SCHOOLS in Blackburn and Darwen have been urged to sign up to a new charter - to stop teaching assistants having sole control of classes.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has stepped up its campaign to boycott the National Agreement and wants teachers' backing.

It launched the new Charter Mark, which schools can sign-up for to show a commitment to teachers having their rightful place in the classroom.

Simon Jones, national executive member for the NUT, said: "We have written to all schools in the borough asking them to join. There is a certain set of standards that the school signs up to and how it respects the teachers. It is also a guarantee that only fully-qualified teachers will teach classes."

The NUT was the only union to boycott the National Agreement, covering workload and work-life balance, when it was signed in January last year to agree workforce reforms.

It believed the deal, backed by the National Association of Headteachers, the Department for Education and Skills, and the Secondary Heads Association, would lead to teaching assistants being left to look after classes.

And the union now has the backing of local authorities. Harry Devonport, the borough's assistant director for education, said: "The National Agreement states that each class or group must be assigned a qualified teacher.

"The fact a Higher Level Teaching Assistant may be working with a class does not make them a substitute for a qualified teacher."

And Unison, the biggest non-teaching union, has also agreed to pull out of the agreement on the understanding members could be exploited.

So far, Cedars County Infants and Hawthorn Junior schools, in Blackburn, have signed-up for the charter.

Liz Beaumont, headteacher at Cedars, in Hawthorn Street, said: "We want to show that we are committed to quality teaching as it is so important to giving a good education.

"The governors have decided to adopt the charter so we are now committed."