School staff believe children’s education is suffering due to shortages
Staff shortages in schools are harming children’s education and safety, a new report suggests.
Unison’s survey of nearly 3,000 support staff, including teaching assistants, caterers and cleaners, found three in five reported having fewer colleagues than a year ago, while just six per cent said numbers were increasing.
More than three-quarters of those surveyed said there were not enough workers to meet students’ needs, while a similar number warned that staff reductions were making it harder to keep students safe.
The main reason for the shortage was the inability of schools to replace people who left.
Unison said the knock-on effect was an increase in workloads and unpaid overtime for those remaining.
Mike Short, Unison’s head of education, said the survey “paints a bleak picture of an underappreciated workforce going above and beyond what is expected”.
“Staff believe pupils’ education is suffering due to shortages. The situation is bad news for everyone and is simply unsustainable. Overburdened staff are taking on extra responsibilities and doing teacher-level work to pay for the wages of support staff.”
“Schools need extra money to replace people who leave and provide fair pay increases for all their staff.
“A future school support staff negotiating body should mean better recognition of the vital contributions made by people such as teaching assistants, caterers and technicians.
“Importantly, schools need to improve pay and conditions, supported by the increased government funding they clearly need.”
James Bowen, assistant general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Support staff play a vital role in our schools – without them schools simply wouldn’t function.
“They truly are the unsung heroes of the school workforce. Ever-increasing budget pressures mean it is becoming increasingly difficult for many schools to meet the support staff they need, and children are undoubtedly suffering, often the most vulnerable.
“We often hear that leaders are having to reduce the number of teaching assistants to balance the books. If the government wants a more inclusive school system, it must ensure that schools have the funding necessary to deliver this.”
