Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to academies on the role of teaching assistants and school support staff.

The Government believes that free schools and academies should have the freedom to organise themselves without unnecessary guidance from the Department for Education. This includes allowing headteachers to use their professional judgement to recruit and develop support staff in a way that best meets the needs of the school and learners.