Nearly 240,000 teaching assistants stand to lose their jobs if the Treasury is able to push through a plan to save £4 billion a year.
Treasury officials have been holding talks with the Department for Education (DfE) over the possibility of removing the posts over a period of time and using the money to boost teachers’ pay and employ more teachers instead. It would also lead to savings in the DfE’s budget.
Treasury officials would like the roles to be phased-out through retirements and with staff not being replaced if they leave. Some teaching assistants might choose to retrain as teachers.
Classroom or teaching assistants were introduced under the last government to allow teachers to focus more of their time on teaching and learning.
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