Warning over Mum's Army for schools

Recruiting thousands more classroom assistants could produce schools dependent on a "Mum's Army" which will dilute standards, teachers' leaders warned today.

Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the NASUWT, who last year referred to classroom assistants as "pig ignorant peasants" - a comment he claims was misunderstood - today warned that untrained assistants are already taking the place of teachers.

Speaking at the opening of his union's conference in Scarborough, which is to debate government plans to "modernise" the profession by recruiting 20,000 more teaching assistants by 2006, he said the move could be "disastrous".

Ministers say these new staff, along with more computer technology in schools, will relieve teachers of mundane tasks and leave them free to get the best out of their pupils.

However, sceptics point to the Government's admission that schools could be short of 40,000 teachers by 2006, dwarfing ministers' commitment to recruit 10,000 more. "Modernising" the profession, the sceptics say, could amount to no more than recruiting untrained "baby-sitters" to fill the gaps.

A paper to be debated by the conference notes that classroom assistants have already been re-named "teaching assistants" by the Government, denoting an "escalation" of their functions. Officials now speak of classroom-assistants assessing pupils' literacy and numeracy, supervising groups of children in tasks set by teachers, and supporting them in imposing discipline.

The Department for Education and Skills is talking about classroom assistants who are "sufficiently confident and accomplished" to teach a whole class, following plans laid down by a qualified teacher.

The paper acknowledges that paraprofessionals are taking on new roles in other areas - such as nurses carrying out minor surgery in place of doctors.

Mr de Gruchy said: "Could a similar process happen in teaching, or would the result be an inevitable dilution of the professional standards in teaching, perhaps initially in primary schools, with an expansion of the

Mum's Army espoused briefly by the former Conservative government?

"The danger is certainly there. It may already be happening in some schools. There is certainly anecdotal evidence."

One motion to the conference demands a "significant" increase in salary and reduced workload to boost recruitment. It also urges "effective action" if the Government fails to agree.