Improving

technicians’
conditions
L258
September 2008
September 2008

It’s
L258

about
time
Improving technicians’ conditions

Supporting practical science & technology

-in schools and colleges
 Contents
1 The scope of this guide.......................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Why this guide is necessary ................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Why schools / employers should implement the recommendations in this guide ........................ 2
1.3 Using this guide to best effect............................................................................................... 2
2 Technicians in the school community .................................................................................. 3
2.1 The importance of communication........................................................................................ 3
2.2 Checklist for technicians as part of the school community ................................................... 4
3 Making the best use of technicians’ skills............................................................................ 5
3.1 Technicians’ specialist skills ................................................................................................. 5
3.2 Tasks that do not require specialist skills ............................................................................. 6
3.3 What technicians should and shouldn’t do ........................................................................... 6
3.4 Prioritising tasks.................................................................................................................... 7
3.5 Checklist for making the best use of technicians’ skills ........................................................ 9
4 Improving how technicians work ........................................................................................ 10
4.1 Implementing and improving safe working practices.......................................................... 10
4.2 Policies & procedures to improve efficiency ....................................................................... 11
4.3 Continual Professional Development (CPD) and training .................................................. 12
4.4 Setting up a technician group ............................................................................................. 13
4.5 Promotion and career progression ..................................................................................... 13
4.6 Checklist for improving how technicians work .................................................................... 13
5 How to improve technicians’ grades and pay .................................................................... 14
5.1 Can upgrading be achieved?.............................................................................................. 14
5.2 Job evaluations and upgrading........................................................................................... 14
5.3 Job evaluations – the pitfalls and how to avoid them ......................................................... 15
5.4 Strategies for achieving upgrades ...................................................................................... 16
5.5 Current situation.................................................................................................................. 16
5.6 Is there any likelihood of achieving a national pay structure? ............................................ 16
5.7 Checklist for improving technicians’ grades & pay ............................................................. 17
6 Improving technicians’ working environments.................................................................. 18
6.1 The prep room .................................................................................................................... 18
6.2 Computers in the prep room ............................................................................................... 19
6.3 Checklist for improving technicians’ working environments ............................................... 19
7 How to improve the technician provision........................................................................... 20
7.1 Number of technician hours................................................................................................ 20
7.2 Technicians’ working time arrangements ........................................................................... 21
7.3 Differences in technicians’ working time arrangements ..................................................... 21
7.4 Term Time Only (TTO) and holiday working ...................................................................... 22
7.5 Can time off in lieu (TOIL) be taken instead of paid overtime? .......................................... 22
7.6 Technician absences .......................................................................................................... 23
7.7 Checklist for improving technician provision....................................................................... 23
8 Trade Unions ......................................................................................................................... 24
8.1 Main Trade Unions for technicians ..................................................................................... 24
8.2 Which Trade Union to join? ................................................................................................ 25
Appendix 1 Checklist for improving technicians’ conditions................................................... 26

Strictly confidential - Circulation to

Members and Associates only
As with all CLEAPSS materials, members and associates are free to copy all or part of this guide for use
in their own establishments.
CLEAPSS®
The Gardiner Building, Brunel Science Park
Kingston Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3PQ
Tel: 01895 251496, Fax: 01895 814372
E-mail: [email protected]
© CLEAPSS® 2008 Web site: www.cleapss.org.uk
 Guide L258
Improving technicians’ conditions

1 The scope of this guide

This guide offers suggestions on strategies that can be used by technicians, heads of science,
schools and/or local authority staff who wish to negotiate for improved conditions for technicians
and to improve the technician provision in science departments.
CLEAPSS has previously issued guidance that will help technicians in various aspects of their
jobs. This new guide should be used in conjunction with the information in the other CLEAPSS
publications listed below, especially, L228 and L248a & L248b.

• L228 Technicians and their jobs

• L234 Induction and training of science technicians
• L248a & L248b Running a prep room
• L14 Designing and planning laboratories All available on the
CLEAPSS CD ROM
• PS25 Model risk assessments for laboratory technician activities
• CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook
• Hazcards
• Recipe cards etc

1.1 Why this guide is necessary

Over the last few years there have been various reports on school science that have included
information and recommendations about science technicians’ jobs, conditions and pay. Some of
these are:
• Supporting success: Science technicians in schools and colleges1
• Science Education from 14 to 192
• Science Teaching in Schools3
Guidance issued by CLEAPSS and the Association for Science Education (ASE) that has been
endorsed by government departments, trade unions and employers’ organisations, etc,
regarding technicians’ conditions and career structure includes:
• L228, Technicians and their jobs (CLEAPSS, December 2002),
• A Career Structure for Science Technicians in Schools and Colleges
(ASE / RS / CLEAPSS, ASE web site).
Despite all this information being available, we continue to hear from many technicians whose
working conditions have still not improved and some where they have actually deteriorated.

1
RS / ASE, January 2002, ISBN 0854035710.
2
House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology, Third Report of Session 2001-02,
Volume 1, Report and Proceedings of the Committee, The Stationery Office, ISBN 0215004248.
3
House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, Tenth Report of Session 2005-06, Report
with Evidence, The Stationery Office HL Paper 257.

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1.2 Why schools / employers should implement the recommendations in this guide
All local authorities and most independent schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are
members of CLEAPSS. Membership provides access to expert advice and guidance on a wide
range of topics relating to practical science and technology, including health and safety.
The high regard that the CLEAPSS service is held in is demonstrated by the fact that the vast
majority of schools and employers accept and act on the advice given.
It is hoped that schools and employers will similarly accept and act on the advice and
recommendations regarding technicians’ jobs and working conditions as published by
CLEAPSS.

1.3 Using this guide to best effect

Many of the sections in this guide are interlinked and it is important to use these different
sections together when involved in any negotiations aimed at improving technicians’ working
conditions and/or pay.
For example, if schools / technicians wish to use the advice regarding up-grading appeals
(section 5), they are more likely to be successful if employers and school managers know and
understand the complex and varied nature of the science technician role and the considerable
skills and responsibilities required (sections 2 and 3).

2
2 Technicians in the school community

Technicians should be recognised and treated as equal members of the school science
department staff and the school staff as a whole. Technicians should neither act nor regard
themselves as ‘second’ to teachers and other school staff.
Technicians should promote themselves by voicing their opinions, when appropriate, at whole
school staff meetings and at science department meetings.
It is also important that science teachers, and heads of science in particular, inform and promote
the role of technicians to senior managers and other school staff.

2.1 The importance of communication

As part of their role in the school, technicians will need to liaise and work with most of the school
staff at some time. It is important that all school staff know the science technicians and
understand their role in the school community. All staff should be made aware of the skills and
knowledge that technicians have and the complex nature of their work.

