Support staff used as ‘teachers on the cheap’

SEVENTY-FIVE per cent of support staff members are routinely working outside of contracted hours, an NEU survey has found.

The survey of 7,500 support staff members in England and Wales – separate to the indicative survey on funding (see page 9) –shows that support staff are continuing to bear the brunt of stretched budgets in schools, regularly working unpaid hours and taking the role of a supply teacher at a fraction of the cost.

“There’s not enough members of staff. Lack of experienced staff. Lots of apathy –you can earn more in a supermarket,” one survey respondent said.

Most not paid for hours over contract

According to the survey, 75 per cent of members worked at least one to three hours over their contract per week, with some working an extra 11 hours a week or more.

Just 15 per cent say they are paid extra for working these hours, while 19 per cent said they are paid ‘sometimes’. The majority (66 per cent) say they are not paid for these extra hours at all.

The reason given by respondents for undertaking this additional work was that “workload demands it”, and more than half said that there had been a reduction in support staff numbers at their workplace within the last year.

Support staff are most vulnerable to school staffing cuts, and they have also experienced significant real-terms pay cuts in recent years. The survey also reveals that many support staff are used as “teachers on the cheap” – doing the same or similar work as teachers, such as delivering lessons.

Staffing cuts caused by underfunding

Kevin Courtney, NEU joint general secretary, said: “Support staff are important but putupon members of the school community. Too many are being driven beyond the point of contractual agreement to deliver work which is either unpaid, unsuited or both.

“It cannot be right that a majority of support staff now do the work of teachers as a matter of routine. This is a consequence of workload and staffing cuts, brought about by persistent underfunding of schools.”

According to another survey, almost half of support staff (48 per cent) intend to leave the profession within five years.

“If this exodus is to be prevented, then a major shift in Government policy is needed,” added Kevin.