Support staff '˜struggling under excessive workloads' in schools

School support staff are increasingly being asked to teach lessons, a poll has found.
David Davies/PA WireDavid Davies/PA Wire
David Davies/PA Wire

It suggests although they may only be required to supervise classes, many workers feel they cannot do this without actually delivering lessons.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey also found the majority of staff are working beyond their contracted hours, and often do not get paid for the extra time they put in.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Overall, more than three quarters of the school support workers polled said they consider the work they do when acting as cover supervisor to be identical to that done by supply teachers.

This is up from 64 per 
cent who said the same last year, ATL said.

And just over seven in 10 of those who responded to the question said it had not been possible to supervise a class without engaging in specified work – effectively delivering a lesson.

ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted, said: “As these results show, support staff are feeling the pressure to actually teach lessons and to plug the gap in staff shortages when teachers leave and do not get replaced.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“As the Government continues to squeeze school budgets, there simply aren’t enough funds to replace staff.

“It is worrying that this year more support staff feel the work they do when acting as cover supervisor is identical to that done by supply teachers, with an increase of 14 per cent.

“Support staff are struggling under excessive workloads as much as teachers and this survey shows that, sadly, support staff feel over-utilised and undervalued.

The warning comes amid continuing concerns about a growing teacher shortage in England, especially in disadvantaged schools and subjects such as physics.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A major report published last year found that UK schools are more hindered by staff shortages than many of their international counterparts.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) study, which covers 72 countries and economies, found a “relatively large share’’ of UK headteachers reported that their school was affected by staff shortages.

In total, 43 per cent of school leaders said a recruitment and retention issue affected their school, compared with the 30 per cent average across OECD countries. In addition, a recent investigation by the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) found nearly eight in 10 of vacant posts were considered “difficult to recruit to”, while more than one in six on average went unfilled. The Government has committed to spending more than £1.3bn within this parliament to attract new teachers to the profession.

The news comes after it was revealed yesterday that new grammar schools could take in just the cleverest 10 per cent of children amid proposals that would make the system more elite.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Education chiefs are also considering a “national selection test” to help prevent “test tourism”, where parents enter their children for exams in different areas where they are considered easier.

The details of the Government’s planned expansion of grammar schools emerged from notes of meetings between ministers, education advisers and the Grammar School Heads’ Association (GSHA).

According to the GSHA document, Education Secretary Justine Greening said the response to the consultation 
on increasing selection, which closed in December, was not “an overwhelming flood of negativity”.