Who supports the support staff? the experiences of BAME teaching assistants and supply staff

While much research, covered elsewhere within this edited book highlights the issues that arise due to low numbers of BAME staff in teaching and leadership positions, there is little coverage of the role and potential importance of BAME members within school support staff, particularly Teaching Assistants/Learning Support Assistants and Supply Staff. By supply staff, we are focussing on individuals who are often supplied by an agency and come in to school to cover for an absent or sick teacher, in the short or longer term. The challenges faced by teachers and prospective head teachers in relation to institutional racism have been explored (Miller, 2020), but unfortunately, there is limited evidence available on whether these challenges are also faced by support staff. This chapter explores the experiences of a sample of support staff (7) from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Through an online interview, they explore their experiences in school, how they work with students from diverse backgrounds, and their perceptions of how they are treated within the settings they have worked in. A number of participants were also Overseas Trained Teachers, and the chapter will highlight the challenges they have had in having their qualifications recognised, and the additional training they have had to do.