Unison has said that teaching assistants were increasingly being used as a cheap way of covering teachers’ lessons. The schools minister, Jim Knight, said teaching assistants eased the burden on teachers but should not lead classes for more than a short period.

Christine McAnea, head of education at Unison, said schools either chose to ignore guidance in place over the use of support staff or did not understand it. She said:

“There’s too much flexibility in it and we’re trying to negotiate much tighter guidance. Schools can use people who aren’t qualified teachers to cover for them, provided headteachers are sure they have the skills, knowledge and experience and are working under a system of supervision. Schools are abusing this and there’s an impact on standards and staff who are already very low paid.”

She continued by saying that qualified support staff can, under supervision, provide short-term cover for teachers provided they know what they are doing.