Government unveils £500,000 scholarship programme for school support staff

The SEN Support Scholarship programme is designed to boost the skills of teaching assistants and school support staff who work with children with SEN.

Each member of staff will be given up to £2,000 to fund 50 per cent of the total course costs for a range of degree-level equivalent qualifications and specialist diplomas in specific impairments such as in dyslexia or autism.

The SEN green paper, published in March last year, pledged to develop the expertise of the wider school workforce – so the needs of the most vulnerable children are identified early.

Children’s minister Sarah Teather said the scholarship programme would help get the best from all school support staff.

“These scholarships identify and train talented professionals, with the potential to develop their specialist knowledge further and pursue a teaching career in the future if they want,” she said.

"We know that support staff can make a real difference to the achievement of pupils with SEN and disabilities. They are never a substitute for a qualified teacher – but we know that when used effectively, they are vital to giving the most vulnerable pupils the support they need to get the most out of school.”

Teather confirmed that government would also fund masters level training for an additional 1,000 SEN coordinators (SENCOs) in 2012/13.

This year the SENCO training scheme has been extended so that qualified teachers working in pupil referral units can apply. This is intended to improve support for SEN pupils in alternative provision.

But Philip Parkin, general secretary of the education union Voice, warned that the scholarship scheme is “too little too late and rather limited in scope”.

“The scheme targets only the elite – or ‘talented’ as the Department for Education describes them – those teaching assistants who are already well qualified, with A levels or equivalent qualifications, or who hold higher level teaching assistant status,” he explained.

“There remains a real need for the majority of teaching assistants involved in SEN and/or disabilities work – those employed at levels one or two, many of whom will be minimally qualified – to gain access to appropriate specialised training. Regrettably, this initiative does nothing for them.”

Applications for the support staff scholarship programme will open on 30 April and close on 17 May, with the first scholarships awarded later this year. There will be a competitive application process, open to support staff who hold A-level or equivalent qualifications or Higher Level Teaching Assistant status.