To ask the Minister of Education to detail the steps he is taking to ensure adequate numbers of school support staff, including recruitment and funding, especially those involved in working with children with special educational needs.

Responsibility for the management of staffing matters, including recruitment, is delegated to the Board of Governors of individual schools. However, the Education Authority’s (EA) Resourcing Service provides support in this area through the provision of training, tools, guidance and administrative support.

We are aware that it has become increasingly challenging to recruit school support staff, particularly Classroom Assistants and those working with children with special educational needs. Therefore, through its HR Transformation Programme, the EA has been working to optimise and improve the recruitment service provided to schools.

The EA is also seeking to progress several strategically important projects targeted at resolving challenges with the pay, grading and the employment model for school support staff. This includes the proposed Pay and Grading Review for support staff and the joint working group with non-teaching trade unions to develop solutions to the challenges associated with the Classroom Assistant recruitment and employment model.