Submitted by Hannah Houghton on Sunday 28th December 2025
Published on Tuesday 10th February 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Monday 10th August 2026
Current Signatures: 680
(count is updated approximately hourly)
Relevant Departments
Tagged with
Allowance ~ Classroom ~ Delivering ~ Expand ~ knowledge ~ Managed ~ Medic ~ Mirror ~ Recruitment ~ Schools ~ Seán ~ Settings ~ Specialist ~ Staff ~ teaching ~ Teaching Assistants ~ Therapy ~ work
Expand statutory SEN allowance entitlement to Teaching Assistants in SEN schools
Many SEN teaching assistants (TAs) handle complex behavioural, medical, and communication needs. We feel current pay doesn’t reflect the intensity or value of the work. Low pay contributes to recruitment & retention challenges. We believe TAs should receive SEN allowances.
TAs in SEN settings often take on duties beyond those of mainstream support staff, such as: managing complex behaviour plans, delivering therapy or intervention programmes, monitoring medical or sensory needs, and using specialist equipment or communication systems (e.g., PECS, Makaton, AAC).
We believe these responsibilities mirror tasks of higher-paid specialist roles, yet we feel TAs are not compensated accordingly. SEN TAs should receive the statutory SEN allowance because we believe the role demands specialist knowledge that significantly exceed standard classroom duties.
If you want to sign this petition (as opposed to merely discuss it), you need to do that on the government's e-Petitions website.
216.73.217.17 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:12:03 +0100