Auxiliary Helpers (Hansard, 28 June 1962)

§ 24 and 25. Mrs. White
asked the Minister of Education (1) what salary and conditions are to be offered to auxiliary helpers in primary schools;

§ Sir D. Eccles
As I told the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Boyden) on 28th May, I am awaiting the views of the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers on the general question of the use of auxiliary staff in schools; it is too early yet to say what their conditions of service will be.

§ Mrs. White
Will the Minister let us know during what period he is hoping that these auxiliaries will be recruited? Is it to be in the next school year, or the year after that? Is he prepared to urge a very quick report on this and say that these people are so valuable that they should at least be recruited early? Secondly, can he give some indication whether he has had further thoughts on the suggestion that this kind of work is suitable for girls leaving school, in view of the fact that some of us consider that it would be a dead-end occupation?

§ Sir D. Eccles
In answer to the first part of the supplementary question, the National Advisory Council is working under very great pressure and, of its own accord, has been having special meetings to consider this question—which is a difficult one—in all its aspects. On the second part of the supplementary question, I hope that there will be two sources of recruitment—one of older women, who might wish to do this kind of work, and the other of girls who feel confident that they are going to marry very soon after leaving school and would like a short-term job which brings them into contact with children, rather than go off into commerce, or something of that kind.

§ Mrs. White
Is not the Minister aware that most educationists are completely at variance with the view that he has expressed in his last reply, and think that it is very undesirable for a young woman, even if she is confident that she will get married, to go into this work without at least trying to obtain some qualifications? One never knows what may happen in later life.

§ Sir D. Eccles
I am afraid that my information from headmistresses is rather different from that which the hon. Lady has obtained. If any young lady feels that she will be married within one or two years after leaving school it is not likely that she will take up further training. She will want to go into a job where she can collect a little money.

§ Mr. Jennings
Although it is not suggested that the system of auxiliaries should be placed upon a national basis, is my right hon. Friend not aware that many local authorities have already established systems similar to this? Will he draw upon the experience of these authorities for any future plans?

§ Sir D. Eccles
I will.

§ Mr. Wade
Is not there some inconsistency in a policy which extends the period of training at teacher training colleges from two to three years and, at the same time, recruits auxiliary helpers with only a few months' training?

§ Sir D. Eccles
These are not teachers in any sense of the word. The object of these auxiliaries is to relieve the fully-trained teachers of sub-professional duties, and nothing more.

§ Mr. Boyden
Is not the Minister responsible for a considerable amount of confusion on this subject? In the debate did not he refer to these people as holding something like "short-service" commissions? Has he ever heard of a general duties officer in the Royal Air Force who is inferior in quality and training to any other sort of officer? Does not the shortness really relate to the commission and not to the quality of the people coming forward?

§ Sir D. Eccles
The confusion is in the hon. Member's mind. The question relates to auxiliaries. During the debate I put forward a suggestion that had been made to me quite separately, that there 1349 should be short-service commissions for teachers who would in the end take the three-year course but would take only a two-year course first. This is an entirely different proposition.