Mr. Andy Pike:

What we would want to see is a transition process. First there would need to be consultation with the sector and clarity around what the requirements are. An accredited qualification at level 7, if that is the level, would be a requirement for new SNAs. They would probably need two years' notice that if they want to come and work in a school as a SNA, they will have to obtain the qualification. For existing staff, there are two ways it can go. There could be credit for experience, which would mean they would not have to do the qualification. If the decision at the end of the day is that the existing workforce has to undertake a qualification, there are grandparenting arrangements and transitional processes in health and early years where the existing workforce has had to upskill over a period of time. There are examples we can follow. It would have to be introduced in a careful manner, in stages, with absolute clarity about what would be required and from whom.