When teachers returned to work in January, it was in quite unprecedented circumstances. The decision by the Scottish Government to move schools to predominately remote learning was unexpected – though welcome, given the situation. The EIS had been making the case for a “firebreak” around the Christmas and New Year holiday in order to minimise […]
The first meeting of Council for 2021, held remotely to comply with COVID-19 legislation, was held shortly after schools returned for the New Year on a remote learning model for most pupils. Council discussed the circumstances that had led to the government shifting to the closure of schools for all pupils except for children of […]
General Secretary Larry Flanagan, who represents the EIS on the Scottish Government’s COVID Education Recovery Group (CERG), updated Council on a range of Coronavirus-related issues. CERG had met for the first time this year the day before the EIS meeting, so the General Secretary was able to provide Council members with an up-to-date report on […]
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan was recently elected as President of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE). The ETUCE is comprised of 132 education trade unions across 51 countries and represents over 11 million workers across the continent. The ETUCE is also the European structure of the global education trade union organisation, Education […]
Commenting following the Scottish Budget announcement, which includes plans to cap public sector pay rises at 1% for those earning over £25,000 – including teachers – EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “Today’s announcement of an effective pay freeze will be met with deep disappointment by Scotland’s teachers, who have been working flat-out throughout the […]
The EIS has warned that the COVID- 19 pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on young people from less advantaged backgrounds. Without sufficient intervention and support, the consequences of the pandemic could further entrench the disadvantage experienced by young people currently living in poverty. Commenting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The COVID-19 pandemic […]
The EIS has learned that some colleges plan to resume face-face teaching, whilst other colleges confirmed that there will not be any face-to-face teaching until at least mid-February. The EIS raised safety concerns with the colleges as it does not believe that these colleges have carried out revised risk assessments for the new variant of […]
The move to remote learning, for the majority of pupils, has brought with it many challenges for teachers, young people and their families. While the current situation is far from ideal, teachers have been continuing to do all that they can to support young people via remote learning. The EIS has made advice on remote […]
General Secretary Larry Flanagan recently appeared before the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee to give evidence on the impact of COVID on education. Here, the SEJ takes a look at some of the key issues that were addressed. The Committee Convener, Clare Adamson, welcomed Mr Flanagan and the other panellists to the Committee and outlined the […]
Concerns around this year’s qualifications are many and increasingly complex. The General Secretary recently outlined some of the challenges in his recent evidence session to the Scottish Parliament’s education committee and as a member of the NQ2021 Group continues to be directly involved in seeking workable solutions. It took a bit of time, but we […]
