§ Mr. CameronTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions ministers have had with UNISON about the appropriate rates of pay for non-teaching staff in schools; and if he will make a statement. [119238]
§ Mr. MilibandI have met support staff unions on a number of occasions in recent months. Meetings have focused in particular on monitoring the implementation of the National Agreement on Raising Standards and Tackling Workload, which was signed by government, the local authority employers and school workforce unions on 15 January this year.
The government's position remains that the terms and conditions of employment of school support staff are best determined locally, in light of local needs and circumstances. The National Agreement will improve training and career progression opportunities for support staff and makes clear that we expect their pay to reflect their level of training, skills and responsibilities.