So many of the pupils we have here have little in the way of support or parental involvement at home. They come to school to get the love and attention they’re missing, and our teaching assistants are a crucial part of that, sitting with them, reading with them, doing homework with them during our extended schools hours.

And not only that. They talk to them about the little things that are happening in their days, they listen to their fears and worries, to the things that make them happy, and the things that make them sad - at least five times we have discovered things through our teaching assistants that has enabled social services to get  involved and prevent a child further slipping through the net. This is exactly what Every Child Matters is all about, and teaching assistants are one fo the key reasons it is working. Taking them away will only mean less support for the children that need it most. It will be a tragic loss.