Submitted by David Watson on Sunday 22nd March 2026
Published on Friday 24th April 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Saturday 24th October 2026
Current Signatures: 49
(count is updated approximately hourly)
Rename Teaching Assistants to Assistant Teachers to fully reflect their roles
The government needs to change the perception of the contribution that Teaching Assistants actually provide to the education system, and better educate parents on the role they play.
We think the simplest way to do this is rename them to Assistant Teachers to better reflect the role they play in class.
My partner often comes home feeling undervalued after a hard day's work at school, only to hear hurtful comments like, "you're just an assistant, you don't teach." This is not only misleading but sorely underestimates the vital role that teaching assistants play in the educational system. We feel we must change the perception of the pivotal role they play in our children's education.
A study has found that the presence of teaching assistants can improve pupil progress.
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.
216.73.217.179 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:30:34 +0100