Nursery World - More assistants to train at higher level

Teaching assistants in reception classes in England will comprise a new group among the 7,000 senior support staff in schools undertaking training as Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) this year. The Government expects that there will be around 20,000 teaching assistants trained as HLTAs every year by 2006/07. It sees their role as vital to its strategy to reduce teachers' workloads.

The Government expects that there will be around 20,000 teaching assistants trained as HLTAs every year by 2006/07. It sees their role as vital to its strategy to reduce teachers' workloads.

However, there are no plans for salary increases nationally to reflect their increased responsibilities. A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said it was the department's view that pay and conditions for support staff should be determined locally and that there were currently no plans to change this.

Local education authorities will select support staff already working in their schools to take part in the HLTA programme. In order to achieve HLTA status, individuals will be measured in a set of 31 national standards.

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