The government says it wants to extend the definition of support staff used by the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body to people working across trusts, beyond the original plans of just staff working directly in schools.
It also wants SSSNB recommendations on pay and conditions to kick in from April 2027 – despite the body not even being set up yet.
Confederation of School Trusts Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: "Support staff deserve the best possible pay and conditions. In polling by CST during the consultation period, more than 80% of trusts raised concerns about aspects of the proposals.
"Widening the SSSNB to include staff not working in schools significantly increases the complexity of the proposals, which will be particularly challenging with the tight timescales put forward. It is important that we have a constructive dialogue with government to address these concerns.
"The SSSNB must have the trust of both unions and employers if it is to succeed. We need an approach that properly reflects the talent and diversity of support staff, and the rich variation of their work across the system."
CST is concerned at the rapid timescales proposed for the SSSNB to start, with its first outcomes due to apply from April 2027 – even though the Government has yet to begin the process of appointing a chair or formerly constituting the SSSNB.
