CLASSROOM ASSISTANTS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
UNISON NI is today bringing a campaign to Stormont calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to support classroom assistants by committing to fix the many employment issues that have left them undervalued for too long.
The Classroom Assistant Good Work Charter sets out four campaign outcomes: fair pay and contracts, accurate job descriptions, training and job progression, and a voice in the transformation of Special Educational Needs provision. UNISON’s classroom assistants have been fighting for better pay and conditions for years, with some progress being made, but they claim that progress is too slow and commitments made have not been properly funded by government.
They are gathering at Stormont today to seek the support of MLAs for their campaign before taking it on the road in a series of local meetings and events in the coming months.
UNISON Policy Officer Kellie Turtle says:
“We have launched this campaign because our classroom assistant members deserve better. There are a wide range of problems facing classroom assistants that can only be tackled with real investment from the Northern Ireland Executive. We’re calling on the Education Authority and the Department of Education to work with us on these challenges because classroom assistants are holding our education system together, especially for children with SEN.”
Concerns over changes to the SEN Support System
As well as these long-standing issues facing classroom assistants, many Special Needs Assistants are also alarmed by announcements in recent weeks about changes to SEN support from both the Education Minister and the Education Authority. Proposals to reduce the amount of one-to-one classroom assistants have left many wondering why the work they do has again been overlooked by decision makers when the consensus from teachers and school leaders is that this role is vital. UNISON co-convenor and classroom assistant Samantha Bronze says notes:
“We hear from our teaching colleagues that schools can’t function without classroom assistants as we are the backbone of the SEN support system. It’s very disappointing to hear the education policy makers say that one-to-one support isn’t helping children when we know that it makes a real difference.”
Parents who have fought for a classroom assistant as part of their child’s legal entitlement following a statement of Special Educational Needs have also reacted strongly to these proposals. Many are noting that one-to-one classroom assistance has been the only type of support that has enabled their children to participate fully in school. Sophie Keil of the SEN Reform Parents Group says:
“For some children, classroom assistants are the difference between surviving the school day and feeling safe enough to learn. Supporting them means supporting the whole classroom, the teachers and the families who rely on that stability.”
UNISON’s campaign event in Stormont today will see classroom assistants calling on trade unionists, child rights advocates and families to stand together in speaking up for these vital education workers.