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'.
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