School support staff are the unsung heroes in schools -; and November 28th  is the day their work is celebrated!In Cambridge, Labour Parliamentary Candidate Daniel Zeichner joined staff at St Philips School in Vinery Road to help celebrate their achievements.

School support staff keep children safe and healthy. Children need to be in a safe and healthy environment to flourish. There are many people who work together to make this happen: supervisors; crossing patrol officers; child protection officers; cleaners; caretakers; janitors; catering staff; and parent support advisers. School support staff help children learn. Great teachers combined with great support staff equals students who excel. There are many types of support staff that help children learn: teaching and classroom assistants; learning support assistants; learning mentors; librarians; science technicians; ICT technicians; food technicians; and design and technology technicians.

School support staff keep schools running smoothly. Schools are complex organisations that need to be managed with the upmost precision. School support staff do this, they are the: School business managers; cover supervisors; examination officers; school attendance officers; admin assistants; finance officers; and secretaries.

Mr Zeichner says:

“Schools today rely on the whole team – support staff are an essential part of that winning team, but too often their work isn’t fully understood and appreciated. Stars in Our Schools Day is the chance to help put that right.”