The current debacle over the use of support staff as “cheap teachers” highlights the plight of cover supervisors and higher level teaching assistants (“Support staff ‘bullied by demon heads’”, TES, June 20).
Many school leaders are exploiting these enthusiastic helpers and using them for cover for long-term sickness, or even maternity leave. In so doing, heads are running roughshod over the workforce agreement.
The exploitation of support staff must be detrimental to the quality of education. Unhappy support staff and cover supervisors used as teachers on the cheap is not conducive to excellent learning.
Teachers in Classrooms is a newly formed lobby group and will be campaigning for rigorous implementation of the workforce agreement. We will support any teachers or support staff who find themselves in conflict with the agreement’s application.
Tony Callaghan, director, Teachers in Classrooms, Alpington, Norfolk.
