Editor's view

The debate on the future of classroom assistants is hotting up, as education secretary Estelle Morris ploughs on with her proposals to enhance their role (see News, page 6). There appears to be backtracking on the notion that classroom assistants could supervise classes while the teacher gets on with planning, with Ms Morris keen to stress that assistants should not replace teachers. But what are we to make of her comment that 'if we can get other people to clean paint pots and tidy classrooms it will solve some problems and make teachers feel less pressured'? Is this a reference to classroom assistants - in which case it will surely be seen as inflammatory - or does it refer to other forms of support? There is a valid job for trained classroom assistants to do, which is not a full teaching role yet is much more than menial tasks. But it will require proper job descriptions that are consistently applied, and there should be a national career and salary structure. Otherwise, the new NVQs for classroom assistants (see Training, pages 14-15) will not be able to produce the professional and properly rewarded workforce that our schools need.