Blogs

Sending the wrong signal to teaching assistants

Support staff Government policy Trade unions
The long-awaited and promised standards for teaching assistants are not to be published, the government has said. Deborah Lawson says this is a mistake

In October 2014, the coalition government committed to raising the status and professionalism of teaching assistants.

There appeared to be recognition of the skills and experience of teaching assistants and a desire to ensure that they were used to best effect.

An independent panel was established to design and consult on a set of standards for teaching assistants. Teaching assistants in all phases of education were delighted to see recognition of their skills and the opportunity to formalise their professional relationship with teacher colleagues, and secure their professional position within the education team.

The recent decision of the secretary of state not to publish the draft standards for teaching assistants, more than six months after the draft was produced, is a huge disappointment for more than 255,000 teaching assistants.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here