'I feel undervalued for what I do as a classroom assistant'

"For what I do I feel undervalued."

Eimear Loughran is a classroom assistant in Primate Dixon Primary School in Coalisland.

She told BBC News NI she felt valued by the staff and leadership in Primate Dixon, but felt the importance of classroom assistants was overlooked more generally.

"I'm in the job 20 years, fully qualified, on my way to get a degree and no pay recognition, no pay recognition from the Education Authority, the pay and grading review that happened, 20p extra an hour, it's just a disgrace."

Eimear said that low pay "makes me feel undervalued in the work that I do - valued by the school, a really valued member of staff by the school, but I could get a job anywhere and get the same pay, more hours."

She is studying to become a teacher alongside her work but said that "career progression" could be difficult and frustrating for classroom assistants.

Classroom assistant Carol McCartney, meanwhile, works in a special communication unit in Carryduff Primary School.

"The children in my class really thrive on routine, so we start off every day with a little introduction of how we're feeling and what we're doing," she said.

She then helps to teach the eight children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the unit numeracy, spelling and literacy.

"They have very different needs, so through those needs then we need to make sure that those smaller groups can work and make sure that we can help them."

Carol said that in Carryduff Primary there was a "teamwork approach" and she felt valued for her work.

But she said that the pay was low for the responsibility her job has.

"We often say that you could go and get a job somewhere else in Tesco's and you would be paid more than what you're being paid for a classroom assistant," she said.

Carol and Eimear were among around 1,500 classroom assistants who took part in large-scale research into their role in education.

Research published by Ulster University (UU) and the Centre for Effective Services suggests that most classroom assistants (CAs) feel poorly paid and some feel treated as "dogsbodies" in schools.

Most are employed in school to support pupils with special educational needs (SEN).

According to the EA, there has been a 50% rise in the number of children with a statement of SEN since 2018.

Overall, there were about 22,800 classroom assistants employed by the EA in 2023-24 - a rise of about 50% since 2018-19.

Most hold a level two or level three qualification in childcare, but some said that schools also hired unqualified staff.

They claimed schools were appointing unqualified classroom assistants especially because of "increasing demand for SEN support".

"The lack of any distinction in rates of pay, regardless of experience or qualifications, was viewed as demeaning, demoralising and unfair," the UU report said.

"It's really disheartening when you've been there so long and you put in so much and you've done all your training and then...other people come in and they don't have the training and they're getting paid 50p less than you for doing the exact same thing," one classroom assistant told the report's authors.

"We are feeling demoralised and demotivated," another said.

"It seems to be that the need for CAs is increasing but the importance of getting the 'right' people is decreasing."

Almost half of the classroom assistants who responded to a questionnaire as part of the research said they were on temporary or term-time only contracts.

Some said they had been working for "several decades on temporary contracts with no guarantee of returning at the start of each school year".

One reported that "all but one of 45 CAs in their school were employed as 'temporary emergency cover'".

"After 23 years, I'm on a temporary part time contract," another told the report's authors.

"At any second, basically without warning, I can lose my job and it has happened twice in the time I've worked there."

The research said that "the financial challenge of having no income for two months of the year was cited as a disincentive to remaining in the job".

The majority of CAs "disagreed or strongly disagreed" that they were fairly paid for their work and some said they could earn more by working in retail.

Classroom assistants are normally paid between about £13 and £15 per hour.

Many reported being given additional jobs in school, including:

• Supervising afterschool and breakfast clubs
• Preparing resources and wall displays
• Pupil supervision
• Cleaning
• Attending school trips and events
• Helping with exams

While about a third of CAs provided support to one pupil with a statement of SEN, special school CAs said they typically supported four or more statemented pupils.

Pupils were given support for a wide range of needs including social and behavioural difficulties, emotional difficulties, moderate learning difficulties and severe challenging behaviour.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorder were among the most common conditions among pupils supported by CAs.

Some CAs said that they were facing an increase in "challenging behaviour" by pupils.

"The lockdown caused a lot of mental health issues," one said, "anxiousness, nervousness and behavioural problems."

Some classroom assistants said they sometimes delivered lessons to pupils.

The research was based on questionnaire responses from almost 1,500 classroom assistants

The researchers also held seven focus groups with 26 classroom assistants from primary, secondary, grammar and special schools.

Although the majority felt they were valued by pupils and parents, many felt that "their efforts were not recognised within schools" and not reflected in their pay.

Classroom assistants were among school support staff who took industrial action in 2024 over pay.

A recent review of Northern Ireland's education system recommended the eventual replacement of classroom assistants with fully trained and qualified teachers, other professionals or upskilled classroom assistants.