Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Support Staff Vacancies: Trends

Monday 11 December 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Support staff play a vital role in UK schools and their numbers have increased.
  • The UK government does not collect central data on support staff vacancies in schools.
  • Rural schools face particular difficulties in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Cat Smith Lab Lancaster and Wyre
Education
Context

The question is prompted by the need to assess trends in support staff vacancies in schools, which are crucial for school operations.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of trends in the number of support staff vacancies in schools?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Support staff play a vital role in our schools. We have given schools the freedom to recruit the staff they require to meet their own needs; although we do not collect central data on vacancies as a result, I can tell the hon. Lady that the number of support staff working in schools has increased for the past three years.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for an assessment of trends in the number of support staff vacancies, but the answer does not provide such a trend analysis or any specific data on vacancies. Instead, it mentions an increase in support staff numbers without addressing the issue of vacancies.

How: Does Not Collect Central Data

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Q2 Cat Smith Lab Lancaster and Wyre
Education Children & Families
Context

The question is prompted by delays in getting education, health, and care plans in Lancashire, affecting small rural schools that lack adequate financial support to meet the needs of children with special educational needs.

Question

We have already heard in this Question Time about delays in getting the education, health and care plans in Lancashire. As a consequence, rural schools like Quernmore, which I had the privilege of visiting on Friday, are left with more children with special educational needs in mainstream but without the financial support package that should come with that. These small rural schools are therefore having to support children with additional needs and do not always have the right number of staff to be able to do so in the way they would like. Is support available to rural and small schools, especially in Lancashire, to meet the needs of all children?

Answer from Damian Hinds

We must meet the needs of all children; and at some level, every teacher is a teacher of special educational needs and disabilities. I recognise that there can be particular difficulties for smaller schools in rural areas, as the hon. Member mentions. We have the wider EHCP system, which is better than the previous system. On places available in special schools, where children are in mainstream schools, I recognise the central role played by teaching assistants. That is why we have set out in the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan how we will look to consolidate that position and give further advice on the best deployment of TAs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for specific support available for rural schools, but the answer does not provide concrete details or measures specifically tailored for these schools. It mentions improvements in EHCP systems without specifying support for rural areas.

How: Wider Ehcp System, Previous System

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