School support staff are not just a “mums’ army” who “wash paint pots and create displays”, a union is expected to warn.

There is a “gross misunderstanding” of school support workers - such as teaching assistants, caretakers, bursars and admin staff - and many are feeling undervalued by schools and communities, members of the UK’s largest teaching union, the NEU, will argue.

Delegates at the NEU’s (ATL section) annual conference in Liverpool are due to debate a motion that argues: “Support staff members are still not being respected as a valued and professional part of the education workforce.”

The motion adds: “There is a gross misunderstanding of the varied and vital roles that support staff undertake within education, leading to misconceptions about the value and professional standing of this essential and diverse workforce. These misconceptions mean that support staff are often left behind or left out when it comes to training and development, stifling chosen career paths.

“Also, there is still the perception that support staff are a “mums’ army” who do little more than wash paint pots and create displays. The reality is much different.”
 

Support staff numbers cut

Official figures show that as of November 2016, there were around 387,900 teaching assistants working in England’s state schools, along with 450,900 other school support staff.

In a poll conducted by the NEU of around 1,700 members working as teaching assistants, cover supervisors, administrators and lab technicians, nearly eight in 10 (78 per cent) said they regularly did overtime each week.

Around a third (32 per cent) said they worked more than two days extra a month, while 13 per cent worked at least seven extra hours a week - equivalent to an additional day.

A third (33 per cent) said they rarely or never took their full lunch break, while two-fifths (40 per cent) rarely or never took a mid-morning or mid-afternoon break.

Many of those told the union that their statutory 20-minute lunch break was often cut short for reasons such as detentions, first-aid duty, running clubs and supervising school trips.

And 60 per cent of respondents said the number of support staff had fallen in their school in the past year. 

Mental health ‘severely affected’

A learning support assistant in Rochdale said their lunchtime was spent: “trying to mark, prepare for the afternoon’s cover or running a lunchtime library club: in theory, all the above is my choice; in practice, very necessary.”

A teaching assistant from Bolton, who worked nearly two extra days over his normal hours, said: “It’s being able to switch off that can be hard. In the past few years my mental health has been severely affected, impacting on my home life.”

Speaking ahead of the conference, NEU joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted told the Press Association that in well-run schools, school support staff are well-used, and given professional development and training.

But she added: “Unfortunately, in too many schools they are not deployed well enough. Not enough thought is given to how support staff are used, and not enough thought is given also to the range of skills and abilities they have.”

Dr Bousted also said: “I think many support staff, although they are doing a very highly professional job, too often don’t feel enough a part of the school community and valued enough by the school and by the school leadership.”

The motion calls on the union to campaign for support staff to have equal access to training and professional development.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Teaching assistants are an integral part of the school workforce and when effectively deployed, they make an important contribution to pupils’ development and should be helped to progress in their roles. Headteachers have the responsibility to decide how to train, develop and use their teaching assistants effectively to meet the specific needs in their schools.”

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and Instagram, and like Tes on Facebook