colin Glover (North Lanarkshire) successfully moved a motion, calling for the Scottish Government to provide data relating to the number of Primary 1-7 children who are currently receiving or have received a local authority psychological or CAMHS intervention.

Referencing a Place2Be report published in 2023, Mr Glover highlighted that almost 1 in 5 children aged between 5 and 7, and 1 in 4 aged 8 and 11, experience mental health difficulties. Mr Glover reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated existing mental health problems, with social media another factor impacting on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Mr Glover concluded, “As a union, we are playing our part to support our children and young people, but I believe more could be done on a national level by Scottish Government to support them.”

The motion was formally seconded by Megan McCrossan (North Lanarkshire), and was passed unanimously.

Sean McNamara moved North Lanarkshire EIS’s call for a probe into SQA-related workload across different secondary subjects. He argued that the current workload related to qualifications is not evenly distributed, making it an “annual struggle” to negotiate working time agreements which were fair for all teachers.

An investigation, he argued, would generate data to empower reps in local negotiations. Daniel Henderson (North Lanarkshire) echoed the call, stating, “The key driver of my workload is a faceless, external agency.” Aisling Clarke (Argyll and Bute) highlighted the “huge and onerous workload” stemming from SQA verification processes.

Meanwhile, South Ayrshire’s David Moore voiced frustration at “trawling through” SQA online platforms, only to find contradictory and incorrect information, a point reinforced by William Insch (Glasgow). The widespread exasperation was perhaps best encapsulated by Iain Aitken (South Ayrshire) who declared, “I’m scunnered by the SQA!” AGM supported the motion

South Lanarkshire EIS’s call for an investigation and report into the workload impacts of cuts to specialist support staff in Secondary schools received overwhelming support from AGM delegates. Jennifer Gaffney (South Lanarkshire) highlighted the “essential role” played by technicians in Science, Technical, Computing Science and Home Economics.

She detailed how dwindling staff levels have left teachers to “absorb the damage caused by cuts,” a particularly worrying trend given the growing demand for practical, hands-on learning among students.

Mark Fleming (South Lanarkshire) vividly illustrated the problem by conducting a spontaneous poll among delegates, asking them to raise their hands if they had been forced to work longer hours to compensate for the loss of technical support.

The overwhelming “yes” he received underscored the extent of the issue. Craig Duffy of Edinburgh LA pointed out that computing teachers frequently find themselves providing ICT support to colleagues across the school in the absence of dedicated ICT technicians.

William Insch (Glasgow) successfully moved the amended motion to investigate technician support in Technical, Science, Home Economics, and Computing Science with a view for improving levels and consistency of provision nationally. Mr Insch highlighted that all of these subject areas need technician support, asking, “otherwise, who is going to be asked to carry out these duties?”

Craig Duffy (Edinburgh) seconded the motion, stating: “our support staff in all their forms, carry out an incredible amount of work.”

Further discussion highlighted disparities in approach across Scotland, the impact of a lack of appropriate support on departments, including teachers carrying out tasks not within their remits.

“Question everything, take nothing for granted; argue with all received ideas…use your imagination and express what it tells you to express. These are the weapons of the mind.”

Salman Rushdie’s celebrated lines on the importance of critical, independent thinking and human imagination were cited by East Renfrewshire EIS’s Peter McNally who successfully called for a survey of EIS members on their use of AI at work. Mr McNally stated that the unregulated use of AI in education presented a threat to teachers and learners and reiterated the EIS’s demand for the development of agreed AI guardrails across the education sector.

He argued further that a survey would assist the EIS in constructing guidance for members. Olivia Crook (East Renfrewshire) endorsed this, emphasising the critical need to safeguard human creativity within teaching and learning as AI’s presence grows. While Craig Duffy (Edinburgh) expressed optimism about AI’s potential benefits in education, he stressed the importance of acknowledging its limitations.

On a different note, Rebecca Quigley (North Lanarkshire) highlighted the increasing teacher workload stemming from time spent investigating AI-related malpractice in schools. Adding a stark warning, Tom Colquhoun (Edinburgh) cautioned delegates about AI’s potential employment implications for workers. He asserted that the union should “categorically oppose the notion that AI is superior to humans. Delegates supported the motion.

AGM supported the call for an investigation into the prevalence nationally of online learning in the delivery of certificated courses. Iain Aitken (South Ayrshire) noted that current EIS guidance in this area related primarily to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic and argued that it must be updated because the default online delivery of some qualifications is “creeping in by the back door.”

Mr Aitken highlighted how groups of local authorities are now collaborating to deliver Advanced Highers online on a regional basis, a move he argued prioritises timetabling efficiency over educational quality.

“Advanced Higher is the pinnacle of teaching and learning in Secondary,” Mr Aitken stated, whilst online delivery offers little regard for the quality of learning experience. He warned of “isolation, screen fatigue and the absence of support networks,” concluding, “In simple terms, these are cuts.”

David Moore (South Ayrshire) echoed the sentiment, asserting that all learners deserve an in-person teacher. Gordon MacKay (Stirling) drew attention to the equality implications, pointing out that state school learners could be receiving a “substandard offer” while their privately educated counterparts continue to benefit from in-person, small group teaching. Richard Booles (Scottish Borders) shared these concerns.

Phil Alexander (Midlothian) derided local authorities’ claims that online delivery was “award winning” and comparable to in-person education. He stated that an investigation would help the EIS to update its guidance. The motion passed without opposition.

Christina Fleming (Dundee and Council) moved a motion calling for the EIS to investigate and report on provision of time for mentors to support student teachers. Christina identified various issues such as “mentors being asked to take on extra tasks like covering classes, which takes them away from their supervision opportunities with the student.”

Christina called for mentoring arrangements to be regulated and protected across local authorities, because the current situation “often negatively impacts student teachers, adds to mentor teacher workload and is not part of Working Time Agreements”.

Michael Callaghan (Angus) seconded the motion advising that “mentoring has no time allocated to it. There should be a national consensus on how mentoring is administered.” Paula McEwan (Inverclyde) and Craig Duffy (Edinburgh) both added support and the motion was carried by AGM unanimously.

Jehan Al-Azzawi (Edinburgh and Council) successfully moved a motion calling for the Institute to host two Professional Learning events focused on Education for Peace, following the relaunch of related guidance.

Ms Al-Azzawi highlighted the emergent need for Education for Peace, and the provision of Professional Learning on this topic, stating, “One of the cornerstones of peace and peaceful co-existence is being able to disagree respectfully and have a peaceful dialogue with each other.”

In urging delegates to support the motion, she highlighted that Education for Peace is a broad concept, and one which “is, ultimately, about hope, and bringing hope back into everything that we do. Peace Education gives us a forum to help navigate this.”

In seconding the motion, Tom Colquhoun (Edinburgh) encouraged delegates to “engage with Education for Peace and associated Professional Learning, because Education for Peace seeks to inoculate pupils against the virus of the far right, and also builds empathy and seeks to build critical thinking in young people.”

Speaking in support of the motion, Claire Chalmers (Edinburgh), highlighted the importance of building networks, saying that, “Engaging in Education for Peace work reminds us we are not alone.” The motion was carried unanimously.