Fury as assistants posts will be axed
200 jobs are set to go
The SNP are calling on the Labour administration to reverse the controversial decision to axe up to 200 classroom assistants.
The Nationalists’ education spokesman Tom Johnston has written to Labour’s education convener Frank McNa l l y demanding the policy reversal citing the recent example of the administrations’s u- turn on the decision to close breakfast clubs.
Councillor Johnston said: “There is outrage among classroom assistants and additional special needs assistants ( ASNA’s) throughout North Lanarkshire.
“Councillors’ mailbags are full of protests and surgeries have been lobbied. I hear there was uproar at a recent meeting in Kildonan Street education offices when classroom assistants were being told their fate.
“There has been dismissals of ASNA’s – doubtless to create spaces for classroom assistant transfers.
“I know morale is rock bottom in all schools over this decision.
“Vulnerable pupils, who have built relationships of trust with classroom assistants and ASNAs will be devastated in many cases.
“Councillor McNally has bowed to public pressure and reversed the budget decision to close breakfast clubs. He can do the same for classroom assistants and saving classroom assistants will, in turn, allow reinstatement of recently dismissed ASNA’s.”
The proposals regarding classroom assistants have been seized upon by the SNP as the first proof of a Labour/Tory pact within the new council administration.
This has been vehemently denied by the local authority.
Earlier this month, the Labour administration announced that until a review into breakfast clubs is completed there will be no change to existing clubs at schools.
Councillor McNally said: “Every primary school will retain one classroom assistant and there will be no change to ASN provision, in fact it will be enhanced.
“The council has been able to ensure that there will be no job losses and any staff impacted will be redeployed within Education Services, into permanent positions, retaining their salary, terms and conditions and will remain within their current locality.
“It should also be noted that earlier this year, the Education Service in dialogue with headteachers, sought to create the post of Pupil Support Assistant.
“This would have been a new role with a greater pupil-centred focus, yet would have retained the effective support for teaching staff that is currently provided by classroom assistants. It was proposed to include this within the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF).
“Many of our classroom assistants would have been upskilled to fill the role, which would have brought with it a higher salary banding.
“When we presented these ambitious plans to the SNP Government they refused to allow us to proceed and threatened to withhold the entire fund from North Lanarkshire’s schools unless we scrapped the plans.”