Classroom assistants under fire

The government wants greater use of assistants in class

The majority of teachers in England and Wales are against government plans to allow classroom assistants to supervise classes, a union survey found.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) poll of nearly 4,000 teachers found that, while four in five welcomed the support assistants gave, 90% rejected the idea they should be able to cover for teachers in their absence.

Estelle Morris says classroom assistants are vital

And only one in four thought classroom support workers should be allowed to administer work set by teachers when they are out of the room.

One in ten of the 3,822 teachers who took part in the survey said they had no access to a teaching assistant.

Over half - 54% - thought it was right that classroom assistants got involved with pastoral care, but only 29% thought they should supervise lunchtime activities.

Expansion of assistants

Last November the Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, published a pamphlet where she suggested classroom assistants should be ale to supervise classes.

It is understood she has since dropped the proposal.

They [teachers] reject any idea of teaching assistants being used as cheap substitutes to overcome teacher shortages

Doung McAvoy, NUT

But the government is committed to taking on at least 20,000 extra assistant in an attempt to cut down teachers' workload and give schools other options at a time when recruiting teachers is proving difficult.

According to the NUT survey though, 38% of teachers said having a classroom assistant increased their workload because of the added management responsibilities.

And 24% said they had to undertake more planning as a result, while 22.6% said classroom support staff added to their teaching load.

'Suspicious'

General secretary of the NUT Doug McAvoy said teachers were "deeply suspicious" of the government's agenda for teaching assistants.

"They have emphasised that they are there to support not supplant teachers," said Mr McAvoy.

"They reject any idea of teaching assistants being used as cheap substitutes to overcome teacher shortages."

The survey also underlined the need for additional administrative support if the government was to fulfil its promise to reduce the bureaucratic burdens on teachers.

"The message for government is clear. Teachers' workload is not reduced by the provision of teaching assistants but they do bring undoubted benefits to pupils which teachers value highly," he said.

'Valuable role'

A spokesman for the Department for Education said a report published last week by the schools watchdog, Ofsted, found teaching assistants played a valuable role in raising standards.

It also showed teachers valued the work assistants did in the classroom, the spokesman said.

"It is essential that, as we move towards greater individualised learning that more pupils have more individual time with teachers and classroom assistants.

"We are unapologetic about our mission to raise standards and putting in the necessary structures and people to do that," he said.