Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of pay for school support staff.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and the smooth running of schools.

Most school support staff are currently employed on National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services pay and conditions. The NJC is a negotiating body made up of representatives from trade unions and local government employers. Employees covered by the NJC for local government services pay and conditions have been offered a pay increase of 3.2% from 1 April 2025, which is subject to agreement by the recognised NJC unions.

This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. That is why we are establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, which will mean that in future years employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay structures for school support staff.