AQW 48153/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any process that exists for classroom assistants to request a review where they believe their role meets the requirements for classroom assistant for additional special education needs grading.
Asked by Michelle Guy MLA on 8 June 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 8 June 2026
- Answer due by
- 23 June 2026
- Answered
- 12 June 20264 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Education Authority (EA) has not undertaken any specific reviews of the grading of classroom assistant posts within Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools against the criteria for additional special educational needs support.
Classroom assistant posts within the EA are established in accordance with defined job descriptions which have been formally evaluated and graded in line with the National Joint Council (NJC) job evaluation scheme. These job descriptions set out the duties and responsibilities associated with each post and determine the appropriate grading level.
In practice, the deployment of classroom assistants within both mainstream and specialist provision settings is determined through the statutory assessment and review process and is aligned to the assessed needs of children and young people, as outlined in their statement of special educational needs, where applicable. The responsibility for ensuring that duties assigned to classroom assistants are consistent with the relevant job description rests with individual schools.
While no formal grading review of the type referenced has been undertaken, issues relating to the role, deployment and professional development of the classroom assistant workforce are currently being considered as part of broader work to reform SEN support arrangements. This includes ongoing work in relation to the Enhanced Support Model, which is examining how best to utilise and further equip the classroom-based support workforce to meet the increasingly complex needs of children and young people.
It should also be noted that the grade boundaries for Classroom Assistant posts were reviewed in 2024 as part of the EA Pay and Grading Review. This resulted in an increase in the pay scales, and all Classroom Assistants have been assimilated onto these new scales.