Teaching and classroom assistants key to keeping schools open in lockdown

Just over half of teaching assistants in schools stepped-up to manage classes on their own during the winter lockdown ensuring vulnerable and key worker children could attend lessons, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published today by the UCL Institute of Education and funded by UNISON, analysed data from 9055 teaching and classroom assistants. It gives a broad picture of how TAs contributed to the running of UK schools, what this meant for them and makes key recommendations for the future. The researchers found that 88% of TAs supported vulnerable and key worker children in school and 51% managed a whole class or bubble on their own, while class teachers prepared and delivered remote learning to children from home. Dr Rob Webster (UCL Centre for Inclusive Education) said: "TAs have been absolutely key in allowing schools to keep functioning during the pandemic. "Our report highlights that in many ways teaching assistants have been the 'unsung heroes' of the pandemic and it is hard to see how schools could have managed without them. Some respondents described themselves as working 'on the frontline' and shouldering much of the responsibility for keeping schools open." Professor Gemma Moss (UCL Institute of Education) added: "Our research found that the work required to keep schools functioning intensified in England in particular as schools entered the Winter 2021 lockdown with a legal requirement to supply remote education to all those children learning at home.