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Support staff: Cut technicians, increase your risks

The role of the technicians in our schools is vital to effective delivery of the curriculum, yet numbers are dwindling as school cuts bite, says Jon Richards

“Hi Sandy. The lift has broken down. You couldn’t come and have a look at it before we call the engineer in?”

Having the word technician in your job title is a guaranteed assumption that you know absolutely everything about all electric or mechanical objects, even if you are a specialist in IT or biology.

Also overheard: “Technicians? They just push trolleys around all day.”

Well if you have not seen a “trolley pusher” recently that is because from 2013 to 2017 there was a 12 per cent cut in the number of technicians and when the Department for Education issues statistics for 2018 – that percentage will most likely increase.

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