TA at Reception is leaving

[Lollitapr]

Just got some sad news that DD's TA is leaving at the end of this week. Our class rep got this news through the grapevine and she's trying to organise a card and a little gift.

We are all very sad. She's quite young, I would say early or mid 40ies and has been with the school for 14 or15 years, her kids are in secondary. She is really lovely and my DD loves her. But I'm very suspicious as to why would a teacher leave half way through the term? Quite a few teachers left last year as well and I cannot help but wonder what's going on. If there are nasty things going on behind the scenes will this impact the quality of teaching? I'm worried about the impact this change will have on the kids too, particularly those who struggled to settle.

Because the pay is shit and she's found another job that will pay the bills this winter?

Hi @Lollitapr, do you mean TA (teaching assistant), like you put in the thread title, or class teacher? Not being pedantic, but it my response to the thread would be different for a TA. I'm guessing you mean class teacher?

I meant teaching assistant yes..sorry

It could be a number of things, and because she has been with the school for so long, I'd guess it is likely to be personal reasons (health, moving, family issues). She may also have been offered a fantastic job somewhere.
It can be a bit unsettling, but in my experience, the little ones quickly get used to new TAs and love them just as much.
Teaching and education is stressful currently. Budgets and tempers are short, and the work load is high.

Cost of living is the most obvious speculation. TAs are very low paid.

She's probably just been offered a different job with better money.

The children will forget she ever existed in a few weeks and the school will have already interviewed for her replacement.

No drama.

TA pay is woeful considering how vital they are (I'm a teacher and would find the job impossible without TAs), and with the rising cost of living, perhaps she thought she could earn more money elsewhere. My school struggled to recruit a TA recently, and I'm sure it's because the pay is so poor. As a previous poster said, children adapt fairly quickly to new TAs, and I'm sure the class teacher will ensure the change is as smooth as possible.

Oh there's nothing odd about TAs leaving any old time. The pay is awful, she probably can't afford to do it any more. Your child's education won't be impacted- it's the teacher's job to make sure continuity is maintained.

Pay! We have a very stable and well liked workplace but have 2 TAs leaving ... they cannot survive on TA pay .

Pay is terrible. She will have found a better paid job.

Probably as the dynamic and stresses have changed within a lot of the classrooms and how undervalued they are, she's probably had enough and can get paid better for less stress and responsibility.

I didn't realise the pay is so low 🙁. Of course, it makes sense if that's the case

I used to do admin in a school and support staff like cooks, cleaners, admin, TA's etc were only on a months notice while teachers had to give a terms notice.

I agree TA's salaries are dreadful and as a school Secretary I earnt more an hour than they did. I agree with others people are having to look for more financially viable alternatives I guess.

The jobs work for some people but not everyone can afford to work for so little.

TAs usually have a shorter timescale in which to leave than teachers. It's a month usually whereas teacher have only three leaving dates. (Baring extreme circumstances.)

It may be that the school has funding cuts and needs to cut her hours so now her job is unsustainable. She may have been looking for another job anyway as the wage doesn't match the job description. She may have family or personal issues.

It doesn't mean things are bad at the school although of course, they could be.

If her kids are older now, she probably doesn't need to worry about the school holidays anymore so she might have looked for a better paid job elsewhere e.g. retail etc. For what TAs are expected to do, the pay is woefully low.

There’s a massive teacher retention crisis. Dd1 chose to stay on for 6th form at her existing school largely because each of her 3 subjects had an inspirational teacher who really knew her teaching it. All of them gone. Gutting.

I think if the TA or teacher leaves during the year, it's most likely to be personal reasons.
Yes, the reason could be the pay, but most likely she/he was looking for a better paid job and got one, if that's the reason. I doubt it's something to do with your child's school's environment particularly.
When my dc's school had to let go of multiple TAs due to school fund, they left at the end of the year, not abruptly during the year. But many TA left during the year over the years, because they found better jobs.

Came on to say exactly this. The same thing is happening at my school. The pay is dire and TAs are regularly expected to cover classes. It might be worth it if you need school friendly hours but once your kids are older there would be easier, better-paod jobs elsewhere.

Thread on here last week about TA's leaving to work in supermarkets etc as the pat is better

Xmas jobs being advertised right now

It might be worth it if you need school friendly hours but once your kids are older there would be easier, better-paod jobs elsewhere

I can't see any that are school friendly hours by us, they are all 08.30 to at least 15.30

Yes but you don't have to worry about childcare for school holidays if you're a TA.

Pay and workload - working with younger children is physically tiring so whilst you say she's still young, being in early 40s with 30 4-5 yo's can be really hard.

They are usually only school-friendly if your kids are in the same school!

You do get school holidays off though.

I have a subject I teach, the number of schools that have approached me and expected me to teach on a weekly basis for no payment is astronomical. I don't work for free and I am highly qualified and skilled and deserve to be paid for these skills and expertise.

I did in my Childrens school do a half day a week for a couple of years, when I stopped, I didn't even receive a handmade thank you card. worse than that the head was actually quite insulting and insinuated me working for free was actually a favour to me despite me turning down other opportunities during this time and providing what would have they had brought in the expertise have cost thousands.

So, I quite believe TA are often not valued for the provision and support they provide.

Most likely is the TA needed to earn more than her TA wage and has found a better job prospect

Also, TAs aren't tied to the end of term contract - in some schools it's 4 weeks just like most regular jobs.