Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure collaboration between the School Support Staff Negotiation Body and academy trusts.

The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will have a remit for pay, conditions, training and career progression for support staff in all state-funded schools, including academies, in England. As half of schools are now academies, it is vital that academies are included in the statutory remit of the SSSNB to ensure there is a national core offer for support staff pay and terms and conditions, across all schools.

The SSSNB will need to represent all school support staff and their employers effectively. The body will be composed of representatives of employers, employee representatives, an Independent Chairperson, and a member representing my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The Secretary of State for Education will appoint an employer organisation which represents academy employers via regulations.