Axing teaching assistants is more about austerity than improving outcomes for young people

An article in the Daily Mail earlier this week suggested that the education secretary Michael Gove is seeking to axe more than 230,000 non-teaching posts in schools. In order to save money, he is prepared to regress education to the time when all absence cover and non-teaching duties, including finance and administration, individual learning support, pastoral care and attendance management had to be undertaken by teachers in their own time – or simply did not happen.

The article suggests the ‘Reform’ think tank, led by director Thomas Cawston, has found evidence that teaching assistants are costly and ineffective, whilst school support staff are further denigrated by the Daily Mail as a ‘so-called mum’s army’ that were ‘introduced by Labour’ and earn ‘an average of £17,000.’

Such references demonstrate a complete ignorance of the huge contribution now played by non-teaching staff in schools in England and the way this has developed in recent years. It is little surprise that the ‘findings’ are based on citing old research that predates the current position, rather than any new research undertaken by Reform.

Whilst they may not always have been well deployed by schools, non-teaching staff are far from being a ‘mum’s army.’ They have now become a well-qualified, well-trained and highly effective workforce. Not only do their skills save time for teachers and leaders to devote to teaching, but they have significantly contributed to a rise in attendance, student well-being and higher outcomes, actually saving schools money.

In English schools you are now likely to find well qualified non-teaching staff who run the finances and the buildings, organise teacher cover, manage examinations, and write the timetable, all of which at one time we paid expensive senior teachers to do. You will now find those school leaders in classrooms and round the school engaged in improving teaching, learning and assessment and maintaining student discipline. Releasing senior staff and teachers from these duties has helped to raise standards through close tracking of student progress, implementing interventions and improving teaching.

It may be difficult to disaggregate the impact on student outcomes of teaching assistants and other non-teaching support staff. But it must be clear that the significant improvement in attendance at both primary and secondary level in recent years has been led by non-teaching staff deployed to manage attendance, knock on doors, contact parents and work closely with students in and out of lessons. Good attendance at school has a significant impact on student achievement. Many headteachers have moved from using teachers to deal with student well-being, family problems and pastoral issues to using well qualified non-teaching pastoral leaders who have the time to do the job properly without detracting from a vital teaching role. This in turn has contributed to improved attendance and outcomes.

It is true teaching assistants are also used to cover classes for short-term teacher absences in many schools, under the guidance of an experienced teacher. For children, teachers and parents this is a significantly better option than employing very expensive supply teachers, as these are generally less effective than staff children know and who provide continuity.

Cawston purports that teaching assistants were “supposed to help teachers.” Completely wrong – they are there to help students. These days, they are less likely to be a volunteer mother and more likely to be trained, qualified TAs. They are able to provide intensive support and interventions for small groups of students that impact significantly on their test and GCSE outcomes.  Losing them would put all the progress we have made in educational outcomes at risk – but then plans being considered by the Government are more about austerity cuts and regressive education policy than they are about improving educational outcomes for young people.

Dr Gena Merrett is a former secondary Headteacher and an experienced schools’ adviser in England and Wales. She is also a Labour Councillor in Salford and is the Assistant Mayor for Housing and Environment