Can you be a SEN teacher with no qualifications?

[Redtaper]

Or a SEN teaching assistant?

I would hope not. Teachers should always be suitably qualified!

You can't be any kind of teacher without qualifications (and QTS in the compulsory sector).

I think the rules about TAs, cover supervisors etc are rather more wooly. Don't people still train on the job as TAs?

Yes you could potentially be in those roles without SEN qualifications.

If you're a SEN coordinator and have been in post since before 2008, you didn't need a SEN award to be appointed. It's good practice to be qualified but not mandatory.

Teaching Assistants and (especially) Learning Support Assistants rarely have qualifications for their roles. Again, it would be better if they were but it's not mandatory.

What qualifications do you mean?

Do you have a teaching qualification?

Yes you can. Not in maintained schools but in Acadamies they can employ anyone who passes the safeguarding checks. The secondary academy where I work had about 20% unqualified teachers currently.

My brother is a TA in a SEN school. He has no qualifications (dropped out of uni after his first year)

I think people would be shocked to find out how many people called "teacher" in some of the acadamies don't have a teaching qualification.

Few TAs will have a SEN or other qualification, but it does depend on the area and what recruitment's like.

A SenCo will usually have a qualification, but again not compulsory in academies (which most secondaries are now).

Yep! Train on the job so our school say. Absolutely awful being a SEN parent and dealing with a clueless SEN team. It is so annoying.

Some of our TAs don't even have GCSEs. We get maybe 1 or 2 applications for each vacancy, beggars can't be choosers.

Sadly not true - loads of unqualified teachers with literally not much teaching in the UK since academies were rolled out.

My brother is a TA in a SEN school. He has no qualifications (dropped out of uni after his first year)

so he has GCSEs and A Levels?

I'm a TA I did two years at college for level 2 and 3 qualifications and did about 350
Hours on placement.

I could have done the job with the qualifications but I think it's unwise for employers not to bother about it. There is a lot of content in the courses that you wouldn't otherwise know.

TAs/LSAs need to be paid more if you want them
to be qualified. It’s a complete joke how much they’re paid and how much responsibility they’re given, and therefore not many people who are qualified will want these jobs. Funding in education is a disaster. Many TAs who are not qualified are amazing and do learn a lot on the job, others are not.

Yes you can. Not in maintained schools but in Acadamies they can employ anyone who passes the safeguarding checks. The secondary academy where I work had about 20% unqualified teachers currently.

That's what I meant by "cover supervisor". I refuse to be pulled into this Orwellian verbal gymnastics of non-teacher teachers. Teachers are qualified. It's appalling that other staff are allowed to lead classes.

My friend is a TA with no qualifications and is regularly in charge of the class when the teachers sick, training or has her 1 day off a week. Primary school though that is. The headteachers tells her they need to help each other out even though it's not actually allowed in her situation as she literally has no training at all.

@JeandeServiette

There are teachers and unqualified teachers (who have full class responsibility). It’s becoming a lot more common for TAs to step up because the school advertised and not even one applicant responded.

It's horrific how quick they are to dump the most complex children with the least qualified staff!

He has GCSEs. I think he has one A level at an E grade and he failed the other two.

The reason being a TA is so badly paid is you can do it with no qualifications or experience.

I'm a TA in a SEN school and have no teaching qualifications. I do have a First class Honours Degree but in a totally unrelated subject.

Yes, but schools are calling them teachers, their email signature says teacher, they're on teacher pay and conditions terms.... Parents and students don't know they're not teachers

What kind of term is "unqualified teacher"? I mean I know about the weakening of the rules and the academies, but isn't "teacher" specific to people with QTS? At one academy I know of, they got round it by employing newly minted PhDs in some roles and calling them lecturers. The graduates without QTS were "learning mentors". Which was irritating but at least kept the delineation.

@Youknowaboutthepaint

Yes, exactly that. My SIL is “the year 3 class teacher”. She didn’t even get her GCSEs but worked her way up from lunchtime supervisor. No one even knows to be honest, certainly not new parents to the school. She doesn’t get a teachers pay though, probably more like a HLTA.

Yep! Teacher here. SEN TAs are very much just normal TAs - so think most of the time other pupils Mums in our school.

Some very good! Some not...

Yes, but schools are calling them teachers, their email signature says teacher, they're on teacher pay and conditions terms.... Parents and students don't know they're not teachers

Wow. I didn't realise that. Why are the unions not rioting?