Action called for to regulate use of teaching assistants

Tighter regulation is needed to stop schools asking teaching assistants to take on too many teaching responsibilities, according to Unison.

Speaking at the union’s annual conference last week, Unison national secretary Christina McAnea said TAs were often being asked to take whole classes.

Many have not received the right training or support for the duties they are being asked to perform, and they are also not paid for them.

“We are pushing the government and the employers to provide much tighter regulations and for these to be more closely monitored,” said McAnea.

Unison members vote to strike

Schools could close as teaching assistants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take strike action over pay

Public sector union Unison – which represents 200,000 school support staff across the UK – has called a two day strike of its local government members - including TAs - on July 16^th and 17^th.

According to the union, 55% of its local government members voted in a ballot for strike action over the government’s 2.45% pay offer.

Almost 250,000 of those balloted earn less than £6.50 an hour, and three quarters of those are women, says the union.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said they were “fed up and angry that they are expected to accept pay cut after pay cut, while bread and butter prices go through the roof.

“Most of them are low paid workers who are hit hardest by food and fuel price hikes, and they see the unfairness of boardroom bonanzas.”

In Scotland Unison members are to be balloted for industrial action after rejecting a three year offer worth 2.5% a year.

Deaf pupils "left behind"

Deaf children are needlessly falling behind their hearing peers at school, says a children’s charity.

The National Deaf Children’s Society says the education system is failing deaf children and is calling on the government to make sure local authorities provide parents and schools with the resources they need to support deaf children.

Currently there is an attainment gap between deaf and hearing children, with deaf children less likely to achieve the benchmark of five GCSEs at grades A to C.

NDCS chief executive Susan Daniels said, “Deafness is not a learning disability. There is absolutely no reason why deaf children without additional needs should not be achieving on a par with their hearing peers.

A comprehensive strategy is needed to meet the needs of deaf children says NDCS, and governments should give leadership, set standards and provide funding to make sure no deaf child is left behind.

Heads urged to invest in support staff

Heads are being encouraged to do more to develop their support staff.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools has launched a programme to help school leaders improve support staff training and development.

It includes guidance on how to use the national occupational standards for support staff, and new induction materials for support staff.

The programme for heads should complement the Skills4Schools web site, which is aimed at support staff themselves.

Support Staff Development for School Leaders

Skills4Schools

New pay body to define TA roles

Work is to start in September on defining TA roles and responsibilities.

Schools minister Jim Knight said a new negotiating body for school support staff will provide “national consistency” to the way school support staff are deployed and paid.

“Support staff are having an increasing role in supporting teachers – both inside the classroom and out. However it is important to ensure that tasks are properly allocated and that staff are fairly rewarded for the work they do” said the minister.

“Roles need to be clearly defined and there must be real consistency between the different roles, and across the national picture.”

The DCSF says that by September the new pay body will have an independent chair, and a framework.