Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help ensure there are sufficient teaching support staff, including teaching assistants and technicians, to effectively support SEND provision in North Shropshire constituency.

Headteachers are responsible for recruitment and deployment in their schools, as they are best placed to understand the specific needs of their pupils and make staffing decisions accordingly.

In Shropshire, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) school support staff increased slightly from 2,537 in 2024/25 to 2,553 in 2025/26. This includes an increase in FTE teaching assistant numbers from 1,470 in 2024/25 to 1,517 in 2025/26. There has also been a slight decrease in FTE technicians from 48 in 2024/25 to 45 in 2025/26.

The government is committed to ensuring that school support staff are recognised and rewarded for the crucial work they do. That is why we are establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body to negotiate new statutory minimum levels for pay and conditions and advise on training and career progression for school support staff in England.

We are investing in schools to deliver the changes to support mainstream inclusion. From 2026 to 2027 we will provide £1.6 billion for the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for schools, colleges and early years settings to deliver an improved inclusion offer, as well as £1.8 billion for Experts at Hand.

The department is also investing £200 million in a new special educational needs and disabilities training offer to upskill school, college and nursery staff, including teaching assistants.