Communication with Technicians should attend science department meetings and feel
science staff confident to express their views - not only regarding equipment and
health and safety but also, where appropriate, on curriculum issues,
lab use, etc.
Technicians can propose policies, explain the reasons they are
needed and obtain agreement from science staff to adopt them.
See also section 4.2.

Communication with School caretakers / premises staff are often the first port of call for
caretakers / facilities technicians when reporting faults (e.g. broken furniture, notice
staff / premises staff boards, gas taps, electric sockets, etc.). Technicians need to be
aware that the relevant staff may not be able to rectify the faults
themselves but, instead, are required to call in outside contractors.
Any delays in effecting repairs, etc., may not, therefore, be the fault
of the premises staff.
In some schools a friendly chat may be all that is required when
reporting faults. In others there may be official channels and
documents to be completed. Good relationships are also needed to
resolve issues regarding, for example, the transport of deliveries to
the science department (see section 3 of the CLEAPSS Laboratory
Handbook for guidance on manual handling).

Communication with In some schools, the senior administrative staff (e.g. bursars, admin
administration staff officers) have line-management responsibilities for all support staff,
including technicians.
CLEAPSS believes that it is more appropriate for technicians to be
line-managed from within the science department by staff who
understand the requirements of the technician’s day-to-day work.
However, even if technicians are line-managed from within the
science department, administration staff may still be responsible for
keeping technicians’ leave and absence records.
Senior technicians will also need to liaise with administration staff on
purchasing, budgeting and keeping financial and stock records.

3
Communication with Volunteering to attend meetings to give opinions on laboratory
senior management refurbishment, health & safety or any other area where technicians
may have expertise, will inform senior managers that technicians
have skills and knowledge that are important to the school.
Engaging with senior managers (as well as with other senior school
staff) and attending formal staff meetings can help all involved to
become more aware of the valuable input that technicians can
make to the life of the school. Technicians are thus more likely to
become respected members of staff.
Communication with Technician support is often employed in other departments in
technicians in other schools and colleges (e.g. art, technology).
departments In some schools, the most senior technician has some line-
management responsibilities for technicians in all departments of
the school. This can be effective where the line-management is
restricted to conditions of service matters (for technicians who may
have similar contracts), but not for the day-to-day running of the
departments.
Since all the technicians in any one school are likely to have similar
conditions of service, contracts, pay, structure etc., it is important for
them to meet occasionally to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Communication with Science technicians should regularly visit school staff rooms and
other school staff talk to teachers from other departments so that they are regarded
as an integral part of the whole-school staff.
Other teachers may then develop a better understanding of what
technicians do which will help dispel the notion that technicians are
‘science department helpers’ that the science department is ‘lucky
to have.’
Technician attendance at formal all-school staff meetings is another
opportunity to develop good relationships with colleagues.

2.2 Checklist for technicians as part of the school community

9
Technicians promote themselves as professional members of staff.
Head of science and other science staff promote technicians to other school staff
by explaining the technicians’ role in the school.
Technicians’ role is understood by all staff.
Technicians’ line management is clear.
Technicians have good working relationships with other non-science staff.
Technicians are encouraged to meet and interact with all school staff.
Technicians are invited to all science department meetings.
Technicians are invited to whole-school staff meetings.
Technicians are invited to staff social functions.

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3 Making the best use of technicians’ skills

Senior managers should know and understand that technicians have specialist skills.
Science departments should fully utilise these skills and not allow technicians to spend too
much time performing non-specialist tasks.

3.1 Technicians’ specialist skills

Technicians often have specialist skills not found outside the science department and, in many
situations, not found among science teachers themselves.
Table 1: Technicians’ specialist skills

Health & • Knowing where to find information (depth of scientific knowledge).

Safety
• Recognising potential dangers.
• Handling dangerous substances.
• Treating and disposing of hazardous waste.
Manipulation • Setting up complex equipment.
• Performing accurate measurements and making accurate solutions.
• Soldering and glass working.
• Preparing microbiological cultures.
Organisation • Setting up / organising the systems and procedures for ordering, delivery
and clearing of practicals and other technician systems.
• Helping to organise teachers’ lessons.
• Arranging availability of laboratories for practical work.
• Avoiding clashes of lessons and equipment.
• Organising safe / secure storage of materials including hazardous ones.
Innovation • Trialling experiments and apparatus to improve results.
• Suggesting ideas for demonstrating a particular concept.
• Using/adapting common items for new/one-off experiments.
• Substituting equipment materials and experiments.
• Helping with ideas for project work.
Construction • Making and testing prototypes.
• Fault finding and rectifying.
• Modifying and repairing.
Teaching / • Providing on-the-job INSET and instruction for less experienced
coaching technicians.
• Advising experienced teachers especially those teaching outside their
subject specialism.
• Advising student teachers and NQTs.
• Advising and helping students with practicals and projects.

5
3.2 Tasks that do not require specialist skills
Some technicians spend a large proportion of their time performing non-specialist tasks, which,
although useful to the school and department, do not utilise the special skills listed in section
3.1. Other staff without technicians’ specialist skills could perform these non-specialist tasks.
Non-specialist tasks include:
• Photocopying.
• General cleaning in labs (not including specialist cleaning of equipment etc).
• Delivering and collecting books.
• Repairing books.
• Issuing stationery.
• Setting up audiovisual equipment.
• Laminating, collating, binding.
• Arranging cover lessons.
• Invigilating examinations and tests.

Should technicians prepare worksheets? In addition to the above non-specialist tasks,

technicians sometimes prepare worksheets and/or risk assessments for classroom activities.
The preparation of worksheets should be part of a teacher’s responsibility. Teachers have the
relevant training and should know how to create a worksheet that is most appropriate to
teaching the topic in question, taking into account the abilities and aptitudes of their students.
The issues involved in the preparation of risk assessments for classroom activities are dealt with
in section 3.4 (refer to ‘Scenario 2’).
3.3 What technicians should and shouldn’t do
Some, or all, of the high-value, specialist tasks performed by technicians are not recognised by,
or even evident to, staff outside the science department.
These are the tasks that make the most effective use of technicians’ specialist skills and
knowledge and will, therefore, be of most benefit to the science department and school. Good
practice in terms of a technician’s work should include:
• Consulting manuals, texts, the CLEAPSS CD-ROM and other information on health &
safety and technical methods.
• Checking experiments to improve safety, reliability and efficiency. Checking chemical
reactions to determine the lowest concentrations of solutions.
• Proposing sensible control measures for classroom experiments and demonstrations.
• Assessing the risks involved in technician activities and implement control measures.
• Researching equipment for best buy etc.
• Constructing and repairing apparatus to save time and money.
• Providing and/or receiving training to and/or from colleagues.
• Attending training courses to improve and update skills.
• Meeting or liaising with other technicians.
Line managers and senior managers can be provided with the above list. This will help make
them more aware that these technician activities are essential for the healthy and safe
undertaking of all practical work as well as for assisting in the efficient running of the science
department.

