School support staff ‘not just mums’ army’
SCHOOL SUPPORT staff are not just a “mums’ army” who “wash paint pots and create displays”, a teaching union is expected to warn today.
There is a “gross misunderstanding” of school support workers – such as teaching assistants, caretakers, bursars and admin staff – while many are feeling undervalued by schools and communities, members of the UK’s largest teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), will argue.
Delegates at the NEU’s (ATL section) annual conference in Liverpool are due to debate a motion that argues: “Support staff are still not being respected as a valued and professional part of the education workforce.”
It adds: “There is a gross misunderstanding of the varied and vital roles support staff undertake. Misconceptions mean they are often left behind or left out when it comes to training and development, stifling chosen career paths. Also, there is still the perception they are a ‘mums’ army’ who do little more than wash paint pots and create displays. The reality is much different.”
Official figures show that as of November 2016, there were about 387,900 teaching assistants working in England’s state schools, along with 450,900 other school support staff.
A poll conducted by the NEU of about 1,700 support staff members found that nearly 78 per cent say they regularly do overtime each week. The motion calls on the union to campaign for support staff to have equal access to training and professional development.
A SCHOOL in Harrogate has been named among the top 100 state schools for sport in the UK.
Rossett School was commended for the “breadth of its sporting excellence”, which
The School Sport Magazine said placed it in the top three per cent of schools. Its ratings covered 20 sports and results from more than 120 competitions.
“We are absolutely delighted to have been recognised as a leading school for sport,” said head of PE Ryan Bradshaw. “Our sports department works hard to offer as many opportunities as possible to all our students, encouraging them to engage with sport not just during their time at Rossett but throughout their lives.
“We aim to be a centre of excellence both on and off the field, teaching sound theory behind the practice. We’re also proud of the outstanding competitive teams we have and their fantastic success over the last few years, which has been a significant factor in achieving this recognition.”
Last year saw particular success for the Rossett’s girls’ football teams. The under-14 team reached the national final, while the under-16s, under-13s and under-12s all played in their county cup finals.
Already this year, the football teams have been enjoying more success, including the girls’ under-14s reaching this year’s county cup final.
The Year 9A team have reached the semi-final of the national cup and the final of the county cup, while the Y8A team have reached the county cup final and the area cup semi-final, while Year 7 have reached the area semi-final.
Headteacher Helen Woodcock added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students for their commitment, the parents for their support, and PE teachers and other Rossett staff who run extracurricular activities, for all of their hard work.
“This is an extremely high accolade and something which we are all very proud to have achieved.”