Pupil safety at risk as support staff are cut, Unison finds

Support staff that administer medicines and conduct criminal record checks are amongst those being cut, which could risk pupil safety.

A poll by public service Unison has found that 47 per cent of respondents to a poll report that support staff have been cut in last year as funding has become tight.

These staff do vital jobs such as administering medicines and conducting criminal record checks.

Unison’s survey found that 71 per cent of respondents are responsible for ensuring people visiting their school are safe to do so, with 41 per cent responsible for organising security checks to make certain new staff have no previous criminal convictions.

More than half the support staff surveyed (55 per cent) said they administered medicines and first aid to pupils, with 62 per cent updating school medical records.

According to Unison’s poll, 74 per cent of respondents said support staff cuts had resulted in them having to work additional, unpaid hours.

The union said that with less support staff, teachers and teaching assistants would increasingly find themselves having to step in to pick up their work.

The survey asked the opinions of 1,400 school office employees.