6
Many technicians will argue that they simply do not have sufficient time to perform all, or even
some, of these tasks. Examples of bad practice with regard to technicians’ work in schools
include:
• The number of technician hours could be insufficient (see section 7).
• The whole science department is not well organised or well managed.
• Technicians are required to carry out non-specialist tasks (e.g. photocopying) for
non-science staff.
• Technicians are required to attend immediately to late requests or they have to deal
with unclear requests because a teacher’s lesson preparation is disorganised.
• Technicians regularly prepare materials that are not used by teachers despite being
ordered.
• Technicians often have to rush their work because ‘not enough time’ is made available.
This can mean that they may take unsafe shortcuts by not using the correct equipment
or by not looking up recommended procedures.
• Technicians spend a significant amount of time on cleaning and clearing up labs.
• Technicians are often unable to find items because teachers have not returned them or
teachers have not ensured that laboratories are left tidy at the end of lessons.
• Technicians are required to perform non-specialist tasks as described in section 3.2.
• Technicians themselves are working in an inefficient manner.

The information in sections 3.1 - 3.3 can be used in conjunction with the information in section
3.4 to inform managers how efficiency and health & safety could be improved. The reduction or
elimination of ‘bad practice’ will enable technicians to perform all / more of the essential tasks.

The introduction of the policies and procedures outlined in sections 4 and 6 of this guide (and
described in more detail in CLEAPSS guide L248 Running a prep room) will assist technicians
in developing more effective working practices. This and the elimination of non-specialist tasks
from technicians’ workloads will be of immense benefit to the teaching and learning of science.

3.4 Prioritising tasks

It is a useful exercise for technicians and science departments to prioritise technician activities
in order to provide an efficient service. This is even more important if schools continue to insist
that their technicians perform some tasks that are considered non-technical.
Prioritising technician tasks will enable the department to function in a healthy, safe and efficient
manner. The whole department should be informed of the technicians’ priorities so as to avoid
any conflict if low priority tasks are delayed, particularly during busy times.
This is a useful exercise even without any non-technical tasks.
A list of common technicians’ tasks can be used as in the example in Table 2 and technicians
can be asked to put the tasks in their order of priority. Science teachers could also be invited to
put the tasks in their order of priority. It is quite likely that teachers and technicians will come up
with the tasks in a different order of priority.
Technicians should argue that health and safety must not be compromised and that ‘essential
technician tasks’ should be those that only technicians with their specialist knowledge and skills
can do.

7
 Table 2: Prioritising technician tasks
Activity Suggested
order of
priority
A Preparing practicals. 2
B Checking H&S information and risk assessments for technician activities. 1
C Ordering equipment from suppliers. 6
D Making sure that teachers know the hazards of their practicals. 5
E Photocopying worksheets. 13
F Clearing used practicals. 3
G Trialling practical activities. 4
H Checking textbooks. 12
I Repairing broken equipment. 8
J Being on hand in the prep room during lessons, so that teachers can get 9
any extra items of equipment, stationery etc.
K Preparing risk assessments for teachers’ practicals. 10
L Helping in class during practicals. 7
M Arranging cover for absent teachers. 11
N Making tea / coffee for the department. 14

Explanation of the table. The table is only an example and it is not suggested that this should
be the order of priority for all schools. However, the general principal is that health & safety and
‘technical tasks’ are high on the list.
It could be argued that those tasks that would not normally be performed by technicians (e.g.
arranging cover, photocopying, checking textbooks, etc) should not be on the list at all. At the
very least they should be given very low priorities because these tasks have to be performed in
other non-practical departments of the school by staff other than technicians.
How to use the table. The table can be used, along with section 3.3, as evidence:
• to resist proposals by heads / senior managers etc to reduce technician hours;
• for increased technician hours where workload has increased due to the introduction of
new courses or increased numbers of pupils / lessons / type of practical work, etc;
• to resist increased technicians’ workload by, for example, the introduction of new
(particularly non-technical) tasks or the requirement to support other (non-science)
departments;
• to inform managers of the complex nature of a technician’s job.
Where increasing technicians’ workload without increased technician provision is proposed,
(see section 7) then senior managers should be asked to identify the tasks which they no longer
require technicians to perform. It would be dangerous and negligent for heads / senior
managers to reduce tasks related to health & safety.
Technicians can argue that an increase in technician hours would enable all tasks to be
performed but, if extra technician time is denied, then technicians can insist that the tasks cut
should be the non-technical ones (since these could be performed by non-specialist staff).

8
Technicians should emphasise what could be achieved by enabling them to focus on tasks
essential to supporting the aims and objectives of the science department as well as to fulfilling
health and safety obligations.

Scenario 1
What can be done if schools insist on technicians performing non-technician tasks (e.g. E, H, K,
M, and N in Table 2)?
Section 3.1 should be used to highlight the skills that technicians have and how these can best
be utilised. Inexperienced and unskilled staff can be employed to perform some non-technical
tasks. If schools employ inexperienced and unskilled staff as technicians they cannot expect
them to perform the specialist tasks.
For high quality technician support it follows that this should be reflected in technicians’ grades
and pay (section 5).

Scenario 2
What if technicians are asked to prepare risk assessments for classroom activities?
CLEAPSS advice is that technicians can not prepare risk assessments for classroom activities
because they do not have the appropriate training.
Technicians are not in the class nor are they responsible for the class. They do not know how to
assess all the relevant factors such as behaviour, pupil numbers, room size etc, all of which
should contribute to a teacher’s risk assessment for any classroom activity.
However, technicians do have an important role to play in giving health & safety advice
to teachers. Teachers should then take this advice into account in their lesson
preparation and when developing risk assessments.

3.5 Checklist for making the best use of technicians’ skills

9
Technicians’ specialist skills and knowledge are fully utilised.
Technicians’ time is not wasted in performing non-technical tasks.
Technicians work is organised so that health & safety and essential technical tasks
take priority.
Senior managers are aware of technicians’ specialist skills and knowledge.

