20 yr old male TA in primary - what would you think?

[newromantics]

Just that, really! DS is thinking of becoming a primary teacher and wants to get some TA experience. He's been invited for interview today at a local school (last day before Christmas break so it'll be manic!) to start next term.

However he was worrying this morning that he's not the usual 'TA type' and I must admit my only experience of TAs is of older women who've perhaps had their own kids already etc. I think he'd be great but obviously I'm biased!

What would you think if your Year 1 child had a TA like my DS?

DS was a 40 year old TA in primary school before he trained as a teacher. Children need males in primary schools. All teachers and TAs have very strict rules about not touching pupils. DS was so popular that they had to tell the children not to cuddle him because he didn’t like being touched ! Why do we have to be so suspicious all the time? When he was a teenager, DS occasionally babysat for a 12 year old girl, daughter of friends. We have since discovered that her friends told her to carry a knife in her pocket!

I think it's great.
I have a 15 year old son who wants to go into that line of work, hoping to do his work experience next year at one of the local primary schools.

It means so much to me that he knows the career path he wants to follow.
Sadly my 24 year old (eldest son) is severely disabled (non verbal and frozen in his mind as a baby), and it breaks my heart to think that he will never have those opportunities - just to be able to make his own choices. 😢

I disagree. Yes some 20 year olds would not be suitable but you can't tar them all with the same brush. Hopefully the school would pick up on these things at interview. TAs are pretty much under the observation of teachers anyway, who can support and give them pointers (or report concerns to senior staff).

There is definitely a shortage of male TAs and teachers in primary schools, so I think this would be a real positive addition!

@newromantics for his interview if he hasn't already get him to look at the school policies. The first one to look at is safeguarding because children can and do disclose to TAs and volunteers. Confidentiality is essential, if he mentions that it shows he is aware of it. Also First Aid, he won't do that himself but he will deal with injured children coming to him. There are First Aiders in the school, at the school I volunteered in they had a sign on the door of each year group stating who the staff were with First Aid training so you know who to take them to.

At the primary I was in there were a lot of male teachers which was great for the children and we also had a couple of male TAs (or LSAs - Learning Support Assistants as they are now called in some schools) who were there to see what the reality of teaching was before they went to uni to become a teacher.

Best of luck to him. Lots of TAs don't have any formal qualifications like NVQs but it depends what the school is asking of them. No child needing a 1 to 1 TA would have someone who didn't have some training. Even as a volunteer I had Safeguarding instruction before being allowed anywhere near a child, I underwent a course provided by the school for volunteers. I also have a degree and some other qualifications that helped. I did an SEND course and a brief SaLT course to help with that as I had been at the school for a while.

Kids need good male role models, too many kids don't have one at home so this can only be a good thing. I hope more schools see it like that.

Good luck to him.

We had male teachers and male sencos in primary school, the boys need male teachers just like the girls need female teachers

I'd be pleased to see 1. A young person in this role (our TAs are all 50+) and 2. Makes a change to see a fella doing this

I’d think it would be great as more males are needed in primary school settings

We had one at our primary. He was pretty universally loved by the kids as he was a lot more fun than the older-lady-kids-in-school variety (who were also generally brilliant, but less keen on the run around with the kids in the playground aspect). I think he's heading for a career in teaching.

A course or uni isnt going to give experience in working with children though…
And he’ll be working ‘under supervision’ Aka the teacher will be telling him what to do (which is what TA are supposed to be doing btw. Not the whole ‘I’ll give you the whole class to teach’ we are seeing nowadays).
Plus I suspect you wouldn’t say that if we were talking about a dd rather than a ds….

@newromantics the only thing that would come to my mind is ‘oh here is the TA’. His age or his sex wouldn’t come to my mind.

I worked in a team of predominantly female TAs for over 12 years but we often had 1 or 2 young male TAs doing it for a year or two to decide if they wanted to train to teach. Nothing wrong with it at all and they fitted in nicely.

My children’s primary school has a very young TA I think about 19 and the children LOVE him, he plays football with them and can match their energy I think he’s fabulous and a great role model for the boys as teaching and TA posts are filled with females! I’d tell your son to go for it, he’ll be very much in demand and loved by all the children.

I think male TAs and teachers are generally great in a primary school. The boys who struggle with behaviour and those who don't have a male role model at home, particularly seem to benefit.
Good luck to your son! 🤞🏻

Great to have more male role models in primary schools - I hope he gets the job, be the kids will love him!

Young boys needs role models, he has a chance to be an excellent role model for boys with feckless and or absent Fathers.

Many of our TAs are male. Most are specialised PE teachers/trainers and add to their salary with a part time TA position. So they are a TA 8-12, and teach PE during the afternoon, plus a sporty after school club. And they run the school holiday camp.

I wouldn’t be the least bit concerned about a young male TA in school but there’s no way I’d hire a male babysitter.
I also might not be thrilled if my child had additional needs and needed 1to1 intimate care (eg. Toileting) from a TA.
Having male TAs and teachers in primary schools is absolutely a good thing because they are great male role models which I feel is particularly beneficial for young boys. But I’m not comfortable with men, particularly men I don’t know, being in a position where it would be very easy to sexually abuse my children. Like babysitting my very young children alone in my house.
My advice to OP is to encourage her son to get experience with kids within programs or structures with excellent safeguarding protocols. So working in holiday programs or outdoor Ed stuff or afterschool care is a better bet than trying to get private babysitting jobs. It looks more trustworthy than babysitting and will teach him about safeguarding kids and basic rules to keep him safe from misunderstandings or malicious accusations.

I'd be delighted that my sons have a male role model in the school. They really pick up on the fact that most of their primary teachers are female, and I'd be very happy for them to see that working with children isn't just for women.

It's fine. We have some TAs at the old school I worked at. They were great male role models for the children. We had some at the special college I worked at too, they were a real favourite with students.

My DD primary school has 2 male teachers and a male TA. One of the male teachers is her PT teacher and the rest of the time he teaches other classes around the school.

She thinks it is normal to have male teaching staff as there were male members of staff at her nursery.

I hope your son gets the role and enjoys it.

Honestly I'd be really pleased, some kids respond really well to the 'warm and motherly' type TAs but it's great to have some male role models around as well. There is a male TA at DD's school who is fantastic, he has a really good rapport with the kids who all adore him, I've noticed one of the boys (who I know has SEND and can be challenging in class, and who doesn't come from the nicest family to boot) is always pleased to see him and will high five him cheerily on his way into the classroom, so I imagine the TA has quite a positive impact on that child. Also we had a male reception teacher who used to be a TA - he is just exceptional, so much creativity and enthusiasm, bent over backwards to support my DS who is autistic and encouraged my DD so much and really brought her out of her shell. Everyone adds something different to the mix! I hope he gets the job :)

I'd be so delighted for my kids they have more male role models too, and in a caring role no less.

My sons' school has a young male TA who must be early 20s now. For the past 4 years he has been attached to one or other of my sons' classes at least half of the week. They - and the other children - absolutely love him. He brings a completely different dynamic to the classroom to the other TA who is a middle aged lady. She is more motherly, he is more playful and will join in silly things with the kids but then model stopping before things go too far. I have very funny memories of him in a ball pit with 60 reception age children on a school trip last year, like a good natured big brother. Needless to say he is also very capable of controlling a group and being serious when needed.
I would say that if your DS has the skills, he could be a real asset to the school. Children need positive male role models, especially in primary school where there are usually more female role models. 'Mr X' is a legend in our household!!