Webster, Rob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1416-4439 (2026) Support staff work in schools: roles, tasks and working conditions. Findings from a national survey of school support staff in schools in England. Project Report. UNISON - University of Greenwich, London. (In Press)

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Abstract

Support staff are essential to the functioning of schools, but there has been limited systematic evidence on the work they do in practice. This report presents findings from the largest and most detailed survey to date of the nature and distribution of support staff work in schools in England. Drawing on responses from more than 8,000 support staff, it provides task-level evidence on what support staff do, how work varies across role groups, how much time different activities occupy, and how far reported tasks align with formal job descriptions. The study was designed to inform current policy discussions about support staff role profiles, workload, pay and grading, workforce planning and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform. The central finding is that support staff roles are differentiated, but not neatly bounded. Some areas of work are strongly associated with particular role groups, while others cut across the support staff workforce. Role specialisation and role overlap coexist. Teaching and learning support staff had the clearest pupil-facing profile and were more likely than other groups to report undertaking class cover and planning, preparation and assessment activities. However, pupil-facing work – support for learning, behaviour, wellbeing and health and care, and daily routine activities (e.g. break duty) – was reported across multiple role groups. These findings show that job titles and broad role categories provide only a partial account of support staff work. The time-use findings add an important dimension. They show that differences between roles are shaped not only by the tasks that are undertaken, but also by how much working time those tasks occupy. This matters for stakeholders involved in revising national support staff role profiles because two or more roles may include similar tasks, but differ substantially in the weight those tasks carry in the working day. The report also finds that, for most support staff, tasks were at least broadly consistent with their job description. However, a substantial minority reported weaker alignment. Support staff typically worked beyond their contracted hours by an estimated 2h 36m per week, increasing to 3h 28m among administration and management staff. This suggests that role definition cannot be separated from workload, contracted hours, pay and grading. Around one in six mainstream respondents, and one in five mainstream teaching and learning support staff, said their work was based in a SEND provision or base. Support staff in these settings were often involved in planning and assessment, and some teaching and learning support staff reported teaching curriculum subjects. The report recommends using this evidence to inform and update national role profiles and connect role reform to workload, contracted hours, pay and grading. It also calls for clearer expectations around class cover and teaching-related work, and for explicit support staff workforce planning within SEND reform. Better workforce data and routine monitoring should underpin these reforms, alongside closer alignment with strategies for recruitment and retention.

Item Type:	Monograph (Project Report)
Additional Information:	This report draws on data from a survey of school support staff conducted between late February and mid-March 2026. The survey was commissioned and funded by UNISON and administered by Ipsos UK. The survey instrument was designed by the author, who also carried out the analysis presented in this report. The interpretations of the findings and the recommendations set out in this report are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNISON or Ipsos UK.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	school support staff, school workforce, teaching assistants, working conditions, workload, support staff roles, SEND, role profiles, workforce reform, England
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HA Statistics L Education > L Education (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2026 15:08
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53322

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