Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the contribution made by Teaching Assistants to educational settings; and if his Department will undertake a review of Teaching Assistants pay.

The department gives schools the freedom to determine the pay and conditions of their teaching assistants (TAs). Most are paid according to local government pay scales, and all are required to be paid at least the statutory minimum wage.

While the department does not set the pay for non-teaching staff, we can confirm that an agreement has been reached regarding support staff pay. Eligible support staff on pay spine points 2 and above will receive a 1.75% per annum pay rise, payable from April 2021, with staff on point 1 receiving a 2.75% rise.

TAs have a critical role in provide a huge breadth of support to pupils in different contexts, including supporting pupil outcomes. The department recently published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, which highlights the key role of TAs in supporting children and young people with SEND to access learning in the classroom. We will set out clear guidance on the effective use and deployment of TAs to support children and young people with SEND as part of the national standards.

The Education Endowment Foundation has produced guidance for schools on making the best use of TAs and has conducted research which highlights the benefits made by TAs on pupil attainment and learning when deployed in educational settings.