To think TAs/support staff should get a pay rise as well as teachers?

[Opensea]

Just read that teachers are getting a well earned 5% increase - okay it’s more likely a pay cut in real terms in the current climate.

But what really riles me is that TAs and support staff haven’t been given a mention.
I was a TA and a one to one for almost 10 years and I know what an increasingly difficult job it’s become, much more responsibility too.

17 year old considering university -food for thought. I need to put money by and hard to do at the moment!
A pay increase would be useful...

I'm a TA with many years experience, and without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I am very good at what I do. In March we received our payrise for 21-22, all in one go. My payrise for the entire year came to £100, just over £8 a month. I have no idea when we will get the payrise that should have been paid in April. As a school governor, I have a good insight into the state of our budget and I know that there is every chance that our support staff will be facing redundancies next year, due to the teachers' salary increase and the extra cost of heating our less-than-efficient Victorian building this winter . To be honest, I think that my only chance of making it to my retirement age is if my SLT decide that financially it will cost too much to make me redundant. Redundancy in itself wouldn't be too bad for me, except that the lgps imposes such huge penalties for 'early' retirement, that I'd actually end up with no income until I reach state retirement age.

Completely agree, and I'm a teacher. Support staff are woefully underpaid. I work with a number of TAs, and they're all incredibly good. What they get paid is an insult.

TA’s often do as much as teachers, particularly in primary schools but because they didn’t go to uni they earn half as much

TAs are great and definitely worth more than they're paid but that's a ridiculous claim - they don't do as much as teachers, not by any stretch of the imagination.

All our TAs are degree educated but prefer to have a low stress, term time job that they can enjoy.

TA pay is pathetic for what they do. My youngests first ta (1-1) in reception is the entire reason he managed to stay in mainstream and he is now in fact thriving thanks to her. He was actually too clever for reception and she spotted that. Sadly her contract wasn't renewed by the then Deputy Head (they were between headteachers) because of sheer faceyness.

TA’s often do as much as teachers, particularly in primary schools but because they didn’t go to uni they earn half as much

Many TAs are university educated- many are qualified teachers who don't want the stress or long hours of a teaching post, others are considering going in to teaching.

Being a good TA is not an easy job. It's definitely underpaid, but it does not hold the same accountability as a teacher or mean the same long hours. There does need to be a differentiation in pay, which raising both teachers and TAs pay would achieve.

Many TAs can only afford to do the job they love because they have a higher earning partner, often in the Private sector.

Teachers pay rises are effective 01/09 annually.
Support staff pay rises are effective 01/04 annually.

Incremental pay rises will be in line with the school/academy performance management policy. In our they are effective 01/09 annually for all staff

Support staff pay increase effective 01/04/2021 was finally agreed in March 2022 so paid April 2022, including back pay from 01/04/2021.

The current offer for the Support staff pay increase effective 01/04/2022 has not been agreed. The offer on the table is £1925 pa increase at every spine point.
This equates to 10.5% for those on the lowest spine point and 4.04% for those on the highest.
Most Support staff are on Term Time Only contracts so will get less than £1925pa increase.

There has been a recent court ruling re Support staff holiday pay, depending on how your school/LA/ Trust calculates hol pay you may be in for a windfall.
Mine does it the way the court ruled.

It is rediculous giving new start teachers with limited experience a higher pay increase 8 percent than an experienced teacher about 3 percent. It will just demoralise experienced teachers even more and we already as a nation do not have enough experienced teachers especially in Maths, Science and ICT as graduates in these fields can make a lot more money outside of teaching.

It's not ridiculous*. We need to attract people into the profession, and at the moment the starting salary is way too low to attract anyone. Especially since it would be good to attract people already.in employment, who may have a family to support.

Newly qualified teachers are amongst the most hard working and keen, and they should be well remunerated

*Not rEdiculous. I how you're not a teacher yourself.

The problem with increasing the starting salary is that it flattens the pay scale and then the expectation becomes that once you’re out of the ECT period, you are expected to do masses of additional work-lead subjects, ECT mentor etc which are huge jobs, for hardly any extra money.

Support staff pay is negotiated effective 1 April annually.

The current offer is the same as last year £1925 increase at every spine point. This means that the lower paid have a greater increase in percentage terms than the higher paid.

This is still under negotiation with unions who want more.

Whatever is agreed it is not funded by the government (Support & teachers pay) which is terrible for schools finances, along with energy costs & inflation elsewhere

@StripeyDeckchair , this is a zombie thread from last year. Not all schools are subject to NJC pay scales though. We didn't get the £1925 last year,( I got a 20p per hour rise equivalent to about £400 FT) so we won't get anything like that this year either.