A PAY deal that should see a wage increase for 1,500 classroom assistants is expected to be signed today.

Durham County Council's cabinet is expected to ratify a deal agreed with unions to increase the wages of non-teaching staff in the authority's schools by an average of more than £300 a year each.

The deal, which is backdated to April last year and will cost the education authority £500,000 a year, will also introduce a grade structure to recognise the extra responsibilities taken on by support staff in recent years.

Following the reorganisation of the education system under Local Management of Schools a decade ago, teachers complained that more and more of their time was being taken up with administrative tasks.

To deal with the problem and give teachers the time to teach, some of those tasks have recently been passed to other staff, including technicians, admin staff and classroom support assistants.

For three years, the GMB and Unison unions, who represent most of the support staff, have been negotiating with county hall for a pay rise to reflect the extra responsibilities members had taken on.

As part of the settlement, Durham County Council has created a three-tier grading system for classroom assistants, based on experience.

Council leader Councillor Ken Manton said: "What we are celebrating here in Durham County Council is that the cabinet has the will and foresight to put some money - a significant sum of money - towards recognising the new duties and responsibilities support staff have been taking on board.

"We hope that other authorities across the country will follow our example in recognising the valuable role classroom support staff play in our schools."

Howard Pink, regional officer of Unison, welcomed the deal. He said: "Unison has fought and campaigned for four long years and at last we have a good deal which should reward classroom assistants properly for their increasingly important role in raising standards in schools.

"Unison is delighted that the county council has backed the deal, but now we also need to see that every school in the county adopts it fully and fairly."

Terry Scarr, county representative of the GMB, added: "Teaching assistants and nursery nurses are education's hidden professionals.

"Their roles and responsibilities are growing ever more demanding and study after study confirms their value in raising educational standards, yet this contribution is rarely acknowledged along with pay and working conditions."