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Press Release

PAT RAISES ISSUE OF COVER

27 January 2006

The Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) is calling on the DfES to address problems faced by teaching assistants and nursery nurses in schools who are being "coerced" into providing cover and other whole class responsibilities in breach of the National Agreement. PAT still supports the Agreement, to which it was a signatory, but wants to stop some schools "hijacking" it in order to save money.

In a letter to the Department, PAT General Secretary Philip Parkin said:

“PAT is increasingly concerned about a number of outcomes from the implementation of the National Agreement.

"Specifically our concerns relate to the changing role of the teaching assistant and nursery nurses and to the arrangements schools are making to cover for teacher absences and PPA time.

"When we signed the National Agreement we understood that:

a. teaching assistants were to be used only in the short-term (up to 1 day) for cover purposes;

b. that head teachers were required to determine the competence of TAs before asking them to take whole classes; and

c. that TAs have the option of not agreeing to take classes and should not be forced into it.

"Evidence from our members suggests that while many are keen to accept the opportunities for personal development and additional responsibility which the National Agreement has brought, there are also those who do not want to take on a whole-class role and find themselves being coerced into it.

"We are finding that TAs (of whatever level) are being assigned to medium and long-term cover for teacher absences and PPA time.

"This is not what was intended at the beginning of this process and we believe the restructuring process is being used to undermine proper employment practices in respect of teachers and support staff.

"The problem is not in the Agreement itself but in the hijacking of it by some schools seeking to save money by forcing some staff into roles which they do not want and should not have.

"We welcome the creation of a WAMG sub-group to look at the pay and conditions of support staff. There is a need for urgency in this as we are finding as many staff demoralised by the current situation as are exhilarated by it."

PAT believes that the practice of using TAs for cover is also resulting in less work for supply teachers.

PAT is conducting a survey of members' and non-members' attitudes to workforce reform through a questionnaire in its January journal and online: http://www.pat.org.uk/publications/downloads/WFRquestionnaire.doc



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