Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Teaching Assistant Pay

17 July 2023 · 3 other contributors · 7,338 words

Opened by Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower

Responding minister: Nick Gibb

EducationEmploymentMental Health

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Tonia Antoniazzi raised concerns about teaching assistant pay in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • 88,410 people signed a petition regarding teaching assistant pay, including 178 signatures from Gower.
  • Teaching assistants earn an average salary of 19,000, below the living wage, and often work unpaid overtime.
  • The Government recognises the value of teaching assistants and has published data showing an increase in their numbers to 281,000 full-time equivalents.

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.

Opened the debate

Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower

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.

Other contributors (3)
  • 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

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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