9
4 Improving how technicians work
4.1 Implementing and improving safe working practices

Safety equipment
Technicians should be provided with the safety equipment and resources that they need for
their work. It has been reported that some schools refuse requests for some safety equipment
on the grounds of lack of funds and CLEAPSS considers this unacceptable.
Examples of bad practice include:
• Eye protection that is inadequate for the demands of technician work.
[Technicians need their own good quality eye protection that is comfortable since it
needs to be worn for long periods of time.]
• Schools not providing prescription eye protection when required.
• Lack of trolleys or only unsuitable trolleys available.
• Inadequate, inappropriate step ladders or kick stools etc.
• No fume cupboard easily accessible for technician use.
• Technicians asked to provide their own laboratory coats.
• Lack of a dedicated technicians’ computer in a prep room (section 6).
Provision of good quality, fit for purpose, personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential. If an
accident were to occur, the failure to provide such equipment could be seen as negligence on
the part of the employer and ‘lack of funds’ would be no defence in court.
Safer working procedures
In addition to providing adequate safety equipment, schools should have policies and
procedures in place regarding safe technician working. Technicians should also keep up to date
with good practice by regularly consulting the latest CLEAPSS advice on the CD-ROM and the
web site as well as reading each term’s Bulletin.
CLEAPSS guide L248 Running a Prep Room contains advice on organising technicians’ work
and improving health and safety. Technicians should read and implement the advice as
appropriate to their own school. In addition to any safe working procedures that are particular to
individual schools, science department policies should state that technicians will consult
CLEAPSS guidance before carrying out any activities that have health & safety implications.
These activities might include:
• handling chemicals or radioactive materials;
• microbiology and handling other living organisms;
• manual handling (transporting materials, storage, etc);
• clearing and washing up;
• working alone;
• checking and ensuring security in the laboratories and prep rooms.

CLEAPSS guidance leaflet PS25 Risk Assessments for Laboratory Technician Activities
provides more detailed information and is available in electronic format on the CD-ROM. This
document can be customised and adapted for individual schools. It is recommended that the
modified version of PS25 becomes an integral part of a science department’s health and safety
policy. The policy should be read, understood and adhered to by all science department staff.

10
4.2 Policies & procedures to improve efficiency

It is important that there are written policies and procedures related to technician provision in a
science department. Many of these are discussed in detail in guide L248 Running a prep room.
In outline, such documents should include procedures for:
• safe working (see section 4.1);
• line management of the technician team and technician deployment
(see also CLEAPSS guide L228 Technicians and their jobs);
• ordering, delivery & retrieval of practicals;
• clearing up (teachers and pupils);
• what technicians are expected to do and, importantly, what they should not be asked to do;
• technicians’ working times & breaks.
These procedures and any others that may be relevant to a particular school should be
presented at a departmental meeting. The aim should be to ensure that all staff understand and
agree on the procedures in order to avoid any individual technician / teacher conflict.
One issue that often causes most concern amongst technicians is the procedure for ordering
practical equipment and materials.

Technician request procedures

In schools where there are strict policies and procedures the science department usually
operates smoothly, safely and efficiently because technicians have time to prepare thoroughly,
to allow for clashes and to carefully check equipment and materials. In these establishments
teachers can expect their requirements to arrive on time and as requested. This serves to
support successful practical work and, hence, more effective teaching and learning. The
teaching staff in these schools will often praise the efficiency of the science technicians. This
view has been expressed by science departments in many of the schools visited by CLEAPSS
each year and in supporting statements sent by heads of science nominating technicians for the
biennial Salters’ Technicians’ Award.
In schools where there is no system, or a very flexible one, teachers may feel that this ‘flexibility’
operates in their favour but this is rarely the case. Some technicians / teachers / science
departments may be of the opinion that to have strict procedures for ordering practicals is too
bureaucratic and will ‘annoy’ or ‘get the teachers backs up’. They believe that to adhere to strict
procedures is putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of the science teachers. This is not so.
Schools and science departments that allow regular late requests and technicians that provide
for such late requests (because ‘it would mean that the pupils are the ones who suffer’) are
disillusioned. In such establishments last-minute requests mean that technicians do not have
time to prepare and check adequately. Consequently, items get omitted and practicals
sometimes do not work. It is under these circumstances that pupils suffer as a result of poor
planning and preparation. Health and safety may be compromised. Unfortunately, technicians
often get blamed, when in fact it is the system (or the lack of one) that is at fault.

With plenty of time to plan, prepare and check practical requirements, technicians can provide a
high quality service to the science department.

11
Scenario 3
What can be done if the entire department adheres to the agreed policy and procedures except
one teacher who refuses?
If the procedure for ordering practical requirements is in the department’s health and safety
policy (as suggested it should be in PS25), then this should be followed. Any deviation from the
agreed procedure on a regular basis is a disciplinary matter which should be handled by the
head of department.
Technicians can refuse a request which has not been made according to agreed procedures,
stating that they are only working according to departmental policy. The head of department
should be informed so that he / she can enforce the policy.
Where the head of science is the main culprit and/or refuses to enforce the policy it may be
necessary for a technician to put concerns in writing to the head teacher and/or the school’s
health & safety officer. Under exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to inform the local
authority safety officer.
For further information about policies and procedures for ordering practicals and for
customisable requisition forms see CLEAPSS guide L248 (a & b) Running a prep room.

4.3 Continual Professional Development (CPD) and training

It is very important for technicians to up-date their skills on a regular basis and to have
opportunities to develop new skills.
As well as INSET and other formal training, it is important for technicians, science departments
and schools to appreciate that meeting with other technicians, to discuss and share ideas, can
improve health & safety, efficiency and delivery of the technician service. New ideas can also
increase job satisfaction and self-esteem.
Schools are urged, therefore, to allow and encourage their technicians to attend meetings,
conferences and other technician events in addition to attending formal training. Science
departments and schools will benefit from the improved level of technician support that will
result.
Many technicians’ meetings, conferences and events are provided by professional bodies such
as the ASE and the Institute for Science Technology (IST) as well as some of the commercial
science equipment suppliers. Membership of a professional body has obvious benefits for
technicians and their schools.
Training is also provided by CLEAPSS who run a wide range of one-day courses (see the
CLEAPSS web site, www.cleapss.org.uk for details) and by the ASE.

Scenario 4
I want to gain skills and experience so that in the future I can become a senior technician but my
current senior technician does all the advanced work herself and will not show me how to do it.
She also keeps all her operating systems to herself and just gives me the easy jobs to do.
In-house instruction and training should be provided so that technicians are fully competent to
perform their own duties as well as cover for the short-term absence of other colleagues.
Ongoing training (in-house or otherwise) should be an integral part of any technician’s working
experience in order to raise skill levels, confidence and to encourage career progression.

12
4.4 Setting up a technician group
Many technicians have set up local area technician groups that meet on a regular basis to
discuss topics or issues of common interest and to exchange ideas.
This can be as important and informative as larger regional conferences and could benefit
schools and science departments for the same reasons as described in section 4.3.
4.5 Promotion and career progression
Where possible, schools should encourage their technicians to progress their careers within the
school. This may be possible, for example, in schools where there is a team of technicians and
a senior technician is leaving or retiring. An existing member of the technician team who has
gained the skills and experience could be promoted to the senior post.
Where there is no prospect of career progression within the school, technicians should still be
encouraged to gain the skills and experience to progress in another establishment even though
it can be a dilemma for a school to ‘allow a fantastic technician’ to leave.

