Reform pay, working conditions and national standards for TA's and SEN LSA's.

We ask the Government for a national reform for TA and SEN LSA roles: national pay scale, end term-time-only, equal cost-of-living awards, SEN allowance, Green Book reform, correct London weighting, national job description, workload review and automatic pay progression.

TA and SEN LSA staff play a crucial role in supporting pupils with SEN and those falling behind, yet their pay, progression and conditions lag far behind teachers despite rising responsibilities. Recruitment and retention are in crisis, worsening outcomes for vulnerable pupils. National reform is needed to ensure fair pay, clear job standards, consistent London weighting, equal cost-of-living awards and sustainable workloads.

TAs and SEN LSA staff play a vital role in supporting all children to achieve and thrive.

That is why the Employment Rights Act 2025 provides for the establishment of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). Establishing the SSSNB was a manifesto commitment and is an important part of delivering both the government’s Plan to Make Work Pay and Opportunity Mission. The SSSNB will be a new statutory body with a remit to negotiate pay and conditions, and to advise on training and career progression. The body will give a sector specific voice to support staff, who make up roughly half of the directly employed school workforce, by bringing together employer and employee representatives.

Agreements ratified by the Secretary of State on pay, terms and conditions will be incorporated into individual employee contracts, where they are currently on terms below the new statutory minimums agreed by the SSSNB. This will establish a consistent national ‘floor’ that all school support staff can expect, whilst allowing more favourable terms beyond this and protecting individual employees from any changes to their detriment.

We held a public consultation last year to inform the set-up of the SSSNB. The first topic in the consultation on the definition of school support staff will inform secondary legislation to confirm which staff will be in the remit of the SSSNB. The government expects to publish the consultation findings and response shortly. Secondary legislation will be required to commence and constitute the SSSNB later this year.

To recognise that the majority of the school workforce is female and facing recruitment and retention challenges, we have announced in the Schools White Paper earlier this year that we will remit and provide funding for the SSSNB to negotiate an improvement to maternity pay in its first year of operation.

School support staff will continue to be covered by their existing arrangements in 2026-27, with the first outcomes arising from the SSSNB from the 2027-28 financial year at the earliest. Currently, the Government does not have a role in setting school support staff pay and conditions.

A dedicated webpage for the SSSNB can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-support-staff-negotiating-body-sssnb

We are also investing £200 million in a new SEND training offer to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery - this will include training for teaching assistants. We will continue to work in collaboration with the sector over the coming months to design and develop an offer that works for staff and schools.

Support staff play an important role in children’s education and our schools, and this Government values and recognises their vital contributions.

Department for Education