New TA pay and conditions plan by May

Plans for a new pay and conditions framework for TAs and other school support staff across England will be out by May, says the Government.

The new School Support Staff Negotiating Body has been meeting since July 09, with representatives of local authority and voluntary-aided school employers, unions and government under an independent chairperson, Philip Ashmore.

It has been asked to come up with a framework that will provide national consistency in the pay and conditions of support staff, without losing local flexibility.

Separate working groups have been meeting to develop

· A common core contract and conditions of service including a method

of calculating pay

· National role profiles for core roles and a method of conversion to a

national pay framework

· A process for assimilating school support staff to the pay framework

The SSNB is also going to be setting out new and stronger expectations for support staff development.