It is the schools that value their technicians as important members of staff and reward them with
appropriate grades, pay and working conditions that have little trouble attracting other good
technicians.

4.6 Checklist for improving how technicians work

9
Technicians have all the correct safety equipment to perform their jobs.
Technicians have up-to-date safety information.
Policies and procedures are in place to ensure the efficient running of the
department.
Technicians are encouraged to attend one-day courses, other CPD, technician
conferences and meetings etc.
Technicians are encouraged and supported to develop and progress their careers.
Technicians are provided with in-house instruction and training.

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5 How to improve technicians’ grades and pay

5.1 Can upgrading be achieved?

Yes it can, and CLEAPSS is aware of several schools where this has happened.
However, technicians will need to inform and persuade senior managers of the important role
they play in the school. This could mean using some or all of the strategies and information
contained in this guide along with other CLEAPSS guidance.
The process is likely to take some time. Documentary evidence may be needed and technicians
may be required to attend committee appeals and hearings, for example.
Where the importance of technicians is acknowledged throughout the school, it is more likely
that technicians’ grades and pay are appropriate to the level of work that they do. These schools
are also more likely to be sympathetic to upgrading appeals.
Implementing various policies and procedures, as discussed in this guide and in guides L228
and L248, will also help to achieve professional status.

The professional status of technicians should be recognised within the school and particularly
by senior managers.

5.2 Job evaluations and upgrading

Head teachers sometimes state that they must follow the local authority (LA) policy on
technicians’ grades and pay. Local authorities state that support staff pay is agreed with trade
unions and must be within those particular guidelines. In fact, it is government policy that head
teachers (including those in local authority schools) have autonomy over staffing and budgets.
They can therefore, if they choose, disregard local authority guidance on pay and grades.
CLEAPSS is aware of several schools and local authorities that have examined the various
reports, followed their recommendations and have upgraded technicians and/or increased the
number of salaried technician hours as a result.

Example 1
One local authority examined their science technicians’ jobs and discovered that the technicians
were working at a higher level than their grades and pay suggested.
The local authority and trade union representatives for that area recommended to schools that
technicians be upgraded accordingly and stressed that any failure to implement the suggested
recommendations could result in grievances or equal pay claims.
Note: In this example the local authority examined job descriptions and performed job
evaluations that accurately reflected the technicians’ roles and responsibilities.
Note: Where some schools in an authority do implement the recommendations it is more likely
that grievance or equal pay claim procedures will be instigated in schools that choose not
to implement the recommendations.
Note: Despite the local authority recommendations, a head teacher may still disregard the
recommendations and fail to implement them. It is highly likely that this would be the case
in some schools.

14
Example 2
In another local authority a similar evaluation exercise had taken place which resulted in
recommendations that technicians were downgraded.
Note: In this case the job evaluations had been performed without any real knowledge or
understanding of a technician’s role and where the jobs were equated to ‘administration
support’ or similar.
Note: It is more likely in this situation that head teachers will follow local authority guidance
since it offers an opportunity to save money. Of course head teachers need to balance
school budgets but technician support should not be seen as an easy target and is, in any
case, likely to provide only very minor savings given the numbers of technicians involved
and their salary levels.

In some cases the ad-hoc nature of technicians’ grading means that in any one local authority,
senior technicians performing very similar jobs in different schools could be paid different
salaries. The difference could be as great as 10 points on the local government pay structure
leading to a salary difference of as much as £6000.

5.3 Job evaluations – the pitfalls and how to avoid them

Many school technicians have had their jobs evaluated under the ‘single status’ agreement and
some have complained that they have now been downgraded and that their new ‘job
descriptions’ bear little resemblance to the tasks that they actually carry out. This situation
usually occurs when the administrators carrying out the job evaluations have little or no
knowledge of technicians’ roles and responsibilities and have not been provided with up-to-date,
and accurate, job descriptions.
This is not the case in all local authorities where the outcome of the evaluations does reflect the
technicians’ jobs. In these ‘good examples’ it is usually because technicians, science advisers
or someone else who really knows and understands what technicians do and the importance of
their work, have been directly involved in the negotiating process.
Technicians should provide personnel departments (or other administrators) who are
responsible for job evaluations, with as much information as possible about their roles. This
should include relevant, accurate job descriptions that spell out the responsibilities of the
technicians involved.
The job descriptions should provide detailed information about what the technicians actually do
and should not be generic ‘support staff’ job descriptions. Customisable job descriptions are
available in section 6 of CLEAPSS guide L228 Technicians and their jobs.
Many local authority personnel department staff incorrectly believe that technicians’ work is
directly supervised by a head of science or other science teacher. Technicians should try to
work with other technicians in their area and elect a technician to attend meetings with
employers, personnel department staff and trade unions. It must not be assumed that any other
representatives fully understand a technician’s role.
Such involvement will, of course, require that technicians give up some of their free time but, in
the long run, both they and their colleagues in the local area should benefit.

15
5.4 Strategies for achieving upgrades

Various strategies can be employed when negotiating for up-grading and increased pay.
• Using other local schools as good examples.
• In schools which have specialist science status it can be argued that technicians’
working conditions and pay should provide exemplar good practice. The cost to a
school in terms of overall budget would be minimal.
• Informing managers of the specialist nature of technicians’ skills and the complexity
of their role (as discussed in section 3).
• Explaining any areas of special responsibilities, for example, senior technician
budgeting, purchasing and keeping financial records, etc.

5.5 Current situation

National guidelines
Guidance on pay and grades has been issued in the past including that in CLEAPSS guide
L228 Technicians and their jobs and in the ASE leaflet recommending the four level career
structure.
The latter was developed by the ASE with the Royal Society and CLEAPSS. It was endorsed by
all the major technician trade unions, the employers’ Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group
and other professional organisations.
However, it is just guidance and at the time of writing there are no national directives with regard
to school and college technicians’ grades and pay.
However, the general principal is that it is good practice to follow CLEAPSS expert advice on all
aspects of practical science (not just health and safety) as stated in section 1.

Pay scales
Most local authority schools use the local government spine points (see guide L228) although
grade boundaries may differ between employers. Some independent schools also use these
spine points as a guide, others apply their own systems. In some schools, technicians in
different subject areas may actually have different pay and conditions even though they perform
similar jobs and have similar responsibilities.

5.6 Is there any likelihood of achieving a national pay structure?

It may be that in the future there will be an agreed national structure for technicians’ grades and
pay.
The following statements are from the UNISON Trade Union web site (23/05/07 and 27/09/07
respectively).

