A PETITION, created by Lake Macquarie educator Ellan Harrington, is calling for funding to employ more school learning supports officers (SLSOs) in classrooms.
Titled Dedicated Support person in every class to help students and teachers, the petition draws on Ms Harrigan's experience as an SLSO.
Having completed in-school placement last year as part of her Certificate III in Education Support, Ms Harrington said teachers she spoke with were eager for more support but schools couldn't employ additional SLSOs due to a lack of funding.
"I was working with a lot of English as a second language students, a few students with developmental delays and some who were being diagnosed on the autism spectrum," Ms Harrigan said.
"If the students weren't engaging I was able to take them from class and give that student the time and attention they need while the teacher continued to educate the rest of the class."
The 27-year-old, who currently cannot find employment as an SLSO, said "in an ideal world" there would be a learning support officer in every classroom.
"Support officers don't replace teachers," she said.
"We offer a second set of hands, eyes and ears to improve the overall quality of education and allow teachers to focus on their role as an educator."
Ms Harrigan said an increased number of SLSOs would go toward reducing workloads, part of the reason teachers across NSW plan to strike on Wednesday.
According to the Department of Education, SLSOs work under the direction of the classroom teach to provide assistance in school routine, classroom activities and the care and management of students with additional support needs.
