The advice follows an internal Government report, written by Richard Handover and leaked to the BBC, which said that 40,000 teaching assistants could be removed from their posts without damaging outcomes to save on the schools budget (News, 1 October).
SkillsActive, the sector skills council for playwork, said that as many as 4,000 teaching assistants could be absorbed into playwork as the sector looks to hire more people who are qualified to level 3. The expansion of the playwork sector follows Government funding of £250m over three years, which was announced in the 2007 Children's Plan.
SkillsActive has urged the Government to consider developing a transitional module to help teaching assistants transfer to the sector similar to the Level 3 Award in Playwork for Early Years and Childcare Workers, a transitional module for early years workers who wish to make the move.
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