Supporting school staff

School support staff can look forward to a fairer deal in future.
Schools minister Jim Knight today heralded the development of a new national negotiating body
for school staff in England, which will in turn develop a national pay and grading system.
UNISON has welcomed the announcement, the outcome of year-long negotiations.
“Pay for many school workers does not in any way reflect the job they do and is determined
almost at the whim of the head teacher,” said UNISON national education secretary Christina
McAnea. “This is a major step forward in UNISON’s campaign for a fair and consistent pay
structure for school staff that recognises and rewards their vital role in education.”

16
Union wins new pay body
A new negotiating body for school support staff in England will be in place by September next
year, to develop a national pay and grading structure for school staff which reflects the key roles
they play across all schools.
UNISON, which represents 200,000 members working in a wide range of jobs in schools, today
welcomed the move announced at the Labour Party conference by education secretary Ed
Balls.
“We have campaigned long and hard for fair pay and recognition for our members in schools,”
said UNISON head of education Christina McAnea. “For too long schools have relied upon, and
sometimes exploited, the commitment and dedication of low-paid school staff, to deliver a wide
range of education initiatives.”
UNISON’s school members include teaching assistants, secretaries, technicians, special needs
staff, learning mentors and bursars. Figures suggest that teaching assistants are the lowest paid
staff in schools, with two thirds earning less than £15,000 a year. School support staff overall,
95% of them women, do the highest amount of unpaid overtime in local authorities, other than
chief officers – who are considerably better paid.
UNISON has also been concerned at the growing number of self-governed schools, where there
are no national agreed terms and conditions.
“We need fair and equal pay and a coherent career and training structure that must apply in all
types of schools,” said Ms McAnea. “You simply can’t build a world-class education system that
depends on low pay and exploitation of staff. This announcement is therefore good news for
schools, pupils and also staff.”
Mr Balls told conference that “teaching assistants and support staff are transforming what
happens in classrooms and helping teachers to focus on doing their best for every child.”
He later praised UNISON’s role in fighting for the new body. Speaking at the union organised
fringe meeting on schools, he said: “I really value the work UNISON does on education. That
this negotiating body is happening is a tribute to Christina and her leadership, because she
lobbied very hard at the TUC – and I buckled.”

5.7 Checklist for improving technicians’ grades & pay

9
Technicians and schools refer to CLEAPSS guide L228, Technicians and their jobs
and implement the recommendations regarding grades and pay.
Technicians’ grades and pay accurately reflect levels of responsibilities.
Technicians’ grades and pay are (at least) comparable to other local schools.
Technicians’ grades and pay are not lowest of all school staff.
Technicians and heads of science encourage senior managers regarding the
school becoming a ‘good example’ with regards to technicians, in order to attract
and retain quality staff.
Technicians are involved and informed when any job evaluation / single status
talks, negotiations etc, are planned or are in progress.

17
6 Improving technicians’ working environments
6.1 The prep room

Refurbishment or new-build
Prep rooms are sometimes only considered as an afterthought when building / planning is too
advanced to change things. Early technician involvement will help avoid this.
Technicians can plan ahead for the likelihood of any refurbishment or new-build by keeping
notes of what their requirements could be. This can be in the form of a notebook where the
technician lists what he / she would like - as and when they think of it. Thoughts about the ideal
size of the prep room, the layout, furniture, equipment and required services should be noted
down.
At a later date if / when it appears that building work is more likely, it would be useful to list
requirements under the following three categories, along with notes pointing out the
consequences of such requests being denied.
Category 1: Essential for prep room efficiency and/or health & safety.
Category 2: Useful to improve prep room efficiency and/or health & safety.
Category 3: Desirable if possible to do.
For example, if the prep room is not fitted with a fume cupboard, then technicians would have to
regularly interrupt lessons to use a laboratory fume cupboard. This could be dangerous when
transporting hazardous materials though laboratories occupied by pupils.

Making the most of an existing prep room

Much advice is given on this topic in CLEAPSS guide L248, Running a prep room. It is
recommended that technicians read and apply this guidance in order to make best use of their
prep rooms and to improve prep room management and procedures.
However, technicians may still need to request funds for new equipment, furniture or small
building work in order to make the most of their current prep rooms. Using guidance from L14,
Designing and planning laboratories, technicians can argue how improving the prep room will
increase efficiency and, therefore, the support of practical work in the science department.

Technicians should insist on being involved in any early stages of planning, meeting architects,
contractors and project managers, etc. This can help to avoid problems at a later date.
Technicians should also be involved in monitoring progress since things often change from
original architects’ plans. Technicians should arm themselves with information by consulting
guide L14 in order to plan for the best possible facilities.
If technicians are informed and can present a good case in support of their requests, senior
managers and architects will appreciate that technicians ‘know what they are talking about’ and
will value their opinions.

18
6.2 Computers in the prep room
Increasingly, information for technicians is provided on-line and on CD-ROMs. This is certainly
the case with regards to, for example, the CLEAPSS web site & CD, suppliers’ web sites, and
technicians’ discussion groups.
In addition, there is an increasing need for technicians to use computers for the efficient and
safe running of the department. Keeping electronic stock records, financial records, producing
technician documents, labels and policies is now an important element of a technician’s role.
(See CLEAPSS guide L248b Running a prep room for customisable technician documents.)
CLEAPSS has, for several years, emphasised the importance of technicians having access to a
dedicated computer in their prep room.

Extract from CLEAPSS Bulletin 126

By now all science departments must surely have received the 2006 Science Publications CD-
ROM. But how many technicians still do not have their own prep-room computers and printers?
To have to go without is quite unacceptable and positively dangerous. 530 pages of the
Laboratory Handbook were changed on the new CD (with several hundred pages revised on the
2004/5 issues). If all these changes have not been printed out and inserted into the Handbook
binder, those without immediate computer access will inevitably be referring to out-of-date
health & safety guidance, with untold consequences.
The computer must have on it the latest software, able to read PDF, Word and Excel files, and
technicians will also require IT training to enable them to use their new computers effectively.

Schools should use relevant CLEAPSS advice to inform senior managers, bursars, IT
departments, etc of the importance of a prep room computer.
It is essential that technicians (and teachers) have easy access to up-to-date health and safety
information. Relying on old documents and guidance may be dangerous.

6.3 Checklist for improving technicians’ working environments

9
When rebuilding/refurbishment of science departments is planned, the prep room
is an integral part of those plans – not just an afterthought.
Technicians are consulted and their views taken seriously when rebuilding or
refurbishment work is planned and in progress.
Technicians attend meetings with senior managers, architects, etc, to give their
views and opinions on laboratory and prep room design.
Senior managers know and understand the requirements of a prep room (as
described in guide L14) including: space, storage, daylight and artificial lighting,
ventilation, equipment and services etc.
Senior managers respond favourably to technicians’ reasonable requests for
upgrading existing prep room facilities.
Technicians use guide L248 to make the best use of existing prep rooms.
Technicians have up-to-date, networked computers in their prep rooms dedicated
for technicians’ use.

