Last week education and skills secretary Estelle Morris called for a greater role for teaching assistants so that teachers can spend more time planning lessons. She said she wanted to see in Britain's classrooms 'a mix of staff fulfilling complementary roles - qualified teachers alongside trained classroom assistants, learning mentors and technicians'.
Her comments on the extended role for teaching assistants follow from a study of teacher workload by PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the Department for Education and Skills earlier this year.
But the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses said teaching assistants should not be exploited to cover up a lack of teachers. PANN, a section of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT), called for the creation of 'chartered teaching assistants to give childcare professionals proper recognition for their training and key role in early years education, using a three-stage career and salary structure based on qualifications, experience and ongoing professional training'.
PAT general secretary Jean Gemmell welcomed the Government's recognition of the role of teaching assistants. But, she added, 'We must make sure teaching assistants receive the training appropriate for the tasks they are required to take on.'
PANN has reported widespread anger among qualified nursery nurses who have found themselves earning less than unqualified teaching assistants, many of whom have been drafted in to help with the literacy and numeracy strategies and given minimal training.
PANNprofessional officer Alison Johnston said teaching assistants had found their pay cut because they did not work enough hours to be graded as full-time under the single-status agreement covering other local authority staff.
Meanwhile Dr Vivien Robins, senior lecturer in early years at De Montfort University, pointed out that nursery nurse posts were often being downgraded to classroom assistants when staff left. Dr Robins, author of the report, The Invisible Professionals: Nursery nurses working in schools, said she knew of one case where a nursery nurse who took a classroom assistant's job had been left to look after half a class 'because they knew she had the qualifications'.
She accused the Government of exploiting the goodwill of early years staff and said, 'It's an unethical way to treat the early years workforce and it demeans the education of our youngest children.'