A brighter future

The career cul-de-sac that has trapped classroom assistants for decades in low-paid and often unrewarding roles is finally set to change, with the Government's unveiling of a three-tier career structure for support staff.

The proposed career ladder, set out by the Department for Skills and Education, aims to help raise children's educational standards and free up teachers' time so they can concentrate on core duties. The new structure will have a major role to play in the Government's vision for schools in the next ten years.

The draft paper, The Future Role of Teaching Assistants, outlines three levels of assistant:

* teaching assistant

* senior teaching assistant

* specialist or managing teaching assistants, whose roles will often be combined, or one may be combined with another role such as playworker.

The Government also believes that as far as possible there should be lateral routes of progression for assistants to move to other roles working with children, such as in childcare.

1 Teaching assistant

Role Would include helping teacher with behaviour management, basic administration, copying lesson plans, setting up, clearing away after lessons and supporting individual pupils and, in some instances, small-group work.

Qualifications Literacy, numeracy and ICT skills required, but qualifications not compulsory.

Training Would be expected to undertake the DfES induction training, but would not be obliged to develop their role or qualifications. Assistants wishing to develop their skills could undertake NVQ2 qualifications based on the National Occupational Standards for teaching assistants. Those involved in small-group work should receive training, for example, in literacy or numeracy, to enable them to carry out this type of support.

Schools would be encouraged to plan for and fund assistants' development and training as part of their whole-school professional development planning.

2 Senior teaching assistant

Role Would include small-group or individual work on reinforcement or extension activities; specialist work with a whole class depending on experience and expertise; cover for teachers in certain circumstances with appropriate support and training; supervision of lunchtime activities, detentions and assemblies; undertaking key roles in behaviour management; carrying out planning and assessment jointly with the teacher.

Qualifications A certain degree of qualification or experience. Likely to have A-level or NVQ3 qualifications with particular skills in literacy, numeracy or ICT or specialist qualifications such as in music.

Training Higher level of ICT training and specialist training appropriate to responsibilities with a focus on the pedagogical skills needed to improve pupils' attainment.

3a Specialist teaching assistant

Role Would include covering for teacher absences with or without a supply teacher; regularly leading the class while the teacher concentrates on individual pupils or is undertaking other work such as planning future lessons or marking pupils' work; and providing specialist knowledge to support the teacher and other colleagues, with a degree of autonomous planning and preparation. This higher level of qualifications and experience would be reflected in a higher status in schools.

Schools Likely to be employed in greater numbers by secondary and specialist schools, but primary schools will employ this grade of assistant for specialist support in literacy, numeracy, ICT, music or languages.

Qualifications Assistants would be expected to have undertaken considerable pedagogical and subject-based training, and in some cases higher level qualifications such as degrees. Senior teaching assistants would be able to move into this role with relevant experience and skills, possibly demonstrated through a portfolio of case studies or on-the-job qualifications such as Specialist Teacher Assistant Certificate course, higher level NVQ or SEN qualifications or a foundation degree. Accreditation of previous experience and learning would be available for moving into this role.

Training Additional training to support specific responsibilities, possibly based on the standards for qualified teacher status.

3b Managing teaching assistant

Role Would focus more on management than classroom work, working with a team of teaching assistants on issues such as behaviour management, SEN work or pastoral care. Would include performance management and development work with assistants' team and, possibly, with the school management team.

Qualifications/training Would have similar status, qualifications level and experience to specialist teaching assistant, but may not require a specialism.

Qualified teacher status

The proposed career structure should enable assistants to gain appropriate knowledge and experience to support the transition to becoming a teacher. Pilot projects are establishing clearer routes to teaching through foundation degrees, undergraduate credits and the graduate and registered teacher programmes. As teacher training is prohibitively expensive for many assistants, the Government will consider some kind of financial support.

Pay

The Government believes 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'. However, the document adds that pay 'will continue to be determined at a local level.'

Making it work

To ensure that the new structure is implemented successfully:

* Schools will be encouraged to focus on the professional development of the whole school workforce.

* Schools will be issued with guidance on how to realise the potential of teaching assistants.

* Teachers will be expected to build parents' confidence in the new roles.

* Teachers and heads will have management and deployment training.

Supply

The Government envisages no major problems in recruiting sufficient people to take on these new jobs, which can be done full- or part-time and have flexible working patterns. Research will be done to ensure that the model can be replicated in schools of different sizes and types across the country.

Timing

The Government recognises that some schools already have in place career structures and well-qualified assistants able to take on these new roles, while others have none. It envisages, therefore, a ten-year timescale for the policy to be fully implemented.

Local authority employers have also set up a working group which will meet with trade unions to discuss the future of classroom assistants' role, pay and conditions.