19
7 How to improve the technician provision

7.1 Number of technician hours

It is essential that the number of technician hours in a school is sufficient to fully support all
aspects of science practical work efficiently and safely. Science departments must not cause
overwork or stress to their science technicians by expecting 'normal' technical support if
technician hours are insufficient.

Guidance on number There have been various formulae produced in the past to calculate
of technician hours how many technician hours should be allocated in a school.
CLEAPSS guidance links the number of technician hours per week
to the number of taught science hours per week.
This guidance is explained fully in section 3 of CLEAPSS guide L228
Technicians and their jobs.
Do most schools use Many schools operate with less than the recommended number of
the guidance? technician hours. In these schools CLEAPSS believes that
technicians cannot possibly provide the best technical service to the
science department.
Rushing and taking shortcuts because of ‘not enough time’ can lead
to accidents. Where there are insufficient technician hours, it will be
difficult to carry out many of the essential tasks described in section
3 of this guide.
Increasing technician Many schools continue to operate with insufficient technician hours,
hours as they believe they are ‘getting on OK’.
However, science departments must explain to senior managers that
many of the essential tasks (as described in section 3) are either not
being performed or are being performed inadequately because of a
lack of time. It should be made clear that the science provision could
be improved if technician hours were increased.

Schools, science departments and technicians should read section 3 of guide L228 Technicians
and their jobs. They can then calculate how many technicians are needed in their schools and
either increase technician hours or recruit more technicians where the allocated hours are below
recommended levels.

Scenario 5
What should I do if I am asked to perform extra teaching assistant duties during the course of
my normal working day without any extra hours allocated?
This should be strongly resisted by technicians and heads of science. They should provide
senior managers with a list of the duties that the technician currently performs and suggest
which duties it would no longer be possible to carry out because of the reduction in technician
hours.
Heads of science should explain to managers the consequences of any duties not being
performed. It should also be explained that extra technician hours will be required in order to
cover for any technician performing teaching assistant duties.

20
Scenario 6
The numbers of courses taught have increased, as has the amount of practical work: how can
we persuade senior management that we need more technicians?
Keep records of practicals to compare with previous years. Explain to managers how the
workload has increased and by how much it has increased. Use the formula and guidance
contained in guide L228 Technicians and their jobs.

7.2 Technicians’ working time arrangements

Many technicians are employed on part-time contracts where they may only work part of a
school day and/or part of a week. This suits some technicians who have family or other
commitments.
However, deployment of the technician team should be examined to ensure that there is
adequate technician provision before lessons start so that practicals can be provided at the
beginning of the day. Also any material that needs to be freshly made can be prepared.
There should also be adequate technician provision at the end of the school day (after lessons
have finished) so that laboratories and prep rooms can be cleared, checked, all equipment
stored safely and services isolated.
In schools where this does not happen, technicians’ hours should be extended to provide this
service.

7.3 Differences in technicians’ working time arrangements

In some independent schools, technicians are only required to work during the school terms and
are paid during the holidays much the same as teachers. In these schools, technicians often
work a longer day and/or Saturday mornings.
In other schools, technicians are employed on similar terms to those in local authority schools.
For example, they either work and are paid term time only (TTO) or are employed to work on
52-week contracts (see below).
In local authority schools a variety of different working time contracts are used. A few
technicians are employed on full-time 52-week contracts. This means that they work during the
school term and during the holidays but have a set amount of annual leave which is usually
taken during the school holidays. This has significant advantages for technicians and schools
(see section 7.6).
Some technicians are employed full time but during term time only with some additional time
worked in the holidays.
Some are employed part time (e.g., 25 hours per week and TTO, or part time for 52 weeks).
Example 1: TTO plus 4 days during the holidays.
Example 2: TTO plus 2 weeks during school holidays.
In both of these cases it is usual for salaries to be calculated on an annual pro rata basis and
then paid in 12 equal monthly payments.

21
7.4 Term Time Only (TTO) and holiday working
Term time only contracts may not suit all technicians who prefer to have a ‘full-time’ job. It can
be argued that from a science department’s point of view, many essential jobs can only be
performed during school holidays when technicians have free access to laboratories and prep
rooms for extended periods to perform tasks without the interruptions that occur during a normal
school day.
Technicians can also concentrate on a particular task without having normal practicals to
prepare, deliver, retrieve and clear.
As a consequence of these considerations, technicians / science departments should argue that
at least one (more in large establishments) technician is employed on a full-time, 52-week
contract. Schools will benefit from the work that can be achieved during holidays.
The following suggested list of holiday tasks can be given to senior managers.
• Reorganising laboratories.
• Reorganising prep rooms, storage etc, for improved efficiency.
• Setting up practical resources for new courses / syllabi.
• Inspecting and testing portable electrical equipment.
• Carrying out other safety tests, e.g., pressure vessels, fume cupboards, eye protection etc.
• Moving laboratory equipment between labs.
• Organising major restocking etc after / during refurbishment or new build projects.
• Stock taking.
• Check the condition of chemicals with short shelf lives (see the Laboratory Handbook).
• Disposing of and arranging for the disposal of redundant chemicals.
• Trialling new experiments.
• Testing and repairing equipment.
• Servicing microscopes etc.
• Checking and reporting the condition of laboratory services and furniture.
• Cleaning laboratory benches (if in technician’s job description).
To employ one or more technicians on full-time, 52-week, contracts will use a very small
proportion of a school’s overall budget but could have a significant impact on efficiency and
health & safety. If schools refuse to employ any, or enough, technicians in the holidays for any /
some of the tasks to be carried out, management should be made aware that the jobs will not
be done and this could have an adverse effect on health & safety.
One compromise could be that schools pay overtime to technicians to come in during the
holidays to carry out appropriate maintenance, safety checks etc, where required.
Technicians should also be paid overtime if they are required or requested to carry out special
one-off tasks during the school holidays (this could include, for example, moving rooms, getting
new or refurbished laboratories ready for the new term, etc).

Technicians must not be expected to work unpaid either during school holidays or on staff
training days. They should not be expected to work unpaid extra hours when ‘busy’.

7.5 Can time off in lieu (TOIL) be taken instead of paid overtime?
Taking TOIL for extra hours worked may suit some technicians, as this will allow them to take
occasional time off during the school term. It may also appear more attractive to schools as a
cheaper alternative to paid overtime. However, during term time, TOIL can cause disruption to
the delivery of the service to science. It can also cause stress and overwork to the rest of the
technician team who may be expected to cover the extra work of the absent technician. If TOIL
is allowed during term time, it must be carefully managed by reducing practicals etc. Teachers
must understand that they can not expect the usual level of technical support.
22
7.6 Technician absences

It is essential that science departments do not cause overwork or stress to their science
technicians by expecting 'normal' technical support during a technician’s absence.

Technicians and heads of departments should agree a list of tasks that the under-strength team
can perform. This could include, for example, the provision and retrieval of practical materials
and the observance of all health & safety considerations.
The whole science department should be made aware of, and accept, that some less urgent
tasks can not be carried out by the technicians. These may include, for example, the
reorganising of resources, supporting practical classes in laboratories, department photocopying
and any other administration duties (which should not be the duty of technicians in any case).

Scenario 7
The senior technician went on long-term sick leave. Other technicians covered the absent
technician’s work. The senior technician has now left and senior management say that the
technicians did such a good job covering, that the situation can remain as it is with no
replacement for the senior post.
Technicians and heads of science should explain to senior managers that with the current
staffing levels the department could only run smoothly in the short term. This is because the
technicians prioritised their work so that only urgent and immediately essential tasks were
performed. Many of the longer-term tasks (such as stocktaking, maintenance, re-organising, re-
stocking, researching and trialling) were not performed during the technician’s absence.
Managers should be informed that these tasks are essential to the long term health & safety and
efficiency of the department and that provision of a technical service to the department would
gradually decline with adverse consequences to the effectiveness of practical work for pupils.
The lack of a line-management structure within the technician team will mean that they will not
operate as efficiently as when a senior technician is able to organise the work of the team.

7.7 Checklist for improving technician provision

9
Technicians have enough time during their normal working week to complete all their
tasks efficiently and in a healthy & safe manner.
Where the above is not true, schools consider increasing current technicians’ hours or
recruiting more technicians using the guidance in section 3 of CLEAPSS guide L228 to
calculate the technician hours they should have.
Technicians’ work is rescheduled during absences so as not to cause overwork.
Technicians get paid overtime for any special tasks (e.g. open day, essential
maintenance, moving to a new prep room etc,) performed out of contracted hours (such
as evenings or school holidays).
Time off in lieu is only taken when the remaining work is reduced and can be covered
without overwork.
Schools consider employing one/some of the technicians on 52-week contracts.
Technicians are deployed so that there are technicians available before and after the
school day.

23
8 Trade Unions
Being a member of a trade union can provide technicians with support when improved
conditions, pay and/or grades are being sought. This can be particularly useful with conditions
of service issues.
However, it should be understood that most trade unions available to technicians represent all
support staff in schools (as well as other local authority staff). It is highly unlikely that a trade
union representative will be a specialist in science technician issues and so will not be fully
aware of the technician role. Technicians should, therefore, ensure that trade union
representatives are provided with all the documentation that they require (such as up-to-date job
descriptions) and are fully informed about a technician’s role and responsibilities.
Membership of a trade union usually has the added benefit of providing insurance cover,
representation and legal advice. A trade union will also represent a technician if there is any
disciplinary matter or other work related dispute.
Membership of a professional body such as the Association for Science Education (ASE) or the
Institute of Science Technology (IST), may provide insurance but not usually representation at a
disciplinary meeting etc. However, membership of these professional organisations has other
benefits as described in section 4.3.
Some trade unions will offer all the above services but are not recognised by local authorities or
employers organisations as far as negotiating terms conditions etc. These include:
• ATL
• Prospect
• Amicus (now merged with T&G to form Unite see below)
The Trade unions that are currently recognised for negotiating purposes are:
• UNISON
• Unite (formerly T&G)
• GMB

It is strongly recommended that technicians are represented on all employer/trade union

negotiations on pay, grade, job descriptions, etc.

8.1 Main Trade Unions for technicians

The list below gives details of the major trade unions that encourage members from technicians
in schools and colleges.
• UNISON - Represents public services, NHS, local government etc.
• Unite (T&G Section) - T&G mainly represents: food & agriculture, manufacturing and
services including public services and transport.
• Unite (Amicus section, formerly called MSF) - Amicus mainly represents: manufacturing,
engineering, energy, construction, IT, defence aerospace, motor industry, civil aviation,
chemicals and pharmaceuticals, steel and metals, shipbuilding, scientists, technologists,
professional and managerial staff, electronics and telecommunications, tobacco, food and
drink, textiles, ceramics, paper, printing, professional staff in universities, commercial
sales, the voluntary sector, banking and financial services, and the NHS.
• ATL (Association of Teachers and Lecturers) - ATL mainly represents: teachers, lecturers
and teaching support staff in nursery, primary, secondary schools, sixth form and further
education colleges.
24
 • GMB - GMB mainly represents: public services (primarily NHS), local government, care
education; also engineering, construction, shipbuilding, energy, catering, security, civil air
transport, aerospace, defence, clothing, textiles, retail, hotel, chemicals, utilities, offshore,
AA, food production and distribution.
• NAS / UWT (National Association of Schoolmasters / Union of Women Teachers) - Mainly
for teaching staff although some technicians are members.

8.2 Which Trade Union to join?

In choosing which trade union is most suitable, a number of factors should be taken into
consideration.
• Are there other technicians in your workplace in the same union?
• Which trade union do other local technicians belong to?
• Previous satisfactory negotiation and bargaining agreements reached between your
employer and the union.
• How well (or badly) the Union looks after its members?
• Experience in working in the educational sector, especially with support staff.

CLEAPSS advice is that if individuals wish to join a trade union, they should find out which trade
union the majority of science technicians from their local area belong to and join that one. We
believe that this is likely to be better than joining the one that has the majority of support staff in
a school.
The reason is that some local branches of trade unions do not have staff / officials etc, who fully
understand technicians’ jobs and issues and are, therefore, likely to group technicians in with all
school ‘support’ staff.
With a large group of technician members in an area, it may be possible for technicians to sit on
committees, get their point across and negotiate. Where there has been technician
representation at negotiations, meetings etc, it has resulted in a better understanding of
technicians by employers and trade unions and therefore, in more appropriate job descriptions,
grades and pay etc.

25
Appendix 1
Checklist for improving technicians’ conditions
When each section’s checklist is complete with all points ticked (or all points relevant to
individual schools), the checklist below can be completed.
This will demonstrate that the schools value their technicians and this should be reflected in
their status, grades, pay and working conditions.
CLEAPSS would like to be informed of schools who have achieved this as good examples of
fair and caring employers of science technicians.

9
Technicians’ roles are understood, recognised and appreciated by all school staff.
Technicians’ skills and knowledge are fully utilised.
They rarely perform non-technical tasks.
Technicians use CLEAPSS publications, training, in-house instruction and other
CPD to gain new skills, ideas and knowledge to ensure they work efficiently and in
a healthy & safe manner.
Technicians’ grades and pay reflect the work that they do and levels of skills,
knowledge and responsibilities they have.
Existing prep rooms are utilised as effectively as possible.
Schools give serious consideration to requests for up grading prep room facilities
and the technicians’ views on prep room design and facilities are valued.
The number of technician hours is adequate to fully support practical science.

26