How the cost of living crisis is putting schools at risk of losing teaching assistants
All sectors are currently struggling with recruitment, but the education sector is facing a particularly difficult time. The national shortage of teachers is intense. According to UK National Statistics, almost 34,000 teachers left the profession in 2020 alone.There’s intense competition for teachers, with massive demand for skills or experience. Both students and teachers have experienced enormous upheaval throughout the pandemic, with many still struggling to settle back into a more normal way of life.Maybe this is why 35% of teachers don’t see themselves teaching in five years time.But teachers aren’t the only ones leaving. Teaching assistants are also looking for new roles outside of the education sector. These are essential roles, and schools across the country are going to struggle to fill them.We’re going to look into why this is happening and what we can do about it.
What’s going on with teaching assistants right now?
Being a teaching assistant has never been an easy job, but things are really tough right now. Let’s look at what’s going on.
School budgets are incredibly tight
Schools across the country are having to make difficult decisions about their spending. Their budgets are being squeezed by a combination of budget cuts, the cost of living crisis and inflation, the energy crisis, and an unfunded (though deserved) pay rise for teachers.Teaching assistants represent one of the few areas where schools can reduce their outgoings. Many schools are being forced to cut teaching assistant hours or even make some redundant.
Wages are very low
Teaching assistants are doing a demanding job, but their salaries don’t reflect this effort. Most teaching assistants love their jobs, but they also have bills to pay. A massive 96% of teaching assistants say that their salary doesn’t cover their living expenses. This is forcing many of them to look for alternative, better-paid, roles working in supermarkets or as cleaners.
Workloads are rising
The classroom of 2022/23 is a far cry from that of 2018/19. Students struggle with far more social and behavioural issues than before the pandemic. Many students need to catch up to their expected levels and need help doing so.Teaching assistants are trying to provide that help. Even with reduced hours, they’re trying to tackle a rising tide of need. It’s skilled, emotionally draining work, but it’s also deeply rewarding.A great teaching assistant can support students who need additional help, reassure those who find face-to-face learning difficult, and work with those struggling with social and emotional difficulties.Where teachers take responsibility for a whole class, a teaching assistant can provide individual care for the students who need it most. And right now, there are a lot of students in that category.
How can schools keep recruiting TAs through this crisis?
Schools will have two critical tasks over the next few months and years. They will need to know how to recruit great new teaching assistants despite the challenges, and at the same time, they will need to keep the ones they have.
Focus on retention
Prevention is always better than cure. Similarly, retention is better than recruitment. Where schools have great teaching assistants, their first task should be to keep them.Existing teaching assistants know the school, the staff, and the pupils. They have relationships with everyone they need to work with and don’t need to spend time building trust and confidence.Where budgets allow, schools must try to preserve the teaching assistants they have. Money is tight, but reducing teaching assistant hours should be a last resort for headteachers.Where teaching assistant hours do need to be cut, you can still make efforts to keep them happy.Being a teaching assistant is hard work, so ensure it stays rewarding. Give your teaching assistants plenty of autonomy. Trust their judgement and make sure they feel empowered to make the best decisions for themselves and their students.Show them that they’re appreciated. Students don’t always know how to show teaching assistants how much they mean to them, but staff (especially senior staff) do. Even better, find ways to help students to show their appreciation.Even if you can’t pay your teaching assistants as much as you’d like, make sure you offer mentorships and opportunities for professional development. Helping them learn new skills keeps them motivated and improves the quality of your workforce.
Update your TA recruitment process
Finding new teaching assistants when you can’t offer competitive pay will be an uphill battle. Under those circumstances, you must make the recruitment process as streamlined and applicant-friendly as possible.Be upfront about any additional perks and benefits you can offer. Detail the opportunities you can provide, whether it’s professional development, subsidised learning, or staff discounts. Show potential applicants that you want to attract them.Make sure you’ve put work into your employer branding. Think about who you’re looking to recruit and what matters to them. Teaching assistants want to make a difference to the children in their classes, so highlight how they will help.
