‘It’s properly changed, and I think it’s going to continue.’ How the pandemic and the cost of living crisis remade the teaching assistant role

Abstract

This paper presents evidence of how the role of teaching assistants (TAs) in England has been remade by the Covid pandemic. Drawing on data from a national survey of 9,055 TAs and 22 semi-structured interviews with TAs, teachers and headteachers, the authors show how essential TAs were to schools’ responses to managing the disruption caused by the pandemic. TAs kept schools functioning and supported the pastoral and wellbeing needs of children and families, both in school and in the wider community. As life and learning return to normal, the informal duties that TAs took on during lockdown have persisted, leading to a marked increase in workload. At the same time, TAs find themselves struggling to make ends meet amid a fresh crisis concerning the rising cost of living. Headteachers report fears of losing TAs to better-paid jobs and being unable to recruit replacements. Problems maintaining provision for pupils with additional needs and exacerbating challenges regarding teacher workload and retention are forecast. Despite schools’ innovative and well-meaning efforts to recognise and demonstrate their appreciation of TAs, this paper argues that this does not amount to a robust TA retention strategy. A comprehensive national development strategy and investment in the TA workforce is recommended to address longstanding issues concerning their role, identity, value and pay.