Eastern activists joined education support staff from across the country in Parliament last night for a celebration of 10 years of Stars in Our Schools.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards spoke about the inspiring work school support staff do and the imminent return of the Schools Support Staff Negotiation Body (SSSNB), an important platform for workers’ voices axed by the Con-Dem coalition in 2010.
“It’s only fair that we as a government and as a society recognise the contribution of support staff, to acknowledge the professionalism of your workforce and give you the respect that you deserve,” said Ms Phillipson.
Jarrow school cook Janey Blacklock told the celebration that support staff were the “unsung heroes” of education.
“Long before Covid and through every challenge since, they have quietly but powerfully kept our schools running,” she said.
UNISON Eastern’s own Alison Clifton-Ward, a cover manager at Bridge Academy Trust in Essex, seized on the opportunity to lobby politicians and civil servants about the importance of the SSSNB.
“It was an enjoyable event and great to see MPs directly engage with frontline school support staff.” she tells us.
“I had a long conversation with one of the DfE leads about the new SSSNB and how it can create consistency for school support staff, who are so often overlooked.
“We hope the SSSNB will reverse that, by raising the profile of school support staff and put our voices front and centre in bargaining around pay, terms and conditions, training and many other vital elements of our professions.”
Legislation to reintroduce the SSSNB has already been through Parliament and it is expected to receive royal assent in the spring.