Schools hold national celebration day to recognise support staff as ‘Stars in our Schools’

Community, Education
Aylesbury school support staff

School support staff* across the Buckinghamshire will be recognised this Friday 26 November 2021 as part of a UK-wide celebration of the invaluable contribution they make to the education of pupils.

UNISON has organised ‘Stars in our Schools’ events across Buckinghamshire to promote the wonderful work school support staff do every day, and to make sure the world knows just how vital they are to every school.

UNISON branch secretary, Richard White, said:

“This annual UK-wide celebration day is a great opportunity for pupils, parents and teachers to promote the work of their support staff and thank them for their outstanding contribution.

“School support staff are so often hidden behind the scenes, but they are vital to the education of young people. Their roles are incredibly diverse, from cooks, cleaners and caretakers to family support advisers, teaching assistants, admin staff and school business professionals. They play a vital role in every aspect of school life and without them schools could not run.”

Wendy Hailes, UNSION Schools Convenor, said:

“This pandemic has really highlighted just how important support staff are to keeping schools up and running, providing pastoral support to children & families, and helping pupils progress in their learning. Many were on site during lockdown periods making sure the buildings were deep cleaned, arranging IT for online learning and supporting the children of key workers. Now many are involved in vital catch-up programmes to help children reach their potential.

It’s been great meeting so many of our school support staff – the unsung heroes of the school! I would like to thank all the head teachers who have been involved this year, they have done an amazing job in keeping this a surprise for the staff, it just goes to show how the head teachers really rely on all their staff and how grateful they are for all the support during the school day. Many staff stay behind unpaid to support the children in a range of activities out of school hours, and this has not gone unnoticed.”