Member's statement: Classroom Assistants
Member's statement by Mr Paul Boggs on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Boggs
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 21 September 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Classroom Assistants
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5741773
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As a former teacher, I understand completely the invaluable role that classroom assistants play in our schools. Last week, Unison's classroom assistant members gathered in Strabane to highlight the issues that they face. While I could not be at the event, I have supported and continue to support their good work charter campaign. Councillors Brian Harte and Collette McAllister attended and were shocked, to say the least, by the broad issues that classroom assistants spoke to them about. Unison's good work charter breaks down their concerns, frustrations, everyday experiences and, more important, how, they feel, those would be best addressed. Their asks are not unreasonable. They want to ensure that they have secure, contracted work with fair pay, terms and conditions. They want to feel valued alongside teachers in how vital they are to the classroom, with job descriptions that accurately reflect the work that they do. They want professional development and progression aligned with appropriate recognition of their qualifications and experience. They also want to be involved in the reform of SEN provision, ensuring that their experience in supporting children is reflected in new ways of delivering SEN support. Every MLA across the Assembly will have heard from parents just how invaluable classroom assistants are to their child's learning. As a former teacher, I know how invaluable they are to teaching and to learning. At last week's meeting, classroom assistants referenced the proposed enhanced support model that could mean in real terms that one-to-one support for pupils could be in jeopardy. Their fear and frustration are focused purely on the loss of support for the young people with whom they work. What has struck me most in engaging with the campaign are the parents from whom I have heard emotional accounts that show that they, too, are fully on board with the need to better value our classroom assistants, because they see first-hand the positive impact that classroom assistants have on their children. Frankly, it is hard to listen to the people who are the backbone of our education system speak of how undervalued they feel, how their year-long pleas for action have not been addressed and how decisions continue to be made over their heads. The message from classroom assistants, parents and children is loud and clear: the role of classroom assistants is crucial to the development of our children. Our classroom assistants deserve better. The young people whom they support deserve better. I will continue to stand with them every step of the way. Today, I call on the Minister, the Department and the Education Authority to do likewise.
432 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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