Increase the National Living Wage for classroom assistants & teaching assistants

It's been said that teaching and classroom assistants are 'un-sung heroes'. They strive every day to make an enormous difference to the children they work with. The children they work with aren't just pupils; they're family. They want the children to thrive and do well.

We want the Government to acknowledge what an essential job that teaching and classroom assistants do. We want to be paid a better living wage for the work we do. Without these incredibly skilled staff, children wouldn't be able to access the education system, they wouldn't thrive and wouldn't succeed at being the best that they can be.

So all we ask is to be rewarded and recognised for the important job that we do.

Classroom and teaching assistants

The Government recognises that support staff can make an important contribution to the development of children and the support of teachers in delivering the school curriculum. Teaching Assistants carry out a variety of roles within schools, including supporting catch-up provision and targeted interventions.

Support staff terms and conditions are determined locally by employers, to suit local circumstances. There are no national pay scales for support staff employed in maintained schools, free schools, academies and independent schools. Most Local Authority (LA) schools and academies choose to use the local government pay scales to pay their support staff in conjunction with National Joint Council (NJC) terms and conditions, known as the Green Book.

There is no requirement for schools to use the local government pay scales or adhere to the Green Book. There is, therefore, some variability in pay and conditions across the country.

It is a requirement that employers pay their workers at least the statutory minimum, and the Department encourages employers to pay more than the minimum wage when they can afford to do so.

The National Living Wage

This Government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone. Through the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) the Government protects the lowest paid within our society.

On 1 April 2021, the Government increased the National Living Wage by 2.2% to £8.91. This is the highest ever UK minimum wage. This latest increase will mean that a full-time worker on the wage will see their pay increase by over £345 over the year.

Department for Education