Schools urged to take on TA apprentices

Schools secretary Ed Balls wants schools to take on 4000 apprentices in the role of teaching assistant.
Balls told a committee of MPs that sixteen year olds could be taken on to work in classrooms as part of the government's bid to expand apprenticeships.
It could mean 16-year-olds working in classrooms as teaching assistants for as little as £80 per week.
But critics point out apprenticeships in schools have been around for a long time with very little take up. Unison's Christine Lewis said, "You become an apprentice to learn skills that you hope are going to earn you a living. Becoming a teaching assistant at the moment is not seen as an attractive career prospect."