Do 1:1 TAs exist

It depends on the child and their needs. I have been a 1:1 with a child with mobility challenges but no academic ones so once in class I was able to support other students, until the child needed to move around the class room/go to the toilet) leave early etc

It can be good for them gaining a little independence, working directly with the teacher or just in building peer relationships without an adult hanging around.

Other times I've been a 1:1 with children with learning difficulties and easy to dysregulate I would stay closer by and work with them directly.

We also had times (mostly during COVID) when we simply didn't have enough staff due to illness to cover all the children who needed support and needed 1:1s so those with EHCPs got priority but this was secondary.

Yes 1:1 ta's exist.

The relationship between a child and their TA can be complicated.

Younger children and children with severe send such as autism can struggle with working with multiple people.

So at my secondary school we had a couple of students with severe autism and social anxiety. They normally had 1 person with them nearly all the time but would have other people introduced slowly.

We used to do 1:1 as much as possible but it was found that the students got really attached to them, to the point that that struggled to work independently at all.

So most 1:1 TAs will move away from their child at some point (and helping another child is really obvious and good reason for them to move) so that the child they are supporting develops some independence.

This is not the same as the 1:1 TA being requisitioned to work with other students which dies also happen.

In my school if we are short of TAs (illness,etc) the students who physically require support will be timetabled first and only then once physical safety is assured will education be looked at.

In primary that will mean that if he needs the TA for toileting, moving etc he will be a priority.

My son has a full time 1-1. He's in year 3 now and she's been with him since reception. She does help out with other bits in the class (getting coats on etc) but she is very much focused on him. He has had an ehcp since year 2 but they funded a 1-1 prior to that as he could not manage at mainstream otherwise.

Yes. My DS (16) has had a one to one from the age of around 7. He has autism and an EHCP. He actually copes extremely well with the work, but requires support with a classroom environment. He is in a specialist school.

Yes, in the majority of cases, 1:1 TAs do work with their charges, certainly in my county if they don't need 1:1 support to be in mainstream primary they don't get one! However, in many cases the EHCP will mention paired or group work, small scale independent activities etc. So the 1:1 may be working with other children too.

But there are some instances where the needs of the other children in the class are so high that inevitably all the staff are involved. It shouldn't happen but it would be very foolish to say it doesn't

It all depends how the Echp is worded, you have to really pin them down in section f, my son is in mainstream with a dedicated 1-1 so it's possible, often it will say things like 'access to' which isn't the same as dedicated

Yes they do exist. My cousins works with a child as their TA in a mainstream school. I believe he is in year 3 currently and has had a 121 since Reception.

In some schools yes, my best friend is a one to one for a child with very specific high needs.