To be irritated that people buy the teacher but not the TA presents at the end of term.

[Lucyellensmum99]

This really annoys me! My DD had both a lovely teacher and TA this year. Her TA helps her loads, but when i asked other mothers if they bought for both they made a face at me and said that they only bought for the teachers. I think this is really sad, as the TAs often have quite close contact with the children. My DD loved her TA this year and was quite clear she wanted to buy the same for TA and Teacher. We didn't buy much, some cheap flowers and choccies, we spent no more than £8 as DP and DD managed to find some bargain chocolates (i hope they weren't minging!) that looked nice.

Why would you not buy for the TA too?

god no!
tbh- i would quite like to be the kind of ta that washes paintpots etc
it would be much less stressful!

i also have the children hitting their targets as one of the targets on my performance management review!!

Targets......aaaaargh! I have them running through my head!!

Gifts really needn't be £££££

I bulk bought a pack of 10 plain frames and got the kids to draw a picture to go inside. Cash value: £1.50 per gift - but reassuringly big thing for the DC to handover, definitely personal - and quite practical IMO

( & ditto the 'large edible homemade gift for the staff room' idea. I have 3 DC in one school - so feel like freaking Santa thins time of iyear

I contributed to the class collection for the teacher and TA who were each bought gift vouchers and flowers to the same value. I also wrote a card to the teacher and TA thanking them for what they have done for DS. He has progressed wonderfully this year.

Because DS is leaving his infant school, I also bought token chocolate gifts for secretaries, bursar, caretaker and lollipop man!! As far as I am aware, they loved it and were very appreciative. I wrote a long thank you letter to the head and while I admire her tremendously, she seemed quite disinterested in it. Maybe she is just not a demonstrative person. Not sure.

I asked my teacher friends on facebook whether they enjoyed receiving gifts and all of them did, and of course the most valued ones were the ones that the children made for them.

Hopefully my DS's school did not think i was trying to score points with them. i really just wanted to say thank you.

There are good TAs - but let's face it, it's a nice job that fits in with the kids and the holidays are good, you also get paid for it. And you want me to give you WINE now as an added extra???!!! Just do what the rest of us do, be thankful you have a job in this climate & get on with it.

Harsh, but fair, I feel.

I am a special school TA and yesterday was my last day at the school I worked in before I move on to a new career. We had our Leaver's Assembly yesterday where we say goodbye to our sixth formers who are moving on and any staff that are going too.

After the assembly I was on dinner duty in the hall when one little boy who I worked with 4 years ago came up to me and said "Dxxxxx? Are you going? Are you leaving?" I told him that I was. He then took my hand and said "I will miss you. Thank you" and ran back to his table. When I worked with him his autism had him in such a place that he needed scripts to help him form sentences and he needed support to cross door thresholds. He has come such a long way. I will always remember his journey but until yesterday I hadn't realised just how much of an influence every single member of our huge staff team had on the pupils.

Visitors to our school often used to comment that it was impossible to tell who was a teacher and who was 'just' a TA because everyone worked equally to support the learning and pastoral care of the pupils and students.

I either buy a small gift for teacher/teachers and t/a's. Or something they can all share.
Normally a nightmare as i always seem to get the jobshares/ classes with more than 1 t/a

No, I completely understand ken0eddie.
And this time last year we were all in fear of losing our jobs when the school went into special measures. It has been a long hard slog,with so many changes of staff and procedures and all the training that has been done. I really feel I've earned my 6 weeks this year. We are in a much better place this year.

ken0eddie0kennedy that is very harsh and I don't think it is fair. I work bloody hard as a TA. I get paid just above minimum wage, don't get paid for any of my break times, very often take work home and no I don't expect a present, but it is very nice when I get one.

Well yeah, you & lots of other work hard for just above the minimum wage, take work home & work through breaks, you don't have the exclusive on that!

Glad you don't expect a pressie though. Nothing to be worked up about then.

ken0eddie0kennedy. I'm not worked up at all but I do think you are being unnecessarily rude and aggressive. I think people working with children tend to get presents because the children like to give them and/or the parents like to teach their children that it is nice to say thank you. I'm assuming you don't work in a school so can't see how it affects you. Yes, it is a nice little perk. As I said, we don't expect it, but it is nice when it happens.

My DC made cards for all the TAs involved in their education, as well as the teacher. They also had a small box of chocs each.To make sure no one was left out, I sent a thank you card to the head thanking everyone involved in the smooth running of the school, but I won't but presents for anyone not directly involved with my DC because that's just ridiculous.

I'm not sure where I work has any relevance here - my sons have always given pressies to teachers, mainly because I don't want them to feel left out when everyone else is giving, quite honestly, a nice by product of that is that yes, they learn that giving is good but do I draw the line at TAs. I'm not disputing that you work very hard! (Nor am I rude & aggressive just because you happen to disagree!)

I agree that there a plenty of people who would love to be a TA for the holidays. What would be better, supermarket or school...hmmmm

Supermarket or TA?

Dunno but I guess your average supermarket worker doesn't get spat at on an almost daily basis? I did as a TA, admittedly it was a special school and many of even the youngest children had behavioural problems but there were definitely days when Tesco seemed like the better option.

It is of course a worthy job but it is also quite cushy to get the holidays off. Do you think ALL TAs would stay in their job if it was a 48 weeks a year job?

Ok, well try being a Police Officer or a petrol station night shift attendant if you want to be spat on, 4 weeks holiday a year and great, flexible working hours.

I brought for the ta and not the teacher (smile)

I sometimes think the present things gone way out of hand!

I much prefered nursery/preschool when used to buy tin chocs for everyone to share.

last year in reception my daughter has 2part time teachers and 1 classroom assisatnt who really was a mother hen and very good.
i got all seperate not expensive pressies.

but in my primary everyone does presents at xmas and end summer term.

in year 1 xmas I baked biscuits for teacher and ta.
plus cards

but end of trem i was bit skint and tired.
got usual pressure to give to collection.
so gave £5 so £2.50

was told that will help fund

flowers
chocs
shopping vouchers

heard some parents gave £10notes in so shopping vouchersb could well be £100plus as 30 in a class.

sent hubby to do morbing school run ;ast day of term

he came back sightly grumpy

I ask what matter was he said handed in report feedback form as had few worries nearly every other parent had presents and cards!

we cant afford to do flipping both -now unsure if did right think maybe should have done 2cheap cards and 2cheap pressies but i cant compete with the others.

Also reading everyones comments it really does seem like you all have fab relationships with ta.

I barly talk to mine or the class teacher.

she has big notice up on classroom window saying please can parents make appointment to speak to me after school any issues.
think this was result of couple mums reguarly doing her head in.

teachers had a few sick days.
once a week they have different teacher think just for afternoon so she can do paperwork.
teachers rarly there in afternoon letting out time only really see her morning which is mad rush and she doesnt like to chat in mornings.
ta lets kids out in afternoon but shes not the most chatty person although daughter likes her.

I have freind whos early years primary and she tells me her ta does loads clean ups after painting, loads of crappy jobs yet teachers get all the glory dont seem right.

I went primary in 80s dont remember gifts for teachers or classroom assistants.

its my understanding teaching assistants highly qualified these days.
Also they dont get paid for hols like teachers do.

TAs vary greatly in terms of their qualifications.
A level 1 TA may well have no qualifications at all. A level 3 TA will have a level 3 qualification or equivalent. HLTAs will also have appropriate qualifications including GCSEs at grade C+ in English and Maths (or equivalent). Many have in excess of this.

I currently work as a TA although I am a qualified teacher with 10 years+ experience. This is not that unusual. I also don't just work 9-3 either. I am in work from before 8am and begin my first sessions with children at 8:10am. I do tend to leave on time although have meetings once a week too. However I also work at home after work and at weekends/holidays. In the last fortnight I have been regularly still working til 10pm at night, having stopped for a couple of hours for school run/dinner/bedtime. This isn't overly unusual for me either.

And yes TAs only get paid pro rota, just for the time they are in school. The salary advertised is not the bring home pay. It is pro rata for 39 weeks a year and we're not paid for lunch time or break times in the day (both compulsory.)

Now I love my job. It is convenient for me. Not sure I work that many less hours than I did as a teacher a lot of the time in term time, although have a lot less work to do in the holidays. Many people do worse jobs and get paid less too.

But many people don't realise that TAs do a fair bit more than cleaning up a classroom these days.

I've always given to TAs as well as teachers, whether it is wine or a plate of cookies each.

Any teachers on here, do you share some of your presents with your TAs if they receive a lot less than you?

I think what many parents don't realise is that often it is the ta who has to teach the lower ability and quite often worse behaved children. Whilst the teacher focuses on the more able children.
Anyway I buy for evryone who works in the class. I just feel they have gone the extra mile. Yes it is their job, but it is the manner in which they do it that sets them apart.

Dss ta has been wonderful. She cleaned him up when he had a dodgy tummy. I've since realised that probably coincided with early pg / morning sickness. She got a gift for her and the baby as she left to go on ml.

If TAs want the same "recognition" and "status" as teachers, why on earth don't they qualify as one? However exceptional they are, it clearly is not the same job or else they would be called teachers/paid the same. I don't mean to denigrate the work they do, but clearly some have a chip on their shoulder.