Back to ALL Articles

The School Support Staff Negotiation Body (SSSNB)

27 Sep 2024

One of the main aims of the NAEO is to raise the profile and status of the exams officer role and inform stakeholders of the extensive role, and responsibilities, undertaken by exams officers within their centre, which is beyond a purely administrative role. We will take every opportunity available to achieve these aims, whilst also looking to improve the pay and working conditions of our members.

Therefore, the NAEO will explore further the new government’s pre-election commitment to resurrect the School Support Staff Negotiation Body (SSSNB), and if this is re-established, we will ensure that the exams officer community is represented in any discussions which take place regarding pay and conditions.

The SSSNB existed until October 2010 when it was abolished by the then Education Secretary, Michael Gove, who concluded that the SSSNB did not fit well with the Government’s priorities for greater deregulation of the pay and conditions arrangements for the school workforce.

Currently, the majority of school support staff are covered by the same negotiating body as council workers (the National Joint Council or NJC).

The SSSNB would be a negotiating body that only talks about school support staff, which means that it can focus on issues that really affect staff working in schools. The new negotiating body would cover pay, terms and conditions, and access to training for school support staff.

The NAEO will pursue an active role within the SSSNB by employing the following strategy and aims to ensure that the exams officer community is represented in any negotiation with the SSSNB:

  • Partnerships – The NAEO will continue to forge strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including unions and other associations, who represent other support staff within schools and colleges to ensure a stronger collective voice.
  • Status – The NAEO will continue to raise the profile and status of the exams officer community, within the education sector, to highlight the key role played by exams officers in each centre to maintain the integrity and security of the examination system
  • Pay – The NAEO will ensure that the exams officer community is represented in any pay negotiations at national level, and receive appropriate renumeration, which represents the significance of their role. The NAEO will also continue to pursue a minimum salary for all new exams officers and a subsequent annual increase/salary based upon experience
  • Conditions – The NAEO will continue to support and advise exams officers in improving their working conditions. This includes supporting exams officers who are required to undertake an additional role within their centre, provide advice to help handle issues such as time in lieu, give access to an effective performance management practice and guidance on utilising an annual appraisal programme.

To ensure that we represent the interests of as many exams officers as possible, we encourage all exams officers to join the NAEO, to enable us to have a stronger voice within the SSSNB and any negotiations which may take place in the coming months.