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Teaching Assistant Pay
17 July 2023
Lead MP
Tonia Antoniazzi
Gower
Lab
Responding Minister
Nick Gibb
Tags
NHSEducationEmploymentMental HealthChildren & FamiliesLocal Government
Word Count: 7338
Other Contributors: 3
At a Glance
Tonia Antoniazzi raised concerns about teaching assistant pay in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government should ensure that the work of teaching assistants is reflected in their pay and progression opportunities. Teaching assistants should receive adequate remuneration and support for the diverse roles they undertake, including mental health and pastoral care.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
88,410 people signed a petition regarding teaching assistant pay, including 178 in Gower. The role of teaching assistants is undervalued and underpaid; they earn an average salary of £19,000, which falls below the living wage. Many are expected to do unpaid after-hours work and provide medical support without proper training or remuneration. Teaching assistants often face physical violence from pupils with severe behavioural issues, exacerbating mental health challenges. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues, leading to a 77% rise in children needing specialist treatment for mental health crises.
Robin Walker
Con
Worcester
Welcomes the case for teaching assistants and highlights the challenge of funding teaching assistants in special educational needs schools, urging the government to ensure pay awards are fully funded. Mentions that while high needs funding has been doubled, it is still insufficient due to rising levels of need.
Stephen Morgan
Lab
Portsmouth South
Mr. Morgan praised teaching assistants for their dedication and highlighted the increasing number of TAs leaving due to poor working conditions, including low pay and lack of support during the pandemic. He cited a survey by the National Education Union showing that three out of four TAs are routinely working unpaid overtime. The cost of living crisis has led some staff to rely on food banks, with many using their own money to help students. School support staff vacancies have nearly doubled since 2010 and school budgets remain below pre-2010 levels.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
He highlighted the immense value teaching assistants bring to schools in Westmorland, especially in rural areas with small schools. He noted that despite their significant contributions, many teaching assistants earn less than £19,000 annually and often work term-time only jobs, resulting in an average income of just over £14,000. Farron also mentioned the severe housing crisis affecting Cumbria, where house prices are 12.5 times higher than household incomes. He stressed that this lack of affordable housing exacerbates workforce shortages and hinders schools' ability to retain teaching assistants.
Government Response
Nick Gibb
Government Response
The Government recognise the value of teaching assistants and have published data showing an increase in their numbers to 281,000 full-time equivalents. Teaching assistants contribute significantly to pupil attainment through one-to-one or small group support using structured interventions. The Department supports training for teaching assistants through programmes such as maths hubs and special educational needs initiatives. A revised level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship was published by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, offering up to £7,000 in funding per teaching assistant trainee from May this year. Schools can use local government pay scales for teaching assistants, with a flat cash uplift of £1,925 for the 2023-24 financial year. The Government have invested £2 billion extra in schools to support teachers' and staff's pay awards, bringing total school funding to over £59.6 billion this year.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.