THE number of support staff and teaching assistants in North-East schools has nearly doubled in the past seven years, according to figures published by the Government.

In 1997, there were 5,800 support staff and 2,900 full-time teaching assistants in schools across the region.

But at the beginning of this year, there were 11,200 support staff and 5,700 full-time teaching assistants.

The huge increase can be explained largely by the Government's inclusion policy, which has seen pupils who would formerly have been educated in special schools, or at home, taught in mainstream classes.

The figures are included in a report published by the Government that aims to give a snapshot of education since the Labour Party came into power.

The number of teachers in the North-East has remained stable at about 22,000. The trends across North Yorkshire show broadly similar ratios and increases.

Karen Pemberton, headteacher of Eastbourne Comprehensive School, in Darlington, said the inclusion policy was good news.

"It means we truly are a comprehensive school, with the full range of abilities."

She expects the ratios of teachers and support staff to change again over the next few years as the national Workforce Agreement is implemented.

This will see teachers relieved of administrative duties and more non-teaching staff employed.

The Government figures also reveal that only two per cent of teachers - one in 50 - in the North-East are from an ethnic minority.

Nationally, one in ten teachers are from a different background, the figure is three out of ten in London.

Mrs Pemberton said: "This doesn't surprise me. At the moment nationally, 15 per cent of pupils are from an ethnic minority, so, as these children work their way through the system to become the teachers of the future, we will see this percentage change."

Another interesting finding is that North-East school staff took 165,000 sick days in 2003 (the most recent figures). The number of days has been increasing for the past four years across the region.

The figures also reveal as of January, there were 100 vacancies in North-East schools.

And last year, about one in 20 teachers took early retirement for health reasons.