Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) published and (b) unpublished research her Department has considered as part of its preparation for establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body; and what the titles are of each piece of research.

This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce, which is why the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established through the Employment Rights Bill.

To inform the establishment and operation of the SSSNB, the department has commissioned new and detailed research into the role and value of school support staff. The research was conducted by Ipsos and findings are expected to be published by around late 2025 and early 2026. The government also included a call for evidence on pay and conditions for school support staff as part of its consultation on setting up the SSSNB, which closed on 18 July, with findings expected to be published in the autumn.

Beyond this, departmental officials regularly review published research and evidence on school support staff, including statistical publications such as the School Workforce Census, survey data, and the Education Endowment Foundation’s publications on teaching assistants.