Scale of teacher shortage crisis in schools revealed
Nearly 40% of teaching assistants cover classes, research finds
Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England and Wales are being educated “on the cheap” by low-paid teaching assistants (TAs) covering lessons for teachers who are off sick or have quit, according to new research.
A desperate recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools across the country are struggling to put a qualified teacher at the front of every class, unions say. TAs, who earn as little as £14,000, are being asked to plug the gaps, for little or no extra pay.
The survey of almost 6,000 TAs found that almost 40% were covering classes for regular teachers for at least five hours a week – roughly the equivalent of one schoolday each week, or half a term’s cover over a school year – while 15% said they were expected to teach entire classes for at least 11 hours a week.
At primary level, they described being told to lead classes ranging from nursery to year six with just a few minutes’ notice. In secondary schools, TAs were sometimes teaching subjects at GCSE level where teachers had left and not been replaced.
Children with special educational needs (SEN) are among the worst affected by the crisis, according to the research by the public service union Unison. As TAs are increasingly asked to step in for teachers, many of the 1.5 million SEN children they normally support are being left to struggle in class on their own.
Four in five of the TAs (81%) polled said covering for teachers was having a negative impact on teaching provision for children with SEN or other learning needs.
“I don’t think parents have any idea how much of their children’s education is being delivered by unqualified teaching assistants,” one primary higher level TA told researchers.
The research suggests that the crisis is getting worse. Almost half (45%) of TAs who participated in the survey said they were teaching more classes than they did last year, while more than two-thirds (68%) said it was having a negative impact on the quality of children’s learning.
One higher-level TA working in a secondary school in north-east England told the Guardian he had covered 448 lessons last year, and that it would be more this year. “It can be anything,” he said. “French, maths, science, PE. I’m quite comfortable teaching maths and PE, but French and English I’m not so good at.
“Before Covid, when teachers were off, cover would come in, but it’s harder to find teachers since Covid. It’s sad for the kids. It’s sad for the school – they want the best for the kids, but half the time they can’t get anyone.”
Another TA in a primary school in north-west England said: “When we were doing training, we were aware there would be occasional times we might have to step in. But not to this extent.
“It all comes down to money. If schools were given a proper budget, there would be adequate support.”
Unison’s head of education, Mike Short, said: “Schools’ budgets are so tight that, instead of getting in supply teachers to cover classes, heads are having to use teaching assistants on the cheap. This is neither right, nor fair. Parents will rightly assume their children are being taught by teachers, not teaching assistants.
“The government must ensure all schools have the budget and staff to provide the education they’re meant to deliver. This over-reliance on unsatisfactory stopgap measures and overburdening teaching assistants in this way has to stop.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “It is not right that teaching assistants should be asked to routinely cover classes, but sadly, sometimes schools have literally no other choice. Teaching assistants play a crucial role in our schools, particularly for pupils with additional needs, but we should not expect them to fulfil the role of the teacher.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College
nd Leaders, said: “Without action from the government to address the teacher recruitment and retention crisis by improving pay, conditions, and school funding, it is difficult to see how things will improve.”
Rob Webster, a researcher and expert on teaching assistants, said: “This study reveals the hidden costs of deploying teaching assistants to plug gaps in the teacher workforce. It disrupts support for pupils who need it, and prevents teaching assistants from doing their essential work.
“The special educational needs system in England is already at breaking point. Parents of children with additional needs will wonder what effect this considerable loss of teaching assistant capacity is having on their child’s provision.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We have undertaken the biggest reform of training and development in a generation, and … recognise the key role teaching assistants play in supporting children and young people with SEND.
“We are developing practitioner standards for all frontline staff to help them identify and support the needs of these children.”