Thousands of school support staff in Wales are being pushed into poverty even though they’re working because the current system for setting pay is failing them, says UNISON Cymru today (Tuesday).
A major new Labour Research Department report commissioned by the union shows staff are routinely employed on the wrong grade, regularly work above their contracted hours and are rarely paid for additional responsibilities.
The document, Time to value school support staff: The case for a Wales School Support Staff Negotiating Body, finds many are in single-income households and a significant proportion are reliant on benefits.
The report highlights how the largely female workforce is essential to delivering national education priorities yet remains undervalued and underpaid. These conditions are driving staff away and creating a recruitment and retention crisis across Wales, says the union.
UNISON says a Wales school support staff negotiating body would address long-standing problems that cannot be fixed by the local government pay structure, that currently sets their wage rates.
The new body would end the postcode lottery in pay, ensure job descriptions reflect real responsibilities, tackle the injustice of term-time only contracts and provide proper routes for progression, says UNISON.
All political parties should make a commitment to establish a negotiating body in their Senedd election manifestos, says the union.
UNISON Cymru school support staff forum chair Sara Allen said: “No-one gets a job in a school to become rich, but what we do want is to help local children get the best start in life.
“We know how hard we work and what we contribute to a child’s wellbeing and development.
“It’s scandalous so many of us are trapped in in-work poverty. Fair pay is the least we deserve and we’ll be campaigning for a dedicated negotiating body that delivers it.”
UNISON Cymru head of schools Rosie Lewis said: “Schools in Wales couldn’t function without support staff, yet too many are struggling on wages that simply don’t reflect the work they do.
“They’re overstretched, underpaid and are overwhelmingly women. For years, reports have repeatedly highlighted the same problems, but this new Labour Research Department study is definitive.
“The evidence it uncovers is shocking. Teaching assistants are often employed at the wrong level and many work at a higher grade every day without proper pay.
“Staff told us the current system just isn’t working. Creating a dedicated body would finally give support staff the fair pay, recognition and progression they deserve.”
Notes to editors:
– The full Labour Research Department report (English) can be found here, and the bilingual summary guide is here.
– A launch event for Time to value school support staff: The case for a Wales School Support Staff Negotiating Body takes place on Tuesday 2 December from 12.15pm to 1.30pm in seminar rooms 1 and 2, Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1SN.
– The report draws on interviews with school support staff, head teachers, Welsh Local Government Association officers, policy leads and a dedicated UNISON survey of 1,409 school support staff carried out between 8 and 28 August 2025.
– Additional statistics from the survey:
– Four in five (80%) Level 1 teaching assistants believe they are employed at the wrong level.
– More than two in five (44.7%) say they work at a higher level than their pay rate each day, and 82.5% of these workers say they are never paid extra for it.
– One in five (20%) staff have a second job outside school to make ends meet, with a further 10% looking for one.
– Three in five (61%) say they have no opportunities for progression in their school.
– UNISON represents more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contact:
Jim Poulter M: 07904 342511 E: j.poulter@unison.co.uk
