Local Government

Time to value school support staff report (2025)

Establishing a Wales School Support Staff Negotiating Body will help improve pay, conditions and recognition
Date posted: 24 November 2025

About the report

Support staff play an essential role in Wales’s education system; supporting pupils, assisting teachers and helping children with additional learning needs.

Many workers face low pay, insecure contracts and rising workloads, with many struggling to meet living costs or leaving the sector for better-paid roles elsewhere. 

Creating a national negotiating body would deliver fairer pay, more consistent conditions across Wales and stronger support for schools and pupils across the region.

Methodology

A survey of more than 1,400 school support staff in Wales was undertaken for the report and includes data from the Pupil Level Annual School Census and School Workforce Annual Census. 

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