Nursery World - Career progress for teaching assistants

The Government has proposed a career structure for classroom assistants in England that could result in significant pay rises for some. The four-part structure is described in a draft paper being discussed by a Department for Education and Skills working group. It states that 'better qualifications and training appropriate to their needs and roles should enhance the status of teaching assistants and lead to appropriately structured pay scales'.

The four-part structure is described in a draft paper being discussed by a Department for Education and Skills working group. It states that 'better qualifications and training appropriate to their needs and roles should enhance the status of teaching assistants and lead to appropriately structured pay scales'.

Bruni de la Motte, national officer for Unison, which is involved in the working group, expressed concern that the draft document did not include a qualification requirement for the basic teaching assistant level. She said, 'They don't seem to think people need qualifications beyond the induction training, and we don't think that's right. They go from unqualified to senior -there seems to be something missing. The new National Occupational Standards for teaching assistants should be built into the career structure.'

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