Can teaching assistants teach class alone…for half of the week

[Beachholidaying1979]

I found out today that for the last 2 months, dd teacher has gone part time and TA now teaches the class snow for the other half. fine, no problem, but she cannot control the class and they do what they like and don’t learn a lot.
Before I speak to school I just want some options, is this acceptable?

I assume you’re in England? I don’t know the rules there, but in Scotland this is not allowed. The children must have a qualified teacher at all times.

Not really. HLTAs can teach whole classes however this should only be for PPA cover.

However, there are no other options. Staffing in schools is dire. I’m a secondary teacher and teaching an A-Level in a subject I don’t have a GCSE in.

We have unqualified teachers teaching GCSE - been happening for years!

If it’s an academy or free school it’s allowed. Gove didn’t believe QTS was important 🙄.

Officially HLTA’s can be asked to teach 60%.

I don't think it's acceptable or even legal but it happens. Has a new teacher been appointed but is not yet able to start?

Not sure on the rules but our school didn't have enough teachers for this year. Constant re advertising but no interest. Our class was going to be taken full time by a TA because there was no one else....at the very last minute they found a teacher but it was very much accepted that TAs might have to fulfil that role given the lack of teachers (and more leaving every term)

No they can’t do this as it’s essentially a job share, not cover. They may have no choice at the moment though. I’m going on maternity leave very soon and we’re putting out an advert for the job for the third time now - we’ve had one applicant and they weren’t good enough to invite to an interview. Teacher recruitment is a huge problem but no one wants to hear it.

It's not acceptable, but it is unfortunately not unusual. If the TA is an HLTA then they can provide cover, usually PPA, and it's not uncommon for them to be used to cover longer term absence or fill timetable gaps.

The requirements to have qualified teachers were removed years ago.

There's not enough applicants for jobs, ah shortage of supply teachers, and budget issues meaning that some schools might be using internal staff to cover where possible.

We have TAs teaching classes left right and centre-we can’t recruit teaching staff and can’t afford or find supply teachers. It’s that or closing classes.

Speak to the school. I am a TA/HLTA and have covered my class for extended periods before when teachers have been off due to illness or bereavement. I covered once for 5 weeks. However, I had all the planning available on our server from previous years as well as the current year's overall plan , had been in the same year group before, have a BA Hons degree and over 20 years experience in the classroom.
Plus, I knew I could go to the SLT if there was anything I was concerned about/didn't feel confident about.
Contrast that with a newly qualified supply teacher who doesn't know the class or school and sometimes the TA is the better choice!
That having said, I don't think it should be happening on a permanent basis and parents should have been told. When I have done this amount of cover, parents were told it would be happening and given an outline of why.

OT but what subject out of interest? Same subject area ish or something random?

My son has the same teacher for several subjects which are so diverse (includes technology and religion) that I'd be surprised if the teacher is qualified in all of them!

Depends on the TA surely? DS's 1:1 last year was a qualified teacher who decided to step down to be a TA for the last five years before she retired as she no longer wanted the responsibility of being class teacher. She used to cover for DS's class teacher and other class teachers when they were ill...

Psychology.

I’m just about managing but I’m sure Ofsted wouldn’t be considering my lessons outstanding!

it does take away from my own subject though so all my pupils are getting a rough deal atm.

Do you have a source for this please?

A lot of HLTAs are now qualified teachers who don't want the stress of being the actual teacher so it may be that they are qualified but not employed in that role.

It's happening everywhere and I don't think parents realise the half of it. The gov seem to have done it to mask the chronic teacher shortage...

It's not good enough, no, but it's happening a lot. The school might not be able to hire a teacher, or might not be able to afford one.

Do speak to the school to ask them what they are doing to mitigate the issue of no teacher, and the support being put in place for the TA to help with behaviour management but don't expect the to be able to find a teacher any time soon.

And do please email your MP to complain about the impact of the school funding and teacher shortage crisis on your child.

Does the TA have another TA brought in to support them? What I’ve noticed is a TA steps up to cover the teacher but the TA gets no cover so it’s an even worse deal.

In the absence of supply teachers the alternative is to close the class.

TA may be a qualified teacher but it's a massive responsibility for someone on minimum wage.
DH trained as a teacher. He's currently employed as a l3 TA. If he has the class he can timesheet and is paid for those hours as a hlta.
School budgets are in an abysmal state.

But if they end up teaching anyway, and having the stress of being an actual teacher (who is doing all the necessary marking, planning etc?) surely they should be paid as a teacher, not doing the job of a teacher but for a TAs much lower salary?

I've lost count of who is currently striking, but surely this is ripe for a 'work to rule' and people who are employed and paid as TAs should refuse to do the work of a teacher, unless it's the odd bit of emergency cover?

Speak to the school. They'll explain it.

In Tory Britain, of course. We don't need doctors, teachers, nurses, police in Tory Britain. Tell your child to teach themselves! Or pay for Eton, if you really cared you'd make the effort to be rich.

I do see what you mean @BarbaraofSeville but it's not the work in the classroom that is cause of most stress. As an HLTA myself I love working with children and helping them learn but avoid many of the extra pressures that come with the job and that are the reasons many teachers leave after not that many years. I rarely have to do any work at home and can mostly leave on time etc. I am generally glad of the option to do the bits I love even if it is for a lower salary.

They shouldn't really, but needs must. There's a serious teacher shortage and recruitment crisis, with positions going unfilled, that's only going to get worse, and schools' budgets are so stretched that they cannot afford adequate cover.