Those who can, do. Those who can't....

It is perhaps understandable that the NASUWT (teachers') union would find the idea of classroom assistants taking classes by themselves unacceptable, but I claim a certain knowledge of what goes on in primary schools, and in my experience classroom assistants tend to be mature women who have brought up their own families, and in general are much better at relating to, and teaching little kids than some graduate with little experience of life and who knows no better than to slavishly follow what they were taught at University .  It's one of those areas where people should be used (and paid!) according to their particular skills and talents, rather than based on what letters (if any) they have after their name.