To be worried that someone with no qualifications or experience will be a TA in DD school?

[FusionChefGeoff]

So, was chatting with a mum who I've never met before who is excited she'll be leaving her job of 14 yrs as a receptionist to start as a TA in year 2 in my DDs school in September.

I asked if she's retrained? She says no.

I ask if she's done it before? She says no. But says she's been associated with the school for over 10 years as her kids have been through it so she does know most of the teachers.

I make congratulatory noises for her taking a chance etc etc whilst secretly worrying about how the hell this is a suitable appointment. I stopped asking questions too I'm afraid as I was starting to sound a bit rude and I didn't want to upset her.

And who is going to train her?? Presumably the teacher who by all accounts are drowning already in paperwork etc.

So, is there actually a feasible scenario in which this is acceptable?

Try functional skills maths level 2.
City and Guilds and others do it. If you don't have gcse you should get course free....
Good luck!

Thanks dreamer I'm dreading having to go back to maths!

You're being very precious there OP. You don't even know what is involved training/recruitment wise and you're judging her unfairly.

i bet you didn't have qualifications or experience before you decided to change lifestyle and become a parent?

i suggest you educate yourself re TA's and the training side of it before judging whether she is good enough to help your kid during classwork

RedStripe, if you find an adult learner course you will find yourself with people as scared of maths as you! Functional maths is different to gcse and linked to real life situations. Just have a go...
Best of luck...

Many of the TA jobs in our local primary go to the dinner ladies. It's kind of seen as dinner lady promotion really

Some of them go on to do training courses outside of school hours, and make a career out of it.

Many just like easy, part-time work that fits around family life.

A rare few go on to do a PGCE and get a teaching post.

As many many previous posters have stated. It is not an easy job. My TA runs maths intervention classes for both the high and low achievers across the school. He also runs whole classes. No he isn't teaching "rocket science" as some one up thread said but nor is it easy meeting the very varied needs and abilities of the different children in the school.

I think you are wrong to judge. You could find the most qualified person with a top degree can be a crap teacher. Give her a chance the kids might love her and in time she will have to do an NVQ.

Just a phase May I ask what OFSTED rating your schools achieved? Going by your attitude I very much doubt that they were excellent or even good. In a modern primary or, indeed, secondary, the class teacher cannot do her job without the TA giving differentiated support and running groups and 1-1 sessions. As an HLTA I was the school's literacy interventions manager, assessing children, organising other TAs, liaising with class teacher, SENCO and heads of department, providing data and reports to the Headteacher, attending meetings with parents and professionals and giving training to other staff members, including teachers. TAs do not clean paint pots or bums. They often have vastly superior English and maths skills than a newly or recently qualified class teacher. They often amend the class teacher's power points, Smart files and worksheets to save embarrasssment. A 'dinner lady' or 'parent' without a good standard of education and / or relevant qualifications cannot be a genuine TA; they are a classroom assistant or, in the case of a child with certain forms of SEND, a learning support assistant.

I have a degree in Literature and a masters, and I was hired as a TA once (2013) to do support work in small groups ('intervention' GCSE). What actually happened is on day 3 I was offered a full schedule of classes as a team teacher with someone who was thinking of qualifying. It was also hinted that parents evening was coming up and they had nobody to fill the post.

We actually did a formal assessment with no help on day 4 or something, then I legged it and never went back to teaching, worked in exams for a bit though (invigilation and admin). I knew I didn't have the teaching skill and it wasn't the job I applied to do. It was an academy, naturally.

Anyway in answer to the op - if the ta sticks to their role, they don't need a teaching qualification. Most TAs I met were degree educated in something and if not they just had good life experience and work experience. I think what people need to worry about is unqualified teachers, tbh