Cutting all classroom assistant jobs in the highlands

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Highland council are proposing to cut all classroom assistant positions in it's primary schools.
This in not just a disgrace it's a travesty. Up here many school run composite classes with children ranging from 4 to 5 up to 11 years in the one class. Teachers are stretched to the limits to cover all their needs. Many headmasters are also in class teachers again stretched to do what is already required of them. There are little facilities for kids with learning difficulties. Classroom assistants are invaluable to helping both teachers and children carrying out unlimited tasks freeing up teachers to allow them time to teach.

I have my own gratitude to my local classroom assistant, my own son has Dcd, and low muscle tone. The nearest occupational therapist is based over 2 hours drive away. She kindly came and taught the classroom assistant exercises to do with my son daily, which she did faithfully with great patience and dedication.

What can I do as a mum to help

There have always been schools like that with only 1 or 2 classes in rural Scotland. The teachers managed before TAs were brought in. These schools cost an awful lot more per pupil than city schools. What is your solution? People dont want closures and centralisation.

I'd start off with trying to get all the parent councils to work together to oppose the cuts. I'm sure none will be in support of them.

Failing that, get the schools to acknowledge that they will need more parental support, and ask them to pay for Disclosure checks, or training for parent helpers to help in class.

Very grim, and a worry for us all. Did you see that in Renfrew they are apparently planning on removing the requirement for 2.5 hours non contact time to be covered by a qualified teacher?

They are being replaced with half the number of 1-to-1s for children with SEN. I'm not being facetious, but if you're really asking what you, as a mum, can do to help, what about setting up a rota of patent volunteers to go into the classroom.

Parent volunteers, I meant.

Classroom assistants are invaluable in all schools not just rural ones. Over the years teachers jobs have became harder with the introduction of more and more paper work that already takes up teaching times. My argument is that rurally there are less external available facilities like occupational therapists and in my case it was the classroom assistant who helped out. Cuts are inevitable but well rounded educated children are the key to a better future for us all. School cuts of any kind should be the last available option. I think everyone has now accepted cuts are inevitable and every cut made is detrimental to someone, but surely no one thinks removing classroom assistants is the best place to make these cuts.

I will happily become a volunteer have done in the past. My own daughter works voluntary in the school during her free periods from high school. It is the children especially those with Sn that are going to suffer. Thank you all. There is a meeting proposed at the school so will see how it goes.

Darleneconnor can I just reply to your comment. If teachers were coping so well before why were classroom assistants introduced. As very cost per head being more, that is irrelevant as the cuts are taking place in all schools not just rural ones. Also our school may be slightly more expensive to run but we do not have the luxury of council run swimming pools, parks etc on our door steps. So per head in a financial year do my kids really cost more than other kids just because we live rurally and our schools are smaller.

Can I just thank everyone for their suggestions. Will definitely look into pulling parents together. Could anyone fighting the same or a similar fight let me know how it goes

I agree completely, good education is paramount to our future. I agree that as a society our priorities are all wrong, we are losing our classroom assistants to save our libraries, what good are libraries if kids can't read. I am not in anyway insinuating libraries should close I am just showing the knock on effect. Locally we have just employed community development officers and now we are losing our classroom assisstants. Cuts need to be made and to be honest I would prefer my bin man to appear fortnightly or pay more council tax if it keeps the important people in their jobs

Parent council meeting organised for tomorrow.