Special education support staff at an Essex educational trust have launched a petition to ask for their pay to rise to their teacher equivalents.
Lift Schools is a multi-academy trust which runs 57 schools across England.
In Essex these include the high school Lift Clacton in Pathfield Road, the Columbus School and College in Oliver Way in Chelmsford, and the special day school Pioneer in Ghyllgrove in Basildon.
School staff supporting children with special educational needs (SEN) in the Essex schools have launched a petition calling for recognition and pay to match their jobs.
These include teaching assistants, pastoral support workers and other support staff.
The petition said: “SEN support staff in Lift are absolutely committed to our jobs.
“We’re committed to helping children who need that extra bit of support and we love doing it. But we don’t love the way the trust fails to pay us for the work we do or recognise the vital contribution we make to children’s learning.
“Because of the additional skills and effort required, SEN teachers get an extra £2,800 to £5,500 a year. Support staff have asked to be paid what we’re worth, but Lift refused to respond. Senior managers cancelled meetings or didn’t show up.”
UNISON said support staff often take on the bulk of behaviour management meaning teachers are unable to do their jobs without them.
The trade union said staff tried to ask Lift managers to consider paying the allowance, saying there were months of cancelled meetings
UNISON said managers finally discussed the issue with staff on October 8, promising to respond to the request for a special allowance by October 17.
There has been silence since then, according to the trade union.
Bea Bartilucci, UNISON eastern area organiser, said: “SEN support staff face the same additional challenges as SEN teachers, but don’t get the recognition or pay to match it.
“Instead of talking to employees, Lift managers have left them on hold.
“Workers feel disrespected and many are burnt out, with increasing numbers forced to look elsewhere for work. Lift needs to act or the quality of children’s education and care will suffer.”
“Parents, carers, teachers and students value support staff. It’s high time Lift did the same.”
The petition is available at unsn.uk/LiftSEN.
A spokesperson for Lift said they had a constructive meeting with UNISON in October, having an open and positive relationship with them which they hope will continue.
The spokesperson said: “We value the work of all of our staff and recognise the commitment and dedication they show day in day out in our schools and to the children they work with.
“We particularly recognise the significant role our teaching assistants and pastoral staff play in supporting the complex needs of our young people within our special schools.
“Like the majority of academy trusts, we pay our staff in line with national pay and conditions and we are subject to national pay negotiations. We respect the union’s position to request additional pay for their members and have been in discussions for a number of months.”
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