Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to improve the career structures and pension of school support staff.

School staffing policy is a matter for the devolved administrations. Central government has no role in making decisions on the pay and conditions of school support staff; these are matters for individual school employers. However, the Government expects schools to identify and fund appropriate training to promote the career development of support staff. The Department for Education is committed to raising the status and professionalism of school support staff, for example through the recently announced review of standards for teaching assistants.