Such a move could be beneficial in several ways. It would put an end to inconsistencies across the country, where rates of pay and conditions differ wildly, particularly in terms of whether support staff are paid for term-time only or 52 weeks a year.
It would override the endlessly drawn-out process of implementing the single status agreement in each local authority. It would help in smoothing the introduction of the workload agreement. And it would help in professionalising the role of teaching assistants, putting their pay scales on the same system as teachers' and easing the way to better career paths.
In Scotland, the lengthy strike action over support staff pay ended without a national agreement, as nursery nurses in each area settled piecemeal for varying deals.
The unions should press forward with discussions while Ruth Kelly is in an accommodating frame of mind on this issue: significant progress could be one of the best legacies of her tenure as education secretary.
Liz Roberts, editor