However, new figures also revealed this week show some teachingassistants are being paid as little as 5.05 an hour.
A survey carried out for the Department for Children, Schools andFamilies by the Institute of Education found that 42 per cent of allsupport staff earn less than 7.50 an hour, with hugevariations.
Unison, the largest union for school support staff, called for anational pay and conditions framework to end disparities.
Christina McAnea, Unison national secretary for education, said, 'Thisis nothing short of exploitation and headteachers must face up to theirresponsibilities to end it.
'The Government's wider agenda for extended services, personalisedlearning and targeting resources towards the most disadvantagedchildren, will all be put at risk if the lack of training opportunitiesand low pay are not taken seriously.'
Unison education spokesman Ben Thomas agreed and said the new standardswere 'the first step towards recognising the professionalisation ofschool support staff'.
The standards issued by the Training and Development Agency for Schoolscomplement the recent standards for teachers and mean that for the firsttime, there is a comprehensive framework of national occupationalstandards for all classroom practitioners.
They comprise revised professional standards for Higher Level TeachingAssistants and the National Occupational Standards for SupportingTeaching and Learning in Schools.
- Download the HLTA standards at www.tda.gov.uk/support/hlta